Launched on 05/08/2007, the First Trust Technology AlphaDEX ETF (FXL) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Technology - Broad segment of the equity market.
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.
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. Technology - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 4, placing it in top 25%.
Index Details
The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $1.35 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Technology - Broad segment of the equity market. FXL seeks to match the performance of the StrataQuant Technology Index before fees and expenses.
The StrataQuant Technology Index is a modified equal-dollar weighted index designed by the AMEX to objectively identify and select stocks from the Russell 1000 Index that may generate positive alpha relative to traditional passive style indices through the use of the AlphaDEX screening methodology.
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 0.60%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.03%.
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 in the Information Technology sector--about 81.20% of the portfolio. Industrials and Telecom round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Palantir Technologies Inc. (class A) (PLTR) accounts for about 2.47% of total assets, followed by Cloudflare, Inc. (class A) (NET) and Western Digital Corporation (WDC).
The top 10 holdings account for about 20.35% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has gained about 4.74% and was up about 14.68% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 06/30/2025), respectively. FXL has traded between $115.28 and $160.72 during this last 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 1.16 and standard deviation of 24.75% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 100 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
First Trust Technology AlphaDEX 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, FXL is an excellent 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 $78.79 billion in assets, Vanguard Information Technology ETF has $92.50 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.
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First Trust Technology AlphaDEX ETF (FXL): ETF Research Reports Western Digital Corporation (WDC): Free Stock Analysis Report Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK): ETF Research Reports Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT): ETF Research Reports Cloudflare, Inc. (NET): Free Stock Analysis Report Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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