Launched on 04/19/2011, the First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX ETF (FYC) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Small Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.
The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $462.95 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.
Why Small Cap Growth
With more potential comes more risk, and small cap companies, with market capitalization below $2 billion, epitomizes this way of thinking.
While growth stocks do boast higher than average sales and earnings growth rates, and they are expected to grow faster than the wider market, investors should note these kinds of stocks have higher valuations. Something to keep in mind is the higher level of volatility that is affiliated with growth stocks. When you consider growth versus value, growth stocks are usually the clear winner in strong bull markets but tend to fall flat in nearly all other environments.
Costs
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 0.71%, making it one of the most expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.61%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
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 to the Financials sector--about 22.10% of the portfolio. Industrials and Healthcare round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Sezzle Inc. (SEZL) accounts for about 2.86% of total assets, followed by Dave Inc. (class A) (DAVE) and Centrus Energy Corp. (class A) (LEU).
The top 10 holdings account for about 12.34% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
FYC seeks to match the performance of the Nasdaq AlphaDEX Small Cap Growth Index before fees and expenses. The NASDAQ AlphaDEX Small Cap Growth Index is an enhanced which employs the AlphaDEX stock selection methodology to select stocks from the NASDAQ US 700 Small Cap Growth Index.
The ETF return is roughly 4.59% so far this year and is up about 16.76% in the last one year (as of 07/25/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $61.01 and $84.64.
The ETF has a beta of 1.16 and standard deviation of 22.36% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 264 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
First Trust Small Cap Growth 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, FYC is a sufficient option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Growth area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.
The iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF (IWO) and the Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF (VBK) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF has $11.90 billion in assets, Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF has $19.60 billion. IWO has an expense ratio of 0.24% and VBK charges 0.07%.
Bottom-Line
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.
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 Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX ETF (FYC): ETF Research Reports Dave Inc. (DAVE): Free Stock Analysis Report iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF (IWO): ETF Research Reports Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF (VBK): ETF Research Reports Centrus Energy Corp. (LEU): Free Stock Analysis Report Sezzle Inc. (SEZL): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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