Should You Invest in the First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastructure ETF (GRID)?

The First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastructure ETF (GRID) was launched on 11/16/2009, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Utilities - Infrastructure segment of the equity market.

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.

Sector ETFs are also funds of convenience, offering many ways to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Utilities - Infrastructure is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 2, placing it in top 13%.

Index Details

The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $2.29 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Utilities - Infrastructure segment of the equity market. GRID seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ OMX Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastructure Index before fees and expenses.

The Nasdaq Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastructure Index tracks the performance of common stocks in the grid and electric energy infrastructure sector.

Costs

Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.56%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1%.

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.

Looking at individual holdings, National Grid Plc (NG/.LN) accounts for about 8.88% of total assets, followed by Johnson Controls International Plc (JCI) and Abb Ltd (ABBN.SW).

The top 10 holdings account for about 57.27% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has added roughly 9.53% so far this year and it's up approximately 9.49% in the last one year (as of 05/21/2025). In that past 52-week period, it has traded between $101.69 and $130.57.

The ETF has a beta of 1.24 and standard deviation of 21.26% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 117 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastructure 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, GRID is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

IShares Global Infrastructure ETF (IGF) tracks S&P Global Infrastructure Index and the Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE) tracks INDXX U.S. Infrastructure Development Index. IShares Global Infrastructure ETF has $6.87 billion in assets, Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF has $8.30 billion. IGF has an expense ratio of 0.42% and PAVE charges 0.47%.

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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