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Launched

First Trust SMID Growth Strength ETF

FSGSNasdaqFirst TrustD

$33.34+0.30 (+0.90%)

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

D36/ 100

Rank 34 of 35 in US Growth Index

D36/100Rank 34 of 35inUS Growth Index
Intraday session: up, 78 prints from 33.04 to 33.34. Range 33.33 to 33.67. Use the arrow keys to read each point.33.2033.5033.6033.7010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.60%
Fund size
$30M
1Y total return
+8.9%
Yield · Last 12 months
0.03%
Holdings
101
Avg volume · 30D
1.12K sh
52W range
low $28.35high $34.16
Launched

The ETF.net FSGS Grade

D

Score 36 out of 100

Category
US Growth Index⁠
Rank
34 of 35
Six-pillar profile for FSGS. Scores out of 100: Cost 6, Risk 54, Mission 50, Tradability 33, Holdings 75, Durability 28. Strongest: Holdings (75). Weakest: Cost (6). Leans toward Holdings.

Score 36 of 100 falls in the D 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.
    F6 out of 100
    Rank 32 of 35

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    C50 out of 100
    Rank 32 of 32

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    C54 out of 100
    Rank 14 of 35

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    D33 out of 100
    Rank 24 of 35

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    A75 out of 100
    Rank 6 of 35

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    D28 out of 100
    Rank 25 of 35

Our read on FSGS

ETF.net Research

In short

DGrowth only after the balance sheet passes inspection: FSGS screens small and mid caps for cash, low debt and double-digit return on equity, then ranks survivors on three-year revenue and cash flow growth. About 100 names, equally weighted.

Stated mandate

The Fund seeks investment results that generally correspond to the price and yield of The SMID Growth Strength Index before fees and expenses.

Why people hold it

  • Quality gate comes first: at least $100 million in cash, long-term debt under 30% of market cap, positive equity, positive revenue and cash flow, and ROE above 10%.ftportfolios.com
  • Growth ranking is backward-looking and concrete: three-year revenue growth and three-year cash flow growth, weighted equally. No analyst forecasts in the recipe.ftportfolios.com
  • Equal weighting across about 100 stocks, reset quarterly, so one hot name cannot quietly become the fund. A different shape from cap-weighted growth indexes.ftportfolios.com
  • Small and mid caps put it in a different lane from the megacap-heavy growth funds that lead this category, including SPYG, SCHG and VUG.nasdaq.com

Worth knowing

  • At 0.60% with no waiver, it sits above the category median, and well above cap-weighted options like VUG at 0.03% and mid-cap growth fund IMCG at 0.06%.
  • The ticker dates to 2017, but it tracked a different index until late 2024, so the live record for this strategy is short.sec.gov
  • One of the smaller, more lightly traded funds in the growth group, so spreads can run wider than in the category's giants.

FSGS Performance

Launched Jun 20, 2017

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.
FSGS$10,888
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. FSGS $10,888. 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 FSGS. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodFSGS
Year to date+8.6%
1 month+4.1%
3 months+1.5%
1 year+8.9%
3 yearsper year+12.3%
5 yearsper year+4.2%
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 FSGS
YearReturn barFSGS
2026 YTD+8.6%

FSGS in the news

FSGS 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.
0.03%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$0.01Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.01 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Irregular

Distribution history

2017–2026

One bar per payment. 30 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Sep 21, 2017 $0.07; Dec 21, 2017 $0.18; Mar 22, 2018 $0.04; Jun 21, 2018 $0.12; Sep 14, 2018 $0.09; Dec 18, 2018 $0.15; Mar 21, 2019 $0.05; Jun 14, 2019 $0.10; Sep 25, 2019 $0.10; Dec 13, 2019 $0.15; Mar 26, 2020 $0.0077; Jun 25, 2020 $0.09; Sep 24, 2020 $0.07; Dec 24, 2020 $0.15; Jun 24, 2021 $0.10; Sep 23, 2021 $0.12; Dec 23, 2021 $0.18; Mar 25, 2022 $0.04; Jun 24, 2022 $0.11; Sep 23, 2022 $0.15; Dec 23, 2022 $0.20; Mar 24, 2023 $0.10; Jun 27, 2023 $0.17; Sep 22, 2023 $0.13; Dec 22, 2023 $0.26; Mar 21, 2024 $0.04; Jun 27, 2024 $0.23; Sep 26, 2024 $0.14; Dec 13, 2024 $0.39; Jun 25, 2026 $0.01. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2017201820192020202120222023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Jun 25, 2026Jun 30, 2026$0.01
Dec 13, 2024Dec 31, 2024$0.39
Sep 26, 2024Sep 30, 2024$0.14
Jun 27, 2024Jun 28, 2024$0.23
Mar 21, 2024Mar 28, 2024$0.04
Dec 22, 2023Dec 29, 2023$0.26
Sep 22, 2023Sep 29, 2023$0.13
Jun 27, 2023Jun 30, 2023$0.17
Mar 24, 2023Mar 31, 2023$0.10
Dec 23, 2022Dec 30, 2022$0.20
Sep 23, 2022Sep 30, 2022$0.15
Jun 24, 2022Jun 30, 2022$0.11

See all 30 payments⁠

$10,000 in FSGS 5 years ago paid $698 in dividends.⁠

FSGS Risk

Risk pillarC54 out of 100Rank 14 of 35 in US Growth Index
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
16.3%
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.
0.52
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.
−24.1%
Trough Apr 2025
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.
0.99
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.

FSGS Cost

Compare FSGS and VUG

Overpaying vs VUG, cheapest in US Growth Index

$11,179

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

  • FSGS 0.60%

    $11,817

  • VUG 0.03% Cheapest

    $638

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • FSGS 0.60%
  • VUG 0.03%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.5K$5K$7.5K$10K$12.5K051015202530FSGS $11,817VUG $638

Year by year

YearFSGSVUGOverpaying
10$1,076$55$1,021
20$4,116$216$3,900
30$11,817$638$11,179

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