Designed to provide broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, the First Trust Large Cap Core AlphaDEX ETF (FEX Quick QuoteFEX - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on May 8, 2007.

The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $1.55 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Blend

Large cap companies usually have a market capitalization above $10 billion. They tend to be stable companies with predictable cash flows and are usually less volatile than mid and small cap companies.

Typically holding a combination of both growth and value stocks, blend ETFs also demonstrate qualities seen in value and growth investments.

Costs

Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts, other things remaining the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.57%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.96%.

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 to the Information Technology sector -- about 17.7% of the portfolio. Financials and Industrials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation (CTSH) accounts for about 0.71% of total assets, followed by Accenture Plc (ACN) and Super Micro Computer, Inc. (SMCI).

The top 10 holdings account for about 5.9% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

FEX seeks to match the performance of the Nasdaq AlphaDEX Large Cap Core Index before fees and expenses. The NASDAQ AlphaDEX Large Cap Core Index is an enhanced index which employs the AlphaDEX stock selection methodology to select stocks from the NASDAQ US 500 Large Cap Index.

The ETF has added about 13.88% so far this year and is up roughly 16.07% in the last one year (as of 09/21/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $111.80 and $142.44.

The ETF has a beta of 0.94 and standard deviation of 14.59% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 376 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

First Trust Large Cap Core 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, FEX is a sufficient option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) and the Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF Shares (VOO) track a similar index. While iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $827.55 billion in assets, Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF Shares has $1,043.20 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and VOO charges 0.03%.

Bottom-Line

An increasingly popular option among retail and institutional investors, passively managed ETFs offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; they are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.

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.