Should You Invest in the First Trust NASDAQ-100-Technology Sector ETF (QTEC)?

Launched on 04/19/2006, the First Trust NASDAQ-100-Technology Sector ETF (QTEC) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Technology - Broad 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 also provide investors access to a broad group of companies in particular sectors that offer low risk and diversified exposure. Technology - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 5, placing it in top 31%.

Index Details

The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $2.62 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Technology - Broad segment of the equity market. QTEC seeks to match the performance of the NASDAQ-100 Technology Sector Index before fees and expenses.

The NASDAQ-100 Technology Sector Index is an equal-weighted index based on the securities of the NASDAQ-100 Index that are classified as technology.

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 0.57%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.02%.

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.

This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector--about 91.50% of the portfolio.

Looking at individual holdings, Palantir Technologies Inc. (class A) (PLTR) accounts for about 3.08% of total assets, followed by Microstrategy Incorporated (class A) (MSTR) and Crowdstrike Holdings, Inc. (class A) (CRWD).

The top 10 holdings account for about 26.05% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the First Trust NASDAQ-100-Technology Sector ETF return is roughly 5.44% so far, and is up about 7.17% over the last 12 months (as of 06/04/2025). QTEC has traded between $149.56 and $210.67 in this past 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 1.24 and standard deviation of 29.50% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 46 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.

Alternatives

First Trust NASDAQ-100-Technology Sector ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, QTEC is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Technology ETFs segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) tracks Technology Select Sector Index and the Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Information Technology 25/50 Index. Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF has $73.69 billion in assets, Vanguard Information Technology ETF has $87.24 billion. XLK has an expense ratio of 0.08% and VGT charges 0.09%.

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.

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

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research