We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience.
This includes personalizing content and advertising.
By pressing "Accept All" or closing out of this banner, you consent to the use of all cookies and similar technologies and the sharing of information they collect with third parties.
You can reject marketing cookies by pressing "Deny Optional," but we still use essential, performance, and functional cookies.
In addition, whether you "Accept All," Deny Optional," click the X or otherwise continue to use the site, you accept our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, revised from time to time.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
Is First Trust NASDAQ-100-Technology Sector ETF (QTEC) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Read MoreHide Full Article
Designed to provide broad exposure to the Technology ETFs category of the market, the First Trust NASDAQ-100-Technology Sector ETF (QTEC - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 04/19/2006.
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.
Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.
There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track non-cap weighted strategies.
These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.
Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
QTEC is managed by First Trust Advisors, and this fund has amassed over $3.09 billion, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Technology ETFs. QTEC, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ-100 Technology Sector Index.
The NASDAQ-100 Technology Sector Index is an equal-weighted index based on the securities of the NASDAQ-100 Index that are classified as technology.
Cost & Other Expenses
Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.
With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.55%.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.00%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
ETFs offer diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk, but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector - about 89.6% of the portfolio. Telecom and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Micron Technology, Inc. (MU) accounts for about 3.44% of total assets, followed by Western Digital Corporation (WDC) and Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT).
QTEC's top 10 holdings account for about 29.83% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has added about 14.32% so far this year and was up about 50.86% in the last one year (as of 04/27/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $176.64 and $263.18
QTEC has a beta of 1.30 and standard deviation of 25.54% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a high risk choice in the space. With about 46 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers .
Alternatives
First Trust NASDAQ-100-Technology Sector ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Technology ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) tracks Technology Select Sector Index and the Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF Shares (VGT) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Information Technology 25/50 Index. State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF has $103.45 billion in assets, Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF Shares has $125.13 billion. XLK has an expense ratio of 0.08% and VGT changes 0.09%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Technology ETFs
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.
Zacks' 7 Best Strong Buy Stocks (New Research Report)
Valued at $99, click below to receive our just-released report
predicting the 7 stocks that will soar highest in the coming month.
View the Zacks #1 Rank List
Image: Bigstock
Is First Trust NASDAQ-100-Technology Sector ETF (QTEC) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Designed to provide broad exposure to the Technology ETFs category of the market, the First Trust NASDAQ-100-Technology Sector ETF (QTEC - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 04/19/2006.
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.
Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.
There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track non-cap weighted strategies.
These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.
Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
QTEC is managed by First Trust Advisors, and this fund has amassed over $3.09 billion, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Technology ETFs. QTEC, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ-100 Technology Sector Index.
The NASDAQ-100 Technology Sector Index is an equal-weighted index based on the securities of the NASDAQ-100 Index that are classified as technology.
Cost & Other Expenses
Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.
With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.55%.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.00%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
ETFs offer diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk, but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector - about 89.6% of the portfolio. Telecom and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Micron Technology, Inc. (MU) accounts for about 3.44% of total assets, followed by Western Digital Corporation (WDC) and Applied Materials, Inc. (AMAT).
QTEC's top 10 holdings account for about 29.83% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has added about 14.32% so far this year and was up about 50.86% in the last one year (as of 04/27/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $176.64 and $263.18
QTEC has a beta of 1.30 and standard deviation of 25.54% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a high risk choice in the space. With about 46 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers .
Alternatives
First Trust NASDAQ-100-Technology Sector ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Technology ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) tracks Technology Select Sector Index and the Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF Shares (VGT) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Information Technology 25/50 Index. State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF has $103.45 billion in assets, Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF Shares has $125.13 billion. XLK has an expense ratio of 0.08% and VGT changes 0.09%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Technology ETFs
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.