Launched on October 25, 2022, the First Trust Growth Strength ETF (FTGS) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.
The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $1.29 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.
Why Large Cap Growth
Companies that find themselves in the large cap category typically have a market capitalization above $10 billion. They tend to be stable companies with predictable cash flows and are usually less volatile than mid and small cap companies.
Growth stocks have higher than average sales and earnings growth rates. While these are expected to grow faster than the broader market, they also have higher valuations. Something to keep in mind is the higher level of volatility that is affiliated with growth stocks. Compared to value stocks, growth stocks are a safer bet in a strong bull market, but don't perform as strongly in almost all other financial 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 0.6%, 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
It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Information Technology sector -- about 32.4% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, United Therapeutics Corporation (UTHR) accounts for about 2.55% of total assets, followed by Baker Hughes Company (class A) (BKR) and F5, Inc. (FFIV).
The top 10 holdings account for about 23.86% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
FTGS seeks to match the performance of the THE GROWTH STRENGTH INDEX before fees and expenses. The Growth Strength Index provides exposure to a mix of domestic equities with filters for liquidity, return on equity, long-term debt, revenue and cash flow growth.
The ETF has gained about 8% so far this year and is up about 10.5% in the last one year (as of 07/07/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $33.11 and $38.18.
The ETF has a beta of 1.02 and standard deviation of 16.28% for the trailing three-year period. With about 51 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
First Trust Growth Strength 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, FTGS is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.
The Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF Shares (VUG) and the Invesco QQQ (QQQ) track a similar index. While Vanguard Growth Index Fund ETF Shares has $224.76 billion in assets, Invesco QQQ has $481.89 billion. VUG has an expense ratio of 0.03% and QQQ charges 0.18%.
Bottom-Line
An increasingly popular option among retail and institutional investors, passively managed ETFs offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; they 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.
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First Trust Growth Strength ETF (FTGS): ETF Research Reports
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).