Should You Invest in the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX ETF (FXZ)?
Launched on 05/08/2007, the First Trust Materials AlphaDEX ETF (FXZ) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Materials - Broad segment of the equity market.
While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency.
Additionally, sector ETFs offer convenient ways to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Materials - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 14, placing it in bottom 13%.
Index Details
The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $603.11 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Materials - Broad segment of the equity market. FXZ seeks to match the performance of the StrataQuant Materials Index before fees and expenses.
The StrataQuant Materials 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.
Costs
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts if all other fundamentals are the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.61%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.05%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Materials sector--about 91.30% of the portfolio.
Looking at individual holdings, Nucor Corporation (NUE) accounts for about 5.22% of total assets, followed by Steel Dynamics, Inc. (STLD) and Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (CLF).
The top 10 holdings account for about 44.62% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, FXZ return is roughly 8.23%, and was up about 16.93% in the last one year (as of 07/04/2023). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $50.77 and $71.94.
The ETF has a beta of 1.27 and standard deviation of 26.53% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 40 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
First Trust Materials 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, FXZ is a sufficient option for those seeking exposure to the Materials ETFs area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.
Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLB) tracks Materials Select Sector Index and the FlexShares Morningstar Global Upstream Natural Resources ETF (GUNR) tracks Morningstar Global Upstream Natural Resources Index. Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF has $5.94 billion in assets, FlexShares Morningstar Global Upstream Natural Resources ETF has $7.23 billion. XLB has an expense ratio of 0.10% and GUNR charges 0.46%.
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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First Trust Materials AlphaDEX ETF (FXZ): ETF Research Reports
Steel Dynamics, Inc. (STLD) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Nucor Corporation (NUE) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (CLF) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLB): ETF Research Reports
FlexShares Morningstar Global Upstream Natural Resources ETF (GUNR): ETF Research Reports
