First Trust SMID Capital Strength ETF
$36.12+0.15 (+0.42%)
- 0.60%
- $57M
- +2.6%
- 1.27%
- 0M sh
- $35.85
- low $34.30high $38.54
The ETF.net FSCS Grade
C
Score 41 out of 100
- 85 of 99
Score 41 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.F14 out of 100Rank 83 of 99Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.B66 out of 100Rank 68 of 86Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.D36 out of 100Rank 66 of 97Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.C44 out of 100Rank 54 of 99Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.B65 out of 100Rank 33 of 98Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.D38 out of 100Rank 73 of 99
Our read on FSCS
CFirst Trust pointed its Capital Strength screen at the small and mid cap end of the US market: about 100 names picked by rule, not hunch, filtered for quality, growth and lower volatility.
The Fund seeks investment results generally corresponding to the price and yield, before fees and expenses, of the SMID Capital Strength Index. It normally invests at least 80% of net assets, plus investment borrowings, in index securities.
Why people hold it
- Takes the Capital Strength playbook down the cap ladder: a quality, growth and low-volatility screen applied to US small and mid caps.ftportfolios.com
- Rules run the show. It normally keeps at least 80% of net assets in the index's securities, so you get the screen, not a manager's mood.ftportfolios.com
- A tight roster of roughly 100 US stocks, with cash paid out quarterly.
Worth knowing
- The 0.60% annual fee sits well above the typical US multifactor fund. Broad peers like VONV and FNDX charge a fraction of it.
- Thinly traded and modest in assets, so bid-ask spreads can run wider than the household names in the category.
- Screening for balance-sheet quality and lower volatility means the portfolio can look nothing like a plain small-cap index, in either direction.
FSCS Holdings
- Stocks
- 101
- 13%
- MKTX
Sectors
- Financials28.9%
- Industrials26.3%
- Consumer Staples13.6%
- Consumer Discretionary9.8%
- Health Care6.6%
- Materials5.6%
- Technology4.1%
- Communication2.2%
- Energy1.9%
- Real Estate0.9%
Geography
- United States92.87%
- Bermuda4.96%
- Ireland1.13%
- Puerto Rico1.04%
FSCS Performance
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.
FSCS$10,260
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 | FSCS |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +1.5% |
| 1 month | −1.8% |
| 3 months | −2.1% |
| 1 year | +2.6% |
| 3 years | +11.1% |
| 5 years | +5.8% |
| 10 years | — |
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 | FSCS |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +1.5% | |
| 2025 | +1.8% | |
| 2024 | +15.0% | |
| 2023 | +16.8% | |
| 2022 | −9.1% | |
| 2021 | +26.1% | |
| 2020 | +5.7% |
FSCS in the news
FSCS Dividends
- 1.27%
- $0.46
- $0.14 per share
- Quarterly
Distribution history
FSCS Risk
- 15.0%
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.
- 0.42
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.
- −21.2%
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.
- 0.76
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
FSCS Cost
0.60%
FSCS0.60%
- The middle half of US Multifactor funds
- Median 0.30%
82 of the 99 US Multifactor funds charge less.
Other funds in US Multifactor
- CCOWSAmplify Cash Flow Dividend Leaders ETFExpense ratio 0.39%1 year return +24.8%
- CFADFirst Trust Multi Cap Growth AlphaDEX FundExpense ratio 0.63%1 year return +16.2%
- DPALCPacer Lunt Large Cap Multi-Factor Alternator ETFExpense ratio 0.60%1 year return +10.5%
- DBRNYBurney U.S. Factor Rotation ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return +23.6%
- DPSAIPacer Funds Trust - Pacer S&P 500 3AI Top 100 ETFExpense ratio 0.49%1 year return —