Should First Trust Capital Strength ETF (FTCS) Be on Your Investing Radar?

Looking for broad exposure to the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market? You should consider the First Trust Capital Strength ETF (FTCS), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 07/06/2006.

The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $1.18 B, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Large Cap Blend

Large cap companies 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.

Blend ETFs usually hold a mix of growth and value stocks as well as stocks that exhibit both value and growth characteristics.

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 0.61%, making it one of the more expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.04%.

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 to the Industrials sector--about 26.60% of the portfolio. Financials and Information Technology round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Cigna Corporation (CI) accounts for about 2.32% of total assets, followed by Pfizer Inc. (PFE) and The Progressive Corporation (PGR).

The top 10 holdings account for about 22.03% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

FTCS seeks to match the performance of the The Capital Strength Index before fees and expenses. The Capital Strength Index is an equal-dollar weighted index which provides exposure to well-capitalized companies with strong market positions based on strong balance sheets, high degree of liquidity, ability to generate earnings growth & record financial strength & profit growth.

The ETF return is roughly 2.63% so far this year and was up about 8.44% in the last one year (as of 10/16/2018). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $48.40 and $55.82.

The ETF has a beta of 0.92 and standard deviation of 11.37% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 50 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.

Alternatives

First Trust Capital 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, FTCS is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Large Cap ETFs area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) track a similar index. While iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has $157.05 B in assets, SPDR S&P 500 ETF has $263.68 B. IVV has an expense ratio of 0.04% and SPY charges 0.09%.

Bottom-Line

Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds 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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FT-CAP STR E (FTCS): ETF Research Reports
 
Pfizer Inc. (PFE) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
ISHARS-SP500 (IVV): ETF Research Reports
 
SPDR-SP 500 TR (SPY): ETF Research Reports
 
Cigna Corporation (CI) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
The Progressive Corporation (PGR) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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