The First Trust NASDAQ Semiconductor ETF (FTXL) made its debut on 09/20/2016, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Technology 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.
Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide 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
Managed by First Trust Advisors, FTXL has amassed assets over $378.89 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Technology ETFs. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the Nasdaq US Smart Semiconductor Index.
The Nasdaq US Smart Semiconductor Index is a modified factor weighted index, designed to provide exposure to US companies within the semiconductor industry.
Cost & Other Expenses
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.60%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.53%.
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.
Representing 100% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector.
Looking at individual holdings, Nvidia Corporation (NVDA) accounts for about 9.94% of total assets, followed by Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) and Intel Corporation (INTC).
FTXL's top 10 holdings account for about 62.78% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has added roughly 1.09% and was up about 13.35% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 01/13/2025), respectively. FTXL has traded between $77.94 and $107.11 during this last 52-week period.
The fund has a beta of 1.22 and standard deviation of 34.80% for the trailing three-year period. With about 32 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
First Trust NASDAQ Semiconductor ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Technology ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
IShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) tracks PHLX SOX Semiconductor Sector Index and the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) tracks MVIS US Listed Semiconductor 25 Index. IShares Semiconductor ETF has $14.18 billion in assets, VanEck Semiconductor ETF has $24.05 billion. SOXX has an expense ratio of 0.35% and SMH charges 0.35%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Technology 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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First Trust NASDAQ Semiconductor ETF (FTXL): ETF Research Reports
Intel Corporation (INTC) : Free Stock Analysis Report
NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) : Free Stock Analysis Report
VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH): ETF Research Reports
iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX): ETF Research Reports
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