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FSGS vs VUG

First Trust SMID Growth Strength ETF

FSGSDNasdaq

Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF

VUGANYSE Arca

Overlap

Expense ratio

VUG −0.57pt a year

FSGS0.60%VUG0.03%

Avg volume · 30D

VUG 5665.1×the volume

FSGS1.12KVUG6.32M

5Y return · a year

VUG +6.6pt

FSGS+4.2%VUG+10.8%

FSGS vs VUG Performance

Oct 29, 2021 – Oct 30, 2026

+22.7%FSGS+67.0%VUG

Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. FSGS +22.7%. VUG +67.0%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−25%0%50%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026
Expense ratio
FSGS 0.60%
VUG 0.03%, better
Fund size
FSGS $30M
VUG $392B
1Y total return
FSGS +8.9%, better
VUG +2.7%
Yield (12M)
FSGS 0.03%
VUG 0.41%, better
Holdings
FSGS 101
VUG 136
Avg volume (30D)
FSGS 1.12K sh
VUG 6.32M sh, better
NAV per share
FSGS $33.07
VUG $85.06
52W range

ETF.net Grade

FSGS: Cost 6, Risk 54, Mission 50, Tradability 33, Holdings 75, Durability 28. VUG: Cost 96, Risk 49, Mission 99, Tradability 65, Holdings 29, Durability 91.
Pillar letters and Scores for FSGS, VUG, with each pillar’s weight
PillarFSGSVUG
Cost30% weightF6A96Higher
Mission25% weightC50A99Higher
Risk15% weightC54HigherC49
Tradability15% weightD33B65Higher
Holdings10% weightA75HigherD29
Durability5% weightD28A91Higher

Rank among US Growth Index funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. FSGS and VUG are both graded against the same 35 US Growth Index funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

US Growth Index⁠

Category · 35 funds
See all 35 ›

VUG ranks 5th and FSGS 34th of 35 funds in the US Growth Index Category.

  1. Rank 2ASCHGSchwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETFScore 78
  2. Rank 5AVUGVanguard Morningstar Growth ETFScore 77
  3. Rank 6AVBKVanguard Morningstar Small-Cap Growth ETFScore 72
  4. Rank 32CRKSGRuk Strategic Growth ETFScore 40
  5. Rank 34DFSGSFirst Trust SMID Growth Strength ETFScore 36
  6. Rank 35DBULPacer US Cash Cows Growth ETFScore 29

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

FSGSDFirst Trust SMID Growth Strength ETF

VUGAVanguard Morningstar Growth ETF

In short

FSGS Growth 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.

VUG Three basis points buys roughly 170 US large-cap growth names. Running since 2004, over $100 billion in assets, and it tracks its index about as closely as an index fund can.

Stated mandate

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

VUG The fund seeks to track a benchmark index measuring the investment return of large-capitalization growth stocks.

Why people hold it

  • FSGS 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
  • VUG 0.03% a year against a 0.18% median for its growth peer group. A rival tracking the same declared index charges 0.36%, twelve times more for the same shopping list.vanguard.com
  • One of the largest and most heavily traded funds in US large-cap growth, and among the tightest index implementations in that group. Deep volume tends to mean thin spreads.
  • Trading since January 2004, so the record spans full market cycles rather than a backtest. Distributions land quarterly.

Worth knowing

  • FSGS 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.
  • VUG Cap-weighted, so the biggest mega-caps dominate the top of the book. That makes it one of the more concentrated portfolios in this cohort.vanguard.com
  • A style sleeve, not the whole market: growth screens only, large caps only. When growth is out of favor it can swing harder than a total-market fund.
  • SPYG and SCHG sit at 0.04%, so the price edge is a rounding error. The real gap is how each index defines a growth stock.

Full FSGS profile⁠

Full VUG profile⁠

FSGS vs VUG Holdings

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

FSGS vs VUG Cost

Overpaying FSGS vs VUG

$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%

    $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

Expense ratio

  • 0.60%FSGS
  • 0.03%VUG, cheaper
  • Middle half of US Growth Index funds
  • Median 0.18%

VUG cheapest of 35 funds

FSGS 32nd cheapest of 35 funds

FSGS vs VUG Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
FSGS 0.03%
VUG 0.41%, better
Payout (12M)
FSGS $0.01
VUG $0.35
Last payment
FSGS $0.01
VUG $0.09
Ex-dividend
FSGS Jun 25, 2026
VUG Sep 28, 2026
Paid on
FSGS Jun 30, 2026
VUG Sep 30, 2026
Frequency
FSGS Irregular
VUG Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

FSGSIrregular · 30 paymentsAll FSGS payments⁠
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.$0$0.252017202020232026YTD
VUGQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll VUG payments⁠
One bar per payment. 39 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 24, 2017 $0.06; Jun 23, 2017 $0.06; Sep 22, 2017 $0.07; Dec 21, 2017 $0.08; Mar 22, 2018 $0.06; Jun 22, 2018 $0.07; Sep 28, 2018 $0.08; Dec 24, 2018 $0.09; Mar 28, 2019 $0.07; Jun 27, 2019 $0.07; Sep 16, 2019 $0.06; Dec 24, 2019 $0.08; Mar 26, 2020 $0.07; Jun 25, 2020 $0.07; Sep 25, 2020 $0.07; Dec 24, 2020 $0.08; Mar 25, 2021 $0.06; Jun 24, 2021 $0.06; Sep 24, 2021 $0.05; Dec 27, 2021 $0.08; Mar 23, 2022 $0.05; Jun 23, 2022 $0.05; Sep 23, 2022 $0.07; Dec 22, 2022 $0.07; Mar 23, 2023 $0.07; Jun 23, 2023 $0.07; Sep 21, 2023 $0.06; Dec 21, 2023 $0.10; Mar 21, 2024 $0.08; Jun 27, 2024 $0.08; Sep 26, 2024 $0.08; Dec 23, 2024 $0.09; Mar 27, 2025 $0.08; Jun 30, 2025 $0.08; Sep 29, 2025 $0.08; Dec 22, 2025 $0.08; Mar 27, 2026 $0.08; Jun 26, 2026 $0.09; Sep 28, 2026 $0.09. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.252017202020232026YTD

FSGS vs VUG Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

  • FSGS
  • VUG
Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. Worst fall: VUG −35.6% · Nov 2022. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−30%−20%−10%0%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
FSGS 16.3%, betterVUG 17.3%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
FSGS 0.52VUG 1.11, better
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
FSGS −24.1%, betterVUG −35.6%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
FSGS 0.99VUG 1.23

FSGS and VUG in the news

All news⁠

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