Launched on 05/08/2007, the First Trust Consumer Discretionary AlphaDEX Fund (FXD) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Consumer Discretionary – Broad segment of the equity market.
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.
Sector ETFs also provide investors access to a broad group of companies in particular sectors that offer low risk and diversified exposure. Consumer Discretionary – Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 11, placing it in bottom 31%.
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The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $384.44 M, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Consumer Discretionary – Broad segment of the equity market. FXD seeks to match the performance of the StrataQuant Consumer Discretionary Index before fees and expenses.
The StrataQuant Consumer Discretionary Index employs the AlphaDEX stock selection methodology to select stocks from the Russell 1000 Index.
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Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF’s expense ratio.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.64%, making it one of the more expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.74%.
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ETFs offer a 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.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Consumer Discretionary sector–about 78.40% of the portfolio. Telecom and Industrials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Roku, Inc. (ROKU) accounts for about 1.71% of total assets, followed by The Trade Desk, Inc. (class A) (TTD) and Qurate Retail Inc (QRTEA).
The top 10 holdings account for about 15.59% of total assets under management.
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So far this year, FXD has added roughly 18.18%, and is up about 3.08% in the last one year (as of 08/01/2019). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $34.86 and $44.45.
The ETF has a beta of 1.03 and standard deviation of 14% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 120 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
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First Trust Consumer Discretionary AlphaDEX Fund 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, FXD is an outstanding option for investors seeking exposure to the Consumer Discretionary ETFs segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF (VCR) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Consumer Discretionary 25/50 Index and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) tracks Consumer Discretionary Select Sector Index. Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF has $3.12 B in assets, Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund has $14.21 B. VCR has an expense ratio of 0.10% and XLY charges 0.13%.
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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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Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
First Trust Consumer Discretionary AlphaDEX Fund (FXD): ETF Research Reports
The Trade Desk Inc. (TTD) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY): ETF Research Reports
Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF (VCR): ETF Research Reports
Qurate Retail Group, Inc. (QRTEA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Roku, Inc. (ROKU) : Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research” data-reactid=”41″>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
First Trust Consumer Discretionary AlphaDEX Fund (FXD): ETF Research Reports
The Trade Desk Inc. (TTD) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY): ETF Research Reports
Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF (VCR): ETF Research Reports
Qurate Retail Group, Inc. (QRTEA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Roku, Inc. (ROKU) : Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research
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