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Is First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX ETF (FXU) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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The First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX ETF (FXU - Free Report) made its debut on 05/08/2007, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs category of the market.
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.
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.
Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.
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
FXU is managed by First Trust Advisors, and this fund has amassed over $1.41 billion, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the StrataQuant Utilities Index.
The StrataQuant Utilities 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.
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.
Annual operating expenses for FXU are 0.63%, which makes it one of the most expensive products in the space.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 2.33%.
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.
FXU's heaviest allocation is in the Utilities sector, which is about 95.30% of the portfolio.
Taking into account individual holdings, Consolidated Edison, Inc. (ED - Free Report) accounts for about 4.78% of the fund's total assets, followed by Exelon Corporation (EXC - Free Report) and Ugi Corporation (UGI - Free Report) .
The top 10 holdings account for about 40.64% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF return is roughly 7.94% so far this year and was up about 32.55% in the last one year (as of 04/18/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $32.16 and $41.41.
The ETF has a beta of 0.64 and standard deviation of 18.02% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 41 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX ETF is not a suitable option for investors seeking to outperform the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs segment of the market. Instead, there are other ETFs in the space which investors should consider.
Vanguard Utilities ETF (VPU - Free Report) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Utilities 25/50 Index and the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU - Free Report) tracks Utilities Select Sector Index. Vanguard Utilities ETF has $6.74 billion in assets, Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF has $17.39 billion. VPU has an expense ratio of 0.09% and XLU charges 0.08%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Utilities/Infrastructure 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.
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Is First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX ETF (FXU) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX ETF (FXU - Free Report) made its debut on 05/08/2007, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs category of the market.
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.
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.
Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.
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
FXU is managed by First Trust Advisors, and this fund has amassed over $1.41 billion, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the StrataQuant Utilities Index.
The StrataQuant Utilities 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.
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.
Annual operating expenses for FXU are 0.63%, which makes it one of the most expensive products in the space.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 2.33%.
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.
FXU's heaviest allocation is in the Utilities sector, which is about 95.30% of the portfolio.
Taking into account individual holdings, Consolidated Edison, Inc. (ED - Free Report) accounts for about 4.78% of the fund's total assets, followed by Exelon Corporation (EXC - Free Report) and Ugi Corporation (UGI - Free Report) .
The top 10 holdings account for about 40.64% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF return is roughly 7.94% so far this year and was up about 32.55% in the last one year (as of 04/18/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $32.16 and $41.41.
The ETF has a beta of 0.64 and standard deviation of 18.02% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 41 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX ETF is not a suitable option for investors seeking to outperform the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs segment of the market. Instead, there are other ETFs in the space which investors should consider.
Vanguard Utilities ETF (VPU - Free Report) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Utilities 25/50 Index and the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU - Free Report) tracks Utilities Select Sector Index. Vanguard Utilities ETF has $6.74 billion in assets, Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF has $17.39 billion. VPU has an expense ratio of 0.09% and XLU charges 0.08%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Utilities/Infrastructure 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.