The First Trust Capital Strength ETF (FTCS) was launched on 07/06/2006, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Blend category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.
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.
There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track 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.
This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Managed by First Trust Advisors, FTCS has amassed assets over $8.73 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Blend. FTCS seeks to match the performance of the The Capital Strength Index before fees and expenses.
The Capital Strength Index is an equal-dollar weighted index which provides exposure to well-capitalized companies with strong market positions based on strong balance sheets, high degree of liquidity, ability to generate earnings growth & record financial strength & profit growth.
Cost & Other Expenses
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 0.54%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.34%.
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.
Representing 19.60% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Industrials sector; Consumer Staples and Healthcare round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc. (AAPL) accounts for about 2.32% of total assets, followed by Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) and Amphenol Corporation (APH).
FTCS's top 10 holdings account for about 21.9% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, FTCS has added about 8.69%, and it's up approximately 14.39% in the last one year (as of 07/30/2024). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $71.38 and $86.78.
FTCS has a beta of 0.84 and standard deviation of 13.64% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 51 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
First Trust Capital Strength ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
IShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) tracks S&P 500 Index and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) tracks S&P 500 Index. IShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $495.91 billion in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $556.02 billion. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.03% and SPY charges 0.09%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - Large Cap Blend.
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.
Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox?
Zacks’ free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week.
Get it free >>First Trust Capital Strength ETF (FTCS): ETF Research Reports
Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Amphenol Corporation (APH) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) : Free Stock Analysis Report
SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY): ETF Research Reports
iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV): ETF Research Reports
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
