We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
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.
Should First Trust NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted ETF (QQEW) Be on Your Investing Radar?
Read MoreHide Full Article
Designed to provide broad exposure to the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market, the First Trust NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted ETF (QQEW - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 04/19/2006.
The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $2.37 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.
Why Large Cap Growth
Large cap companies typically 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.
Growth stocks have higher than average sales and earnings growth rates. While these are expected to grow faster than the broader market, they also have higher valuations. Also, growth stocks are a type of equity that carries more risk compared to others. Even though growth stocks are more likely to outperform their value counterparts in strong bull markets, value stocks have a record of delivering better returns in almost all markets than growth stocks.
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 0.58%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.68%.
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 39.50% of the portfolio. Consumer Discretionary and Healthcare round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Crowdstrike Holdings, Inc. (class A) (CRWD - Free Report) accounts for about 1.41% of total assets, followed by Pdd Holdings Inc. (adr) (PDD - Free Report) and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD - Free Report) .
The top 10 holdings account for about 12.55% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
QQEW seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index before fees and expenses. The NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index is the equal-weighted version of the NASDAQ-100 Index which includes 100 of the largest non-financial securities listed on NASDAQ based on market capitalization.
The ETF has added about 2.75% so far this year and it's up approximately 24.33% in the last one year (as of 01/30/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $93.04 and $120.68.
The ETF has a beta of 1.06 and standard deviation of 22.08% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 102 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
First Trust NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, QQEW is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
The Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG - Free Report) and the Invesco QQQ (QQQ - Free Report) track a similar index. While Vanguard Growth ETF has $109.81 billion in assets, Invesco QQQ has $246.17 billion. VUG has an expense ratio of 0.04% and QQQ charges 0.20%.
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.
See More Zacks Research for These Tickers
Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:
Image: Bigstock
Should First Trust NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted ETF (QQEW) Be on Your Investing Radar?
Designed to provide broad exposure to the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market, the First Trust NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted ETF (QQEW - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 04/19/2006.
The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $2.37 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.
Why Large Cap Growth
Large cap companies typically 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.
Growth stocks have higher than average sales and earnings growth rates. While these are expected to grow faster than the broader market, they also have higher valuations. Also, growth stocks are a type of equity that carries more risk compared to others. Even though growth stocks are more likely to outperform their value counterparts in strong bull markets, value stocks have a record of delivering better returns in almost all markets than growth stocks.
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 0.58%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.68%.
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 39.50% of the portfolio. Consumer Discretionary and Healthcare round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Crowdstrike Holdings, Inc. (class A) (CRWD - Free Report) accounts for about 1.41% of total assets, followed by Pdd Holdings Inc. (adr) (PDD - Free Report) and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD - Free Report) .
The top 10 holdings account for about 12.55% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
QQEW seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index before fees and expenses. The NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index is the equal-weighted version of the NASDAQ-100 Index which includes 100 of the largest non-financial securities listed on NASDAQ based on market capitalization.
The ETF has added about 2.75% so far this year and it's up approximately 24.33% in the last one year (as of 01/30/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $93.04 and $120.68.
The ETF has a beta of 1.06 and standard deviation of 22.08% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 102 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
First Trust NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, QQEW is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
The Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG - Free Report) and the Invesco QQQ (QQQ - Free Report) track a similar index. While Vanguard Growth ETF has $109.81 billion in assets, Invesco QQQ has $246.17 billion. VUG has an expense ratio of 0.04% and QQQ charges 0.20%.
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.