First Trust Materials AlphaDEX Fund
$77.40−0.19 (−0.24%)
- 0.64%
- $374M
- +31.4%
- 1.33%
- 0M sh
- $77.85
- low $57.87high $88.25
The ETF.net FXZ Grade
D
Score 38 out of 100
- 11 of 14
Score 38 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.F9 out of 100Rank 13 of 14Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.B58 out of 100Rank 3 of 4Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.C47 out of 100Rank 10 of 14Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.B60 out of 100Rank 4 of 14Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.A77 out of 100Rank 2 of 14Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.C48 out of 100Rank 9 of 14
Our read on FXZ
DMost materials ETFs hand you the sector exactly as the market weights it. FXZ re-sorts it: the AlphaDEX rules rank Russell 1000 materials stocks on growth and value measures, then hold roughly 40 of them. Same sector, different shopping list.
The fund seeks to track the performance of the StrataQuant® Materials Index, an equity index that applies the AlphaDEX® methodology to selected Russell 1000® materials-sector stocks.
Why people hold it
- Not a cap-weighted sector wrapper. The AlphaDEX screen ranks Russell 1000 materials names on growth and value measures and keeps roughly 40, so weight follows the screen rather than company size.ftportfolios.com
- In a sector where a handful of chemical and industrial-gas giants dominate cap-weighted funds, the rules push meaningful weight toward smaller and mid-sized materials companies.ftportfolios.com
- Running since 2007, which gives the methodology a long public track record across full commodity and rate cycles instead of a few years of backtest.
Worth knowing
- Cost is the trade-off: 0.64% a year, one of the pricier options in the materials group, where the big cap-weighted funds (XLB, VAW, FMAT) charge single-digit basis points.
- A screened portfolio of roughly 40 names can behave quite differently from the plain materials sector in either direction. It tracks the StrataQuant Materials Index, not the sector everyone quotes.
- Trading is moderate rather than heavy, so spreads and order size matter more here than with the most heavily traded funds in the category. Distributions come quarterly.
FXZ Holdings
- Stocks
- 40
- 44%
- AUGO
Sectors
- Materials82.5%
- Industrials14.1%
- Consumer Discretionary3.4%
Geography
- United States95.71%
- United Kingdom2.53%
- Netherlands1.75%
FXZ Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
FXZ$13,136
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 | FXZ |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +20.7% |
| 1 month | −7.1% |
| 3 months | +0.5% |
| 1 year | +31.4% |
| 3 years | +9.5% |
| 5 years | +7.6% |
| 10 years | +10.6% |
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 | FXZ |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +20.7% | |
| 2025 | +16.3% | |
| 2024 | −16.3% | |
| 2023 | +16.2% | |
| 2022 | −0.9% | |
| 2021 | +30.8% | |
| 2020 | +22.5% |
FXZ in the news
FXZ Dividends
- 1.33%
- $1.03
- $0.25 per share
- Quarterly
Distribution history
FXZ Risk
- 20.0%
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.
- 0.29
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.
- −34.0%
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.
- 0.92
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
FXZ Cost
0.64%
FXZ0.64%
- The middle half of Materials (Broad) funds
- Median 0.37%
12 of the 14 Materials (Broad) funds charge less.
Other funds in Materials (Broad)
- CRSPMInvesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Materials ETFExpense ratio 0.40%1 year return +20.2%
- CTRUMVanEck Materials TruSector ETFExpense ratio 0.15%1 year return —
- DSLXVanEck Steel ETFExpense ratio 0.55%1 year return +45.8%
- DWOODiShares Global Timber & Forestry ETFExpense ratio 0.39%1 year return −1.2%
- FMETLSprott Active Metals & Miners ETFExpense ratio 0.99%1 year return +10.6%