Should First Trust NASDAQ100 Equal Weighted ETF (QQEW) Be on Your Investing Radar?

Looking for broad exposure to the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market? You should consider the First Trust NASDAQ100 Equal Weighted ETF (QQEW), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 04/19/2006.

The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $1.42 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Growth

Large cap companies typically have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Overall, they are usually a stable option, with less risk and more sure-fire cash flows than mid and small cap companies.

Qualities of growth stocks include faster growth rates compared to the broader market, as well as higher valuations and higher than average sales and earnings growth rates. Something to keep in mind is the higher level of volatility that is affiliated with growth stocks. They are likely to outperform value stocks in strong bull markets but over the longer-term, value stocks have delivered better returns than growth stocks in almost all markets.

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 0.58%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.22%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector--about 42.40% of the portfolio. Consumer Discretionary and Healthcare round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Netease, Inc. (adr) (NTES) accounts for about 1.19% of total assets, followed by Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) and Csx Corporation (CSX).

The top 10 holdings account for about 11.29% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

QQEW seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index before fees and expenses. The NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index is the equal-weighted version of the NASDAQ-100 Index which includes 100 of the largest non-financial securities listed on NASDAQ based on market capitalization.

The ETF has added roughly 21.04% so far this year and it's up approximately 33.65% in the last one year (as of 11/05/2021). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $90.51 and $120.28.

The ETF has a beta of 1.02 and standard deviation of 24.28% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 103 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

First Trust NASDAQ100 Equal Weighted ETF 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, QQEW is an outstanding option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG) and the Invesco QQQ (QQQ) track a similar index. While Vanguard Growth ETF has $90.12 billion in assets, Invesco QQQ has $207.65 billion. VUG has an expense ratio of 0.04% and QQQ charges 0.20%.

Bottom-Line

Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are excellent vehicles for long term investors.

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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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.