First Trust Developed Markets ex-US Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund
$70.42+0.39 (+0.55%)
- 0.80%
- $11M
- +33.3%
- 2.60%
- 0M sh
- $70.64
- low $54.13high $72.63
The ETF.net FDTS Grade
F
Score 23 out of 100
- 15 of 16
Score 23 of 100 falls in the F band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.F13 out of 100Rank 14 of 16Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.C43 out of 100Rank 10 of 16Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.F17 out of 100Rank 15 of 16Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.D35 out of 100Rank 13 of 16Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.D27 out of 100Rank 15 of 16
Our read on FDTS
FSmall caps outside the US, picked by rulebook instead of size: FDTS ranks developed-market small companies on growth and value marks, then holds roughly 400 of them. It has run this way since 2012.
The fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the Nasdaq AlphaDEX® Developed Markets Ex-US Small CapTM Index.
Why people hold it
- Runs a real screen. Stocks are ranked on growth and value marks under First Trust's AlphaDEX rules, not simply held because they are the biggest names on the board.ftportfolios.com
- Roughly 400 holdings across developed-market small caps outside the US, so no single stock carries the portfolio.
- Live since 2012, which means this methodology has a real-money record through several market cycles rather than a backtest. Cash goes out quarterly.
Worth knowing
- The sticker is 0.80% a year against a 0.38% median in its international multifactor group. INTF charges 0.16%, FDEV 0.18%.
- A small fund that trades thinly, so bid-ask spreads and fill quality matter more here than with the giants of its peer group.
- Fee and thin trading land it in the bottom quartile of its peer group on our overall read, even though the basket itself is built well.
FDTS Holdings
- Stocks
- 395
- 8%
- US Dollar
Sectors
- Industrials21.2%
- Consumer Discretionary19.0%
- Financials14.0%
- Technology13.9%
- Materials10.8%
- Consumer Staples5.3%
- Energy4.2%
- Real Estate3.7%
- Communication3.1%
- Utilities2.5%
- Health Care2.2%
Geography
- Japan46.50%
- Korea (the Republic of)18.08%
- United Kingdom7.30%
- Canada6.29%
- Hong Kong4.46%
- Australia3.24%
- Norway1.83%
- France1.52%
- 10.77%
Developed 78% · Emerging 22%
FDTS Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
FDTS$13,327
Returns run to the Oct 12, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
| Period | FDTS |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +22.2% |
| 1 month | −1.6% |
| 3 months | +6.6% |
| 1 year | +33.3% |
| 3 years | +27.1% |
| 5 years | +12.4% |
| 10 years | +10.7% |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | FDTS |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +22.2% | |
| 2025 | +51.2% | |
| 2024 | +2.4% | |
| 2023 | +10.9% | |
| 2022 | −15.3% | |
| 2021 | +11.8% | |
| 2020 | +12.9% |
FDTS in the news
FDTS Dividends
- 2.60%
- $1.82
- $0.28 per share
- Quarterly
Distribution history
FDTS Risk
- 16.4%
How it’s calculated: standard deviation
The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.
- 1.26
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio
Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.
Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.
- −31.0%
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown
The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.
Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.
- 1.02
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
FDTS Cost
0.80%
FDTS0.80%
- The middle half of International Small-Cap funds
- Median 0.44%
13 of the 16 International Small-Cap funds charge less.
Other funds in International Small-Cap
- CDDLSWisdomTree Dynamic International SmallCap Equity ETFExpense ratio 0.48%1 year return +12.9%
- CHSCZiShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE Small-Cap ETFExpense ratio 0.83%1 year return +19.5%
- DTISCThrivent International Small Cap ETFExpense ratio 0.55%1 year return —
- DAZTDAztlan Global Stock Selection Dm SMID ETFExpense ratio 0.75%1 year return +14.2%
- FASCIabrdn International Small Cap Active ETFExpense ratio 1.05%1 year return —