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Launched · SEC filings

First Trust International Developed Capital Strength ETF

FICSNasdaqFirst TrustC

$41.95+0.28 (+0.68%)

At close: Nov 2, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

C45/ 100

Rank 5 of 6 in International Quality Index

C45/100Rank 5 of 6inInternational Quality Index
Intraday session: up, 79 prints from 41.67 to 41.95. Range 41.86 to 42.12. Use the arrow keys to read each point.41.8041.9042.1010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.70%
Fund size
$205M
1Y total return
+10.9%
Yield · Last 12 months
1.87%
Holdings
56
Avg volume · 30D
10.2K sh
52W range
low $37.65high $43.38
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net FICS Grade

C

Score 45 out of 100

Category
International Quality Index⁠
Rank
5 of 6
Six-pillar profile for FICS. Scores out of 100: Cost 10, Risk 56, Mission 85, Tradability 45, Holdings 42, Durability 41. Strongest: Mission (85). Weakest: Cost (10). Leans toward Mission.

Score 45 of 100 falls in the C 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.
    F10 out of 100
    Rank 6 of 6

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    A85 out of 100
    Rank 2 of 3

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    B56 out of 100
    Rank 2 of 6

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    C45 out of 100
    Rank 4 of 6

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    C42 out of 100
    Rank 5 of 6

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    C41 out of 100
    Rank 5 of 6

Our read on FICS

ETF.net Research

In short

CA balance-sheet screen shipped overseas. FICS holds roughly 60 developed-market names filtered for financial strength and lower volatility, and charges 0.70% for the sorting work.

Stated mandate

The fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the price and yield of The International Developed Capital StrengthTM Index. Normally, it invests at least 90% of net assets in the index’s common stocks and REITs.

Why people hold it

  • Rules-based quality and low-volatility screen on developed international stocks, with at least 90% of net assets in the index's own common stocks and REITs.ftportfolios.com
  • Roughly 60 holdings, so the screen actually shows up in the portfolio instead of getting diluted into a market-cap blob.
  • Pure non-US developed exposure with no home-market overlap, and cash comes back on a quarterly schedule.
  • Running since its 2020 launch, tracking a named, published index rather than a manager's discretion.

Worth knowing

  • The 0.70% expense ratio sits above what plain index trackers in its cohort typically charge. That is the price of the screen.
  • One of the thinner traders in its category, so spreads can widen. Limit orders are the standard defense.
  • About 60 stocks with a quality and low-vol tilt means returns can diverge meaningfully from broad developed-market indexes in either direction.

FICS Holdings

Holdings pillarC42 out of 100Rank 5 of 6 in International Quality Index
Asset class
Stocks
Holdings
56
Top-10 weight
21%
Largest holding
SCHP.SW2.2%

Sectors

  • Financials30.4%
  • Industrials23.7%
  • Consumer Staples14.0%
  • Health Care12.3%
  • Consumer Discretionary7.8%
  • Communication6.0%
  • Energy4.0%
  • Materials1.9%

Geography

  • Switzerland22.81%
  • Canada14.15%
  • France9.69%
  • Sweden7.75%
  • United Kingdom7.60%
  • Germany6.09%
  • Australia6.03%
  • Singapore5.92%
  • Other countries (7)19.96%

Developed 98% · Emerging 2% of the foreign sleeve

The fund’s holdings, weight-ordered — page 1 of 4.
#TickerCompanyWeight %SharesMarket valueHeld by ETFs
1SCHP.SWSchindler Holding AG (Participation Certificate)2.23%12,396$4.55M106
2CCH.LCoca-Cola HBC AG2.12%68,527$4.32M74
3OR.PAL'Oreal S.A.2.11%8,834$4.31M134
4NOVN.SWNovartis AG2.11%26,721$4.31M189
5ROP.SWRoche Holding AG2.11%8,787$4.29M203
6TLS.AXTelstra Group Ltd2.10%1,226,556$4.28M126
7SGSN.SWSgs S.a.2.10%34,064$4.28M116
84503.TAstellas Pharma Inc.2.10%264,500$4.27M165
9HNR1.DEHannover Rueck SE2.08%13,116$4.24M119
10AENA.MCAena SME, S.A.2.08%140,039$4.23M128
11CM.TOCanadian Imperial Bank of Commerce2.06%36,045$4.21M90
12SAMPO.HESampo Oyj (Class A)2.06%395,755$4.2M114
13IMO.TOImperial Oil Ltd.2.05%30,222$4.19M88
14SLHN.SWSwiss Life Holding AG (Registered)2.05%3,594$4.17M102
15MUV2.DEMuenchener Rueckversicherungs-Gesellschaft AG2.04%6,577$4.16M143

Showing 1–15 of 56 holdings

FICS Performance

Launched Dec 15, 2020

Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.

Not enough history yet.
FICS$11,094
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,199
Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. FICS $11,094. SPY $11,199. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

Returns run to the Oct 30, 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.

Trailing total return for FICS. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodFICS
Year to date+5.8%
1 month+4.3%
3 months−1.5%
1 year+10.9%
3 yearsper year+14.4%
5 yearsper year+5.1%
10 yearsFund is under 10 years oldper yearNo data

With distributions reinvested.

Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.

Annual total returns for FICS
YearReturn barFICS
2026 YTD+5.8%
2025+20.4%
2024+2.6%
2023+18.1%
2022−19.5%
2021+19.7%
2020+0.8%

History from Dec 17, 2020

FICS in the news

FICS Dividends

Adds up every distribution paid per share over the last 12 months, divided by the last completed close. Distributions are counted by ex-date. Data through Oct 30, 2026.
1.87%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$0.78Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.10 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Quarterly

Distribution history

2021–2026

One bar per payment. 23 payments from 2021 to 2026 YTD. Mar 25, 2021 $0.05; Jun 24, 2021 $0.25; Sep 23, 2021 $0.04; Dec 23, 2021 $0.13; Mar 25, 2022 $0.06; Jun 24, 2022 $0.29; Sep 23, 2022 $0.11; Dec 23, 2022 $0.08; Mar 24, 2023 $0.05; Jun 27, 2023 $0.17; Sep 22, 2023 $0.05; Dec 22, 2023 $0.06; Mar 21, 2024 $0.05; Jun 27, 2024 $0.34; Sep 26, 2024 $0.10; Dec 13, 2024 $0.19; Mar 27, 2025 $0.15; Jun 26, 2025 $0.47; Sep 25, 2025 $0.09; Dec 12, 2025 $0.03; Mar 26, 2026 $0.19; Jun 25, 2026 $0.45; Sep 24, 2026 $0.10. Use the arrow keys to read each point.202120222023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Sep 24, 2026Sep 30, 2026$0.10
Jun 25, 2026Jun 30, 2026$0.45
Mar 26, 2026Mar 31, 2026$0.19
Dec 12, 2025Dec 31, 2025$0.03
Sep 25, 2025Sep 30, 2025$0.09
Jun 26, 2025Jun 30, 2025$0.47
Mar 27, 2025Mar 31, 2025$0.15
Dec 13, 2024Dec 31, 2024$0.19
Sep 26, 2024Sep 30, 2024$0.10
Jun 27, 2024Jun 28, 2024$0.34
Mar 21, 2024Mar 28, 2024$0.05
Dec 22, 2023Dec 29, 2023$0.06

See all 23 payments⁠

$10,000 in FICS 5 years ago paid $877 in dividends.⁠

FICS Risk

Risk pillarB56 out of 100Rank 2 of 6 in International Quality Index
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
12.3%
Annualised · 36 months to Oct 2026
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.

Return above 3-month US Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
0.80
vs 3-month T-bills · to Oct 2026
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.

The largest fall from a peak to the low that followed.
−29.2%
Trough Sep 2022
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.

How strongly the fund’s returns move with its asset-class index.
0.71
vs its asset-class index
How it’s calculated: beta

The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.

FMP measures it over up to five years of monthly returns.

FICS Cost

Compare FICS and QLVD

Overpaying vs QLVD, cheapest in International Quality Index

$11,086

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • FICS 0.70%

    $13,606

  • QLVD 0.12% Cheapest

    $2,520

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • FICS 0.70%
  • QLVD 0.12%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K051015202530FICS $13,606QLVD $2,520

Year by year

YearFICSQLVDOverpaying
10$1,250$220$1,030
20$4,760$859$3,901
30$13,606$2,520$11,086

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