The First Trust Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX ETF (FYC) was launched on April 19, 2011, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer 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 $888.30 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
Sitting at a market capitalization below $2 billion, small cap companies tend to be high-potential stocks compared to its large and mid cap counterparts, but come with higher risk.
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. Further, growth stocks have a higher level of volatility associated with them. 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
When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts in the long term if all other factors remain equal.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.7%, making it one of the more expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.08%.
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 Industrials sector -- about 25.1% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Information Technology round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Praxis Precision Medicines, Inc. (PRAX) accounts for about 1.92% of total assets, followed by Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ARWR) and Cidara Therapeutics, Inc. (CDTX).
The top 10 holdings account for about 10.5% 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 has gained about 5.57% so far this year and is up about 28.02% in the last one year (as of 01/29/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $61.01 and $103.77.
The ETF has a beta of 1.13 and standard deviation of 21.21% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 265 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 good 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 $13.84 billion in assets, Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF has $22.03 billion. IWO has an expense ratio of 0.24% and VBK charges 0.07%.
Bottom-Line
Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also 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.
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 Small Cap Growth AlphaDEX ETF (FYC): ETF Research ReportsThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
Zacks Investment Research
