Price vs Value
Vanguard showed a 1.94% discount on an energy fund that closed two cents above its value
First Trust SMID Growth Strength ETF
$32.50−0.08 (−0.25%)
- 0.60%
- $29M
- +7.9%
- 0.03%
- 0M sh
- $32.57
- low $28.35high $34.16
The ETF.net FSGS Grade
D
Score 37 out of 100
- 34 of 35
Score 37 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 100Rank 32 of 35Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.B58 out of 100Rank 32 of 32Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.C47 out of 100Rank 18 of 35Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.D39 out of 100Rank 24 of 35Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.A74 out of 100Rank 7 of 35Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.D28 out of 100Rank 26 of 35
Our read on FSGS
DMost growth ETFs crowd into mega-caps. FSGS drops down the ladder to small and mid caps, running a rules-based growth-strength screen across roughly 100 names. A narrow corner of growth, priced closer to active than index.
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
- Goes where the giants don't: small and mid caps, roughly 100 names, while the biggest growth funds in the category (VUG, SCHG) live in mega-cap land.
- Rules-based, not vibes-based. It follows The SMID Growth Strength Index, an openly advertised growth screen, so what the portfolio is hunting is spelled out up front.
- Trading since 2017, so the screen has already been through several very different markets for smaller US companies.
Worth knowing
- Fee is 0.61% a year versus a 0.18% median in its growth cohort, and the largest peers charge a few basis points. The screen carries that gap.
- Small asset base and light trading. Limit orders matter more here than with a mega-fund, and spreads can be wider.
- Smaller companies move harder than mega-caps, and with about 100 holdings individual names carry real weight.
FSGS Holdings
- Stocks
- 101
- 14%
- ESTC
Sectors
- Technology25.1%
- Health Care22.4%
- Financials19.3%
- Industrials12.1%
- Consumer Discretionary9.6%
- Consumer Staples3.9%
- Energy3.3%
- Real Estate2.9%
- Communication1.5%
Geography
- United States98.04%
- Bermuda1.00%
- Ireland0.96%
FSGS 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.
FSGS$10,790
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 | FSGS |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +7.1% |
| 1 month | −0.8% |
| 3 months | +1.5% |
| 1 year | +7.9% |
| 3 years | +10.6% |
| 5 years | +4.2% |
| 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 | FSGS |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +7.1% | |
| 2025 | +2.4% | |
| 2024 | +6.4% | |
| 2023 | +16.0% | |
| 2022 | −13.2% | |
| 2021 | +25.5% | |
| 2020 | +10.2% |
FSGS in the news
FSGS Dividends
- 0.03%
- $0.01
- $0.01 per share
- Irregular
Distribution history
FSGS Risk
- 16.6%
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.
- 0.32
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.
- −24.1%
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.
- 0.99
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
FSGS Cost
0.60%
FSGS0.60%
- The middle half of US Growth Index funds
- Median 0.18%
31 of the 35 US Growth Index funds charge less.
Other funds in US Growth Index
- CFTGSFirst Trust Growth Strength ETFExpense ratio 0.60%1 year return +9.1%
- CQQQGPacer Nasdaq-100 Top 50 Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETFExpense ratio 0.49%1 year return +36.2%
- CQMIDWisdomTree U.S. MidCap Quality Growth FundExpense ratio 0.38%1 year return +7.4%
- CRKSGRuk Strategic Growth ETFExpense ratio 0.50%1 year return —
- DBULPacer US Cash Cows Growth ETFExpense ratio 0.60%1 year return +19.8%