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Should You Invest in the First Trust Financials AlphaDEX ETF (FXO)?
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If you're interested in broad exposure to the Financials - Broad segment of the equity market, look no further than the First Trust Financials AlphaDEX ETF (FXO - Free Report) , 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.
Investor-friendly, sector ETFs provide many options to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Financials - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 6, placing it in top 38%.
Index Details
The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $1.09 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Financials - Broad segment of the equity market. FXO seeks to match the performance of the StrataQuant Financials Index before fees and expenses.
The StrataQuant Financials 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
When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts in the long term if all other factors remain equal.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.6%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.18%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Financials sector -- about 100% of the portfolio.
Looking at individual holdings, First American Financial Corporation (FAF) accounts for about 1.9% of total assets, followed by Renaissancere Holdings Ltd. (RNR) and Arch Capital Group Ltd. (ACGL).
The top 10 holdings account for about 17.47% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the First Trust Financials AlphaDEX ETF has lost about 0.84% so far, and was up about 23.47% over the last 12 months (as of 04/16/2026). FXO has traded between $47.59 and $62.21 in this past 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 1.00 and standard deviation of 19.8% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 105 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
First Trust Financials AlphaDEX ETF sports a Zacks ETF Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. FXO, then, is not a great choice for investors seeking exposure to the Financials ETFs segment of the market. Instead, there are better ETFs in the space to consider.
Vanguard Financials Index Fund ETF Shares (VFH) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Financials 25/50 Index and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) tracks Financial Select Sector Index. Vanguard Financials Index Fund ETF Shares has $13.04 billion in assets, State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF has $51.24 billion. VFH has an expense ratio of 0.09%, and XLF 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.
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Should You Invest in the First Trust Financials AlphaDEX ETF (FXO)?
If you're interested in broad exposure to the Financials - Broad segment of the equity market, look no further than the First Trust Financials AlphaDEX ETF (FXO - Free Report) , 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.
Investor-friendly, sector ETFs provide many options to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Financials - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 6, placing it in top 38%.
Index Details
The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $1.09 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Financials - Broad segment of the equity market. FXO seeks to match the performance of the StrataQuant Financials Index before fees and expenses.
The StrataQuant Financials 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
When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts in the long term if all other factors remain equal.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.6%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.18%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Financials sector -- about 100% of the portfolio.
Looking at individual holdings, First American Financial Corporation (FAF) accounts for about 1.9% of total assets, followed by Renaissancere Holdings Ltd. (RNR) and Arch Capital Group Ltd. (ACGL).The top 10 holdings account for about 17.47% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the First Trust Financials AlphaDEX ETF has lost about 0.84% so far, and was up about 23.47% over the last 12 months (as of 04/16/2026). FXO has traded between $47.59 and $62.21 in this past 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 1.00 and standard deviation of 19.8% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 105 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
First Trust Financials AlphaDEX ETF sports a Zacks ETF Rank of 4 (Sell), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. FXO, then, is not a great choice for investors seeking exposure to the Financials ETFs segment of the market. Instead, there are better ETFs in the space to consider.
Vanguard Financials Index Fund ETF Shares (VFH) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Financials 25/50 Index and the State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) tracks Financial Select Sector Index. Vanguard Financials Index Fund ETF Shares has $13.04 billion in assets, State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF has $51.24 billion. VFH has an expense ratio of 0.09%, and XLF 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.