Is First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF (AIRR) a Strong ETF Right Now?

The First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF (AIRR) was launched on 03/10/2014, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Industrials ETFs category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.

Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.

On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.

This kind of index follows this same mindset, as it attempts to pick stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance; non-cap weighted strategies base selection on certain fundamental characteristics, or a mix of such characteristics.

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

The fund is managed by First Trust Advisors. AIRR has been able to amass assets over $3.15 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs in the Industrials ETFs. Before fees and expenses, AIRR seeks to match the performance of the Richard Bernstein Advisors American Industrial Renaissance Index.

The Richard Bernstein Advisors American Industrial Renaissance Index is measures the performance of small and mid cap US companies in the industrial and community banking sectors.

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.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.70% for this ETF, which makes it one of the most expensive products in the space.

The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.29%.

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.

AIRR's heaviest allocation is in the Industrials sector, which is about 89.30% of the portfolio. Its Financials and Energy round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (HII) accounts for about 3.64% of total assets, followed by Rbc Bearings Incorporated (RBC) and C.h. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (CHRW).

The top 10 holdings account for about 32.86% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF has lost about -9.08% so far, and is up about 7.19% over the last 12 months (as of 04/30/2025). AIRR has traded between $61.92 and $86.09 in this past 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 1.21 and standard deviation of 25.74% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 53 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Industrials ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.

Vanguard Industrials ETF (VIS) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Industrials 25/50 Index and the Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLI) tracks Industrial Select Sector Index. Vanguard Industrials ETF has $5.19 billion in assets, Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF has $19.25 billion. VIS has an expense ratio of 0.09% and XLI charges 0.08%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Industrials 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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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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