Designed to provide broad exposure to the Consumer Staples - Broad segment of the equity market, the First Trust Consumer Staples AlphaDEX ETF (FXG Quick QuoteFXG - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on May 8, 2007.

Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.

Additionally, sector ETFs offer convenient ways to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Consumer Staples - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 15, placing it in bottom 6%.

Index Details

The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $288.07 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Consumer Staples - Broad segment of the equity market. FXG seeks to match the performance of the StrataQuant Consumer Staples Index before fees and expenses.

The StrataQuant Consumer Staples Index is a modified equal-dollar weighted index designed by the AMEX to objectively identify and select stocks from the Russell 1000 Index that may generate positive alpha relative to traditional passive style indices through the use of the AlphaDEX screening methodology.

Costs

Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.62%, making it one of the more expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.21%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Consumer Staples sector -- about 87.7% of the portfolio, followed by Healthcare.

Looking at individual holdings, Pilgrim's Pride Corporation (PPC) accounts for about 4.56% of total assets, followed by The Kraft Heinz Company (KHC) and Molson Coors Beverage Company (TAP).

The top 10 holdings account for about 40.2% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, FXG has added about 2.49%, and is down about 3.54% in the last one year (as of 09/08/2025). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $61.21 and $70.055.

The ETF has a beta of 0.57 and standard deviation of 12.87% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 41 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.

Alternatives

First Trust Consumer Staples AlphaDEX ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, FXG is a sufficient option for those seeking exposure to the Consumer Staples ETFs area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Consumer Staples 25/50 Index and the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) tracks Consumer Staples Select Sector Index. Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF has $7.63 billion in assets, Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF has $16.01 billion. VDC has an expense ratio of 0.09%, and XLP charges 0.08%.

Bottom Line

To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.