FSTA vs FXG: Grades, Fees and Holdings Compared

Fidelity MSCI Consumer Staples Index ETF

FSTAANYSE Arca

First Trust Consumer Staples AlphaDEX Fund

FXGDNYSE Arca

Overlap

24.5%by weight

Expense ratio

FSTA −0.55pt a year

FSTA0.08%FXG0.63%

Avg volume · 30D

FSTA 12.9×the volume

FSTA173KFXG13.5K

10Y return · a year

FSTA +3.9pt

FSTA+8.9%FXG+5.0%

FSTA vs FXG Performance

Nov 2, 2021 – Nov 2, 2026

+48.2%FSTA+19.1%FXG

Expense ratio: FSTA 0.08%, better; FXG 0.63%
Fund size: FSTA $1.36B; FXG $210M
1Y total return: FSTA +21.2%, better; FXG +4.6%
Yield (12M): FSTA 2.05%, better; FXG 2.00%
Holdings: FSTA 99; FXG 41
Avg volume (30D): FSTA 173K sh, better; FXG 13.5K sh
NAV per share: FSTA $56.46; FXG $61.82
52W range

ETF.net Grade

Pillar letters and Scores for FSTA, FXG, with each pillar’s weight
Pillar	FSTA	FXG
Cost30% weight	A94Higher	F6
Mission25% weight	Not scored	Not scored
Risk15% weight	B68Higher	F23
Tradability15% weight	B68Higher	D37
Holdings10% weight	C49	A77Higher
Durability5% weight	B58Higher	B57

Rank among Consumer Staples (Broad) funds

How we build Categories ›

Same Category. FSTA and FXG are both graded against the same 12 Consumer Staples (Broad) funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Consumer Staples (Broad)⁠

Category · 12 funds

See all 12 ›

FSTA ranks 2nd and FXG 12th of 12 funds in the Consumer Staples (Broad) Category.

Rank 1AXLPState Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETFScore 83
Rank 2AFSTAFidelity MSCI Consumer Staples Index ETFScore 75
Rank 3BVDCVanguard Consumer Staples ETFScore 68
Rank 11DPBJInvesco Food & Beverage ETFScore 32
Rank 12DFXGFirst Trust Consumer Staples AlphaDEX FundScore 28

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

FSTAAFidelity MSCI Consumer Staples Index ETF

FXGDFirst Trust Consumer Staples AlphaDEX Fund

In short

FSTA Consumer staples at Fidelity's house price: 0.08% a year for roughly 100 US soap, soda and supermarket stocks, tracking an investable-market index that reaches past the mega caps.

FXG Most consumer staples ETFs just buy the sector by size. FXG runs a rules-based screen on growth, value and profitability, then holds roughly 40 names, a deliberately different shape cut from the same shelf. On the tape since 2007.

Stated mandate

FSTA The fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the MSCI USA IMI Consumer Staples Index.

FXG The fund seeks investment results that generally correspond to the price and yield of the StrataQuant® Consumer Staples Index before fees and expenses.

Why people hold it

FSTA Costs 0.08% a year against a 0.40% median for staples ETFs. It matches the cheapest household name in the group (XLP) and edges out VDC.
Tracks the MSCI USA IMI Consumer Staples 25/50 Index, an investable-market benchmark, so the basket runs to about 100 names instead of a large-cap-only slice.fidelity.com
Trading since 2013 and now a multi-billion-dollar fund, it sits in the top quartile of the consumer staples funds we grade.

FXG Ranks staples stocks on growth, value and profitability rather than market size, then holds roughly 40 of them. A different portfolio shape from the cap-weighted default.ftportfolios.com
Live since 2007 through several market cycles, and it has tracked its StrataQuant Consumer Staples Index closely.
Plain vanilla plumbing: a 1940 Act equity fund with no leverage or derivatives in the mandate, paying distributions quarterly.

Worth knowing

FSTA One sector, one country. Results ride on US packaged food, household products and grocery shelves, with no ballast from the rest of the market.
Moderately traded rather than a tape-topper, so spreads can run wider than at the biggest staples ETFs, particularly in fast markets.
Income arrives quarterly, not monthly.

FXG The screen costs money: 0.63% a year against a 0.40% category median, while index peers XLP, VDC and FSTA charge under a tenth of a percent.
Thinly traded next to the sector's giants, so bid-ask spreads and limit orders matter more here.
A concentrated screened basket can move well away from the standard staples benchmark, in either direction.

Full FSTA profile⁠

Full FXG profile⁠

FSTA vs FXG Holdings

How FSTA and FXG differ

Overlap by weight

24.5%

Shared holdings make up 79.5% of FXG and 47.8% of FSTA.

Level by level

Holdings34 in both24.5%
Sector6 Sectors86.3%
Asset classEquity100%
Countryby domicile100%

Sector

Sector weights in FSTA and FXG, widest gap first
Sector	More in FSTAMore in FXG	FSTA	FXG
Consumer Staples	FSTA +12.3 points	96.6%	84.3%
Health Care	FXG +5.2 points	0.0%	5.2%
Consumer Discretionary	FXG +4.3 points	1.4%	5.7%
Industrials	FXG +3.7 points	0.3%	4.0%
Financials	FSTA +1.3 points	1.3%	0.0%
Materials	FXG +0.5 points	0.3%	0.8%

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in FSTA and FXG, widest gap first
Country	More in FSTAMore in FXG	FSTA	FXG
United States	Same weight	100.0%	100.0%

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

FSTA65.4%
FXG40.3%

Securities held

FSTA97
FXG40

Asset class

FSTA: Equity
FXG: Equity

Holdings

Only in FSTA63
In both34
Only in FXG6

Only in FSTA

63 securities, 54.2% of FSTA by weight

Walmart Inc14.45%
Costco Wholesale Corp11.83%
Philip Morris Intl Inc4.44%
Colgate-Palmolive Co2.29%
Target Corp2.21%
Securities Lending Cf2.09%
Vylor Inc1.29%
Kenvue Inc1.24%
Dollar General Corp1.02%
Estee Lauder Cos Inc Class A0.96%
Church & Dwight Co Inc0.90%
Dollar Tree Inc0.87%
Us Foods Holding Corp0.81%
Kraft Heinz Co0.75%
General Mills Inc0.66%
Bjs Whsl Club Hldgs Inc0.57%
Jm Smucker Co/The0.56%
Maplebear Inc0.40%
Elf Beauty Inc0.35%
Conagra Brands Inc0.33%
Molson Coors Beverage Co B0.32%
Celsius Holdings Inc0.28%
Pricesmart Inc0.26%
Chefs Warehouse Inc0.25%
Wd 40 Co0.23%
United Natural Foods Inc0.22%
State Street 60 Day Money Mark0.21%
Vita Coco Co Inc/The0.20%
Interparfums Inc0.20%
Central Garden & Pet Co Class A0.20%
Andersons Inc0.19%
Marzetti Company/The0.19%
Cal-Maine Foods Inc0.19%
Spectrum Brands Holdings Inc0.19%
Boston Beer Company Class A0.18%
Herbalife Ltd0.16%
Energizer Hldgs Inc0.16%
J&J Snacks Food Corp0.15%
Edgewell Personal Care Co0.15%
Ingles Markets Inc-Cl A0.14%
Flowers Foods Inc0.14%
Coty Inc Class A0.14%
Turning Point Brands Inc0.14%
Grocery Outlet Holding Corp0.14%
Brown Forman Corp Class A0.13%
Del Monte Corp0.12%
Bellring Brands Inc0.12%
Utz Brands Inc A0.12%
Universal Corp0.12%
Dole PLC0.12%

Only in FXG

6 securities, 20.2% of FXG by weight

Cardinal Health, Inc.4.37%
Smithfield Foods, Inc.3.80%
McKesson Corporation3.62%
JBS N.V. (Class A)3.43%
Cencora, Inc.2.57%
CVS Health Corporation2.45%

Weight gaps

All 34 Holdings in both funds, largest gap first.

Holding weights in FSTA and FXG, widest gap first
Holding	More in FSTAMore in FXG	FSTA	FXG
Procter & Gamble CoPG	FSTA +8.01 points	9.73%	1.73%
Coca Cola CoKO	FSTA +6.84 points	9.39%	2.54%
Freshpet IncFRPT	FXG +4.33 points	0.22%	4.55%
Post Holdings IncPOST	FXG +4.19 points	0.24%	4.43%
Pilgrim's Pride Corp NewPPC	FXG +3.99 points	0.14%	4.13%
Seaboard CorpSEB	FXG +3.70 points	0.12%	3.82%
Ingredion IncINGR	FXG +3.62 points	0.31%	3.93%
Mccormick & Co Inc Non-VtgMKC	FXG +3.49 points	0.47%	3.96%
Reynolds Consumer Products IncREYN	FXG +3.25 points	0.14%	3.39%
Altria Group IncMO	FSTA +3.11 points	4.01%	0.90%
The Campbell's CompanyCPB	FXG +3.10 points	0.25%	3.35%
Constellation Brands Inc Class ASTZ	FXG +3.00 points	0.72%	3.72%
Coca Cola Consolidated IncCOKE	FXG +2.98 points	0.47%	3.45%
Pepsico IncPEP	FSTA +2.72 points	4.40%	1.68%
Lamb Weston Holdings IncLW	FXG +2.67 points	0.35%	3.02%
Darling Ingredients IncDAR	FXG +2.47 points	0.38%	2.85%
Brown Forman Corp Non Vtg Class BBF.B	FXG +2.27 points	0.28%	2.55%
Sprouts Fmrs Mkt IncSFM	FXG +2.10 points	0.23%	2.33%
Tyson Foods Inc Class ATSN	FXG +2.02 points	0.61%	2.63%
Bunge Global SABG	FXG +1.62 points	0.48%	2.10%
Albertsons Cos Inc Class AACI	FXG +1.50 points	0.25%	1.75%
Primo Brands Corp APRMB	FXG +1.36 points	0.25%	1.61%
Hormel Foods CorpHRL	FXG +1.36 points	0.30%	1.66%
Archer Daniels Midland CoADM	FXG +1.03 points	1.23%	2.26%
Mondelez International IncMDLZ	FSTA +0.87 points	2.61%	1.74%
Keurig Dr Pepper IncKDP	FSTA +0.65 points	1.57%	0.92%
Clorox CoCLX	FXG +0.41 points	0.43%	0.84%
Kroger CoKR	FSTA +0.38 points	1.26%	0.88%
Monster Beverage CorpMNST	FSTA +0.36 points	2.13%	1.77%
Kimberly Clark CorpKMB	FSTA +0.34 points	1.20%	0.86%
Sysco CorpSYY	FXG +0.34 points	1.31%	1.65%
Performance Food Group CoPFGC	FXG +0.25 points	0.59%	0.84%
Hershey Co (The)HSY	FSTA +0.03 points	0.85%	0.82%
Casey General StoresCASY	FXG +0.01 points	0.86%	0.87%

All 104 FSTA holdings⁠All 40 FXG 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.

FSTA vs FXG Cost

Overpaying FXG vs FSTA

$10,586

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

FSTA 0.084%
$1,773
FXG 0.63%
$12,359

Amount$10,000

Years30 years

Cost over time

FSTA 0.084%
FXG 0.63%
Overpaying

Year by year

Year	FSTA	FXG	Overpaying
10	$154	$1,128	$974
20	$603	$4,311	$3,708
30	$1,773	$12,359	$10,586

Expense ratio

0.08%FSTA, cheaper
0.63%FXG

FSTA0.08%FXG0.63%

0.08%0.63%

Middle half of Consumer Staples (Broad) funds
Median 0.38%

FSTA 2nd cheapest of 12 funds

FXG 11th cheapest of 12 funds

FSTA vs FXG Dividends

Last 12 months to Nov 2, 2026

Yield (12M): FSTA 2.05%, better; FXG 2.00%
Payout (12M): FSTA $1.18; FXG $1.26
Last payment: FSTA $0.29; FXG $0.33
Ex-dividend: FSTA Sep 18, 2026; FXG Sep 24, 2026
Paid on: FSTA Sep 22, 2026; FXG Sep 30, 2026
Frequency: FSTA Quarterly; FXG Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

FSTAQuarterly · 40 paymentsAll FSTA payments⁠

FXGQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll FXG payments⁠

FSTA vs FXG Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

FSTA
FXG

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years: FSTA 13.3%, betterFXG 15.2%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years: FSTA 0.66, betterFXG 0.06
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years: FSTA −16.6%FXG −16.0%, better
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years: FSTA 0.48FXG 0.51; Market = 1

Popular comparisons

FSTAAvsXLPA
Fidelity MSCI Consumer Staples Index ETF · State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF
Expense ratio
0.08% · 0.08%
Category
FXGDvsXLPA
First Trust Consumer Staples AlphaDEX Fund · State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF
Expense ratio
0.63% · 0.08%
Category
FSTAAvsVDCB
Fidelity MSCI Consumer Staples Index ETF · Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF
Expense ratio
0.08% · 0.09%
Category
FXGDvsVDCB
First Trust Consumer Staples AlphaDEX Fund · Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF
Expense ratio
0.63% · 0.09%
Category
FSTAAvsIYKB
Fidelity MSCI Consumer Staples Index ETF · iShares U.S. Consumer Staples ETF
Expense ratio
0.08% · 0.37%
Category
FXGDvsIYKB
First Trust Consumer Staples AlphaDEX Fund · iShares U.S. Consumer Staples ETF
Expense ratio
0.63% · 0.37%
Category