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Is First Trust Large Cap Growth AlphaDEX ETF (FTC) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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A smart beta exchange traded fund, the First Trust Large Cap Growth AlphaDEX ETF (FTC - Free Report) debuted on 05/08/2007, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.
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.
The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Managed by First Trust Advisors, FTC has amassed assets over $1.3 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Growth. FTC, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the Nasdaq AlphaDEX Large Cap Growth Index.
The NASDAQ AlphaDEX Large Cap Growth Index is an enhanced index which employs the AlphaDEX stock selection methodology to select stocks from the NASDAQ US 500 Large Cap Growth Index.
Cost & Other Expenses
For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund's return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.
Annual operating expenses for FTC are 0.58%, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
FTC's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 0.19%.
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 Industrials sector - about 28% of the portfolio. Information Technology and Financials round out the top three.
Taking into account individual holdings, Seagate Technology Holdings Plc (STX) accounts for about 1.5% of the fund's total assets, followed by Vertiv Holdings Co (class A) (VRT) and Mastec, Inc. (MTZ).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 12.96% of FTC's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the First Trust Large Cap Growth AlphaDEX ETF has gained about 10.39% so far, and it's up approximately 29.28% over the last 12 months (as of 05/11/2026). FTC has traded between $139.58 $178.36 in this past 52-week period.
FTC has a beta of 1.14 and standard deviation of 18.15% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 188 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
First Trust Large Cap Growth AlphaDEX ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF Shares (VUG) tracks CRSP U.S. Large Cap Growth Index and the Invesco QQQ (QQQ) tracks NASDAQ-100 Index. Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF Shares has $223.33 billion in assets, Invesco QQQ has $463.79 billion. VUG has an expense ratio of 0.03% and QQQ changes 0.18%.
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 - Large 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 Large Cap Growth AlphaDEX ETF (FTC) a Strong ETF Right Now?
A smart beta exchange traded fund, the First Trust Large Cap Growth AlphaDEX ETF (FTC - Free Report) debuted on 05/08/2007, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.
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.
The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Managed by First Trust Advisors, FTC has amassed assets over $1.3 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Growth. FTC, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the Nasdaq AlphaDEX Large Cap Growth Index.
The NASDAQ AlphaDEX Large Cap Growth Index is an enhanced index which employs the AlphaDEX stock selection methodology to select stocks from the NASDAQ US 500 Large Cap Growth Index.
Cost & Other Expenses
For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund's return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.
Annual operating expenses for FTC are 0.58%, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
FTC's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 0.19%.
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 Industrials sector - about 28% of the portfolio. Information Technology and Financials round out the top three.
Taking into account individual holdings, Seagate Technology Holdings Plc (STX) accounts for about 1.5% of the fund's total assets, followed by Vertiv Holdings Co (class A) (VRT) and Mastec, Inc. (MTZ).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 12.96% of FTC's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the First Trust Large Cap Growth AlphaDEX ETF has gained about 10.39% so far, and it's up approximately 29.28% over the last 12 months (as of 05/11/2026). FTC has traded between $139.58 $178.36 in this past 52-week period.
FTC has a beta of 1.14 and standard deviation of 18.15% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 188 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
First Trust Large Cap Growth AlphaDEX ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF Shares (VUG) tracks CRSP U.S. Large Cap Growth Index and the Invesco QQQ (QQQ) tracks NASDAQ-100 Index. Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF Shares has $223.33 billion in assets, Invesco QQQ has $463.79 billion. VUG has an expense ratio of 0.03% and QQQ changes 0.18%.
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 - Large 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.