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Is First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX ETF (FYC) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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The First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX ETF (FYC - Free Report) was launched on 04/19/2011, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Growth category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
If you're the kind of investor who would rather try and beat the market through good stock selection, then smart beta funds are your best choice; this fund class is known for tracking non-cap weighted strategies.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.
While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is managed by First Trust Advisors, and has been able to amass over $607.7 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Small Cap Growth. FYC, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the Nasdaq AlphaDEX Small Cap Growth Index.
The NASDAQ AlphaDEX Small Cap Growth Index is an enhanced which employs the AlphaDEX stock selection methodology to select stocks from the NASDAQ US 700 Small Cap Growth Index.
Cost & Other Expenses
When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor. And, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins in the long term if all other factors remain equal.
With one of the most expensive products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.71%.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 0.24%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Most ETFs are very transparent products, and disclose their holdings on a daily basis. ETFs also offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, though it's still important for investors to research a fund's holdings.
FYC's heaviest allocation is in the Industrials sector, which is about 23.5% of the portfolio. Its Healthcare and Information Technology round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Commscope Holding Company, Inc. (COMM) accounts for about 1.13% of the fund's total assets, followed by Perimeter Solutions, Inc. (PRM) and Mirum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (MIRM).
FYC's top 10 holdings account for about 8.63% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX ETF has added about 19.59% so far, and is up roughly 26.18% over the last 12 months (as of 10/07/2025). FYC has traded between $61.01 $92.52 in this past 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 1.18 and standard deviation of 21.66% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 265 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Small Cap Growth segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF (IWO) tracks Russell 2000 Growth Index and the Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF (VBK) tracks CRSP U.S. Small Cap Growth Index. iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF has $13.25 billion in assets, Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF has $20.82 billion. IWO has an expense ratio of 0.24% and VBK changes 0.07%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - Small Cap Growth
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.
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Is First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX ETF (FYC) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX ETF (FYC - Free Report) was launched on 04/19/2011, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Growth category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
If you're the kind of investor who would rather try and beat the market through good stock selection, then smart beta funds are your best choice; this fund class is known for tracking non-cap weighted strategies.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.
While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is managed by First Trust Advisors, and has been able to amass over $607.7 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Small Cap Growth. FYC, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the Nasdaq AlphaDEX Small Cap Growth Index.
The NASDAQ AlphaDEX Small Cap Growth Index is an enhanced which employs the AlphaDEX stock selection methodology to select stocks from the NASDAQ US 700 Small Cap Growth Index.
Cost & Other Expenses
When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor. And, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins in the long term if all other factors remain equal.
With one of the most expensive products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.71%.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 0.24%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Most ETFs are very transparent products, and disclose their holdings on a daily basis. ETFs also offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, though it's still important for investors to research a fund's holdings.
FYC's heaviest allocation is in the Industrials sector, which is about 23.5% of the portfolio. Its Healthcare and Information Technology round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Commscope Holding Company, Inc. (COMM) accounts for about 1.13% of the fund's total assets, followed by Perimeter Solutions, Inc. (PRM) and Mirum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (MIRM).
FYC's top 10 holdings account for about 8.63% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX ETF has added about 19.59% so far, and is up roughly 26.18% over the last 12 months (as of 10/07/2025). FYC has traded between $61.01 $92.52 in this past 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 1.18 and standard deviation of 21.66% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 265 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Small Cap Growth segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF (IWO) tracks Russell 2000 Growth Index and the Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF (VBK) tracks CRSP U.S. Small Cap Growth Index. iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF has $13.25 billion in assets, Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF has $20.82 billion. IWO has an expense ratio of 0.24% and VBK changes 0.07%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - Small Cap Growth
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.