FTXG vs VDC: Grades, Fees and Holdings Compared

First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF

FTXGDNasdaq

Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF

VDCBNYSE Arca

Overlap

30.4%by weight

Expense ratio

VDC −0.51pt a year

FTXG0.60%VDC0.09%

Avg volume · 30D

VDC 6.0×the volume

FTXG27.8KVDC166K

10Y return · a year

VDC +5.3pt

FTXG+3.6%VDC+8.9%

FTXG vs VDC Performance

Nov 2, 2021 – Nov 2, 2026

+5.4%FTXG+48.5%VDC

Expense ratio: FTXG 0.60%; VDC 0.09%, better
Fund size: FTXG $32M; VDC $8.7B
1Y total return: FTXG +14.4%; VDC +21.2%, better
Yield (12M): FTXG 2.35%, better; VDC 1.98%
Holdings: FTXG 31; VDC 110
Avg volume (30D): FTXG 27.8K sh; VDC 166K sh, better
NAV per share: FTXG $22.84; VDC $242.22
52W range

ETF.net Grade

Pillar letters and Scores for FTXG, VDC, with each pillar’s weight
Pillar	FTXG	VDC
Cost30% weight	F22	A82Higher
Mission25% weight	A76	Not scored
Risk15% weight	D31	B68Higher
Tradability15% weight	D34	B55Higher
Holdings10% weight	B64Higher	C44
Durability5% weight	C42	A86Higher

Rank among Consumer Staples (Broad) funds

How we build Categories ›

Same Category. FTXG and VDC 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 ›

VDC ranks 3rd and FTXG 10th 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 4BIYKiShares U.S. Consumer Staples ETFScore 56
Rank 9DPSLInvesco Dorsey Wright Consumer Staples Momentum ETFScore 37
Rank 10DFTXGFirst Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETFScore 33
Rank 11DPBJInvesco Food & Beverage ETFScore 32

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

FTXGDFirst Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF

VDCBVanguard Consumer Staples ETF

In short

FTXG FTXG skips the broad staples grab bag and stays in the grocery aisle: about 30 US food and beverage stocks, picked and weighted by a momentum and profitability screen rather than size alone.

VDC Vanguard's take on the boring-on-purpose sector: about 100 US large-, mid- and small-cap staples names (soap, soda, groceries) for 0.09% a year, running since 2004.

Stated mandate

FTXG The fund seeks to track the performance of the Nasdaq US Smart Food & Beverage Index before fees and expenses by substantially replicating that index.

VDC The fund seeks to track the MSCI US Investable Market Consumer Staples 25/50 Index, which measures the performance of large-, mid-, and small-cap U.S. consumer staples stocks.

Why people hold it

FTXG A focused food-and-drink sleeve rather than a whole-sector basket: roughly 30 US names tracking the Nasdaq US Smart Food & Beverage Index.ftportfolios.com
Weighting leans on momentum and profitability, so the biggest packaged-food giant does not automatically claim the biggest slot.ftportfolios.com
Straightforward plumbing: a 1940 Act fund that substantially replicates its index and pays out quarterly.ftportfolios.com

VDC Charges 0.09% a year. Only XLP and FSTA sit lower at 0.08%, while the equal-weight and global alternatives (RSPS, KXI) run 0.38% to 0.40%.
Its index spans large-, mid- and small-cap US staples, roughly 100 stocks, so mid-sized beverage and household-products makers count, not just the mega-cap handful.
Hugs its MSCI benchmark tightly, one of the closer index implementations among broad consumer staples funds.
A multi-billion-dollar fund that has been trading since 2004 and pays out quarterly.

Worth knowing

FTXG At 0.60% a year it costs more than the typical consumer staples ETF, and well above cap-weighted options like VDC (0.09%) and XLP (0.08%).
A small fund that trades lightly, so bid-ask spreads can run wider than the heavily traded broad-staples funds in the group.
About 30 stocks in one corner of staples: news at a single company moves this fund more than it would a broad sector basket.

VDC One sector, one story. Staples move with grocery aisles and household budgets, not the broad market.
Even with the index's 25/50 diversification caps, a few giant food, beverage and retail names carry most of the weight.
Moderately traded rather than the category's volume leader, so limit orders earn their keep on larger trades.

Full FTXG profile⁠

Full VDC profile⁠

FTXG vs VDC Holdings

How FTXG and VDC differ

Overlap by weight

30.4%

Shared holdings make up 99.6% of FTXG and 31.3% of VDC.

Level by level

Holdings29 in both30.4%
Sector6 Sectors97.5%
Asset classEquity100%
Countryby domicile100%

Sector

Sector weights in FTXG and VDC, widest gap first
Sector	More in FTXGMore in VDC	FTXG	VDC
Materials	FTXG +2.6 points	2.9%	0.3%
Consumer Staples	VDC +1.1 points	97.1%	98.2%
Consumer Discretionary	VDC +0.9 points	0.0%	0.9%
Technology	VDC +0.3 points	0.0%	0.3%
Industrials	VDC +0.3 points	0.0%	0.3%
Health Care	Same weight	0.0%	0.0%

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in FTXG and VDC, widest gap first
Country	More in FTXGMore in VDC	FTXG	VDC
United States	Same weight	100.0%	100.0%

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

FTXG61.0%
VDC66.0%

Securities held

FTXG30
VDC108

Asset class

FTXG: Equity
VDC: Equity

Holdings

Only in FTXG1
In both29
Only in VDC79

Only in FTXG

1 security, 0.4% of FTXG by weight

Corteva Inc.0.41%

Only in VDC

79 securities, 68.5% of VDC by weight

Walmart Inc13.86%
Costco Wholesale Corp12.12%
Procter & Gamble Co/The9.90%
Philip Morris International Inc4.83%
Altria Group Inc3.86%
Target Corp2.50%
Colgate-Palmolive Co2.28%
Sysco Corp1.37%
Kenvue Inc1.26%
Kroger Co/The1.22%
Kimberly-Clark Corp1.02%
Dollar General Corp1.02%
Estee Lauder Cos Inc/The0.90%
Church & Dwight Co Inc0.88%
Casey's General Stores Inc0.85%
Dollar Tree Inc0.82%
Performance Food Group Co0.61%
BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings Inc0.54%
Clorox Co/The0.44%
elf Beauty Inc0.34%
Maplebear Inc0.34%
Conagra Brands Inc0.34%
Sprouts Farmers Market Inc0.33%
Molson Coors Beverage Co0.32%
Chefs' Warehouse Inc/The0.29%
PriceSmart Inc0.29%
Celsius Holdings Inc0.28%
Albertsons Cos Inc0.25%
United Natural Foods Inc0.23%
Post Holdings Inc0.23%
WD-40 Co0.23%
Andersons Inc/The0.22%
Interparfums Inc0.21%
Spectrum Brands Holdings Inc0.19%
Central Garden & Pet Co0.19%
TRS:KIMBERLY-CLARK CORP USD 2027-Aug-310.18%
Herbalife Ltd0.16%
Energizer Holdings Inc0.16%
Boston Beer Co Inc/The0.16%
Ingles Markets Inc0.16%
Edgewell Personal Care Co0.16%
Del Monte Corp0.15%
J & J Snack Foods Corp0.15%
Pilgrim's Pride Corp0.15%
Reynolds Consumer Products Inc0.15%
Turning Point Brands Inc0.14%
Seaboard Corp0.14%
Universal Corp/VA0.14%
Utz Brands Inc0.13%
Grocery Outlet Holding Corp0.13%

Weight gaps

All 29 Holdings in both funds, largest gap first.

Holding weights in FTXG and VDC, widest gap first
Holding	More in FTXGMore in VDC	FTXG	VDC
The Kraft Heinz CompanyKHC	FTXG +7.12 points	7.90%	0.78%
Mondelez International, Inc.MDLZ	FTXG +6.14 points	8.72%	2.58%
Archer-Daniels-Midland CompanyADM	FTXG +4.51 points	5.92%	1.41%
PepsiCo, Inc.PEP	FTXG +3.87 points	8.15%	4.28%
Tyson Foods, Inc. (Class A)TSN	FTXG +3.71 points	4.31%	0.60%
Constellation Brands, Inc. (Class A)STZ	FTXG +3.65 points	4.32%	0.67%
The J.M. Smucker CompanySJM	FTXG +3.21 points	3.78%	0.57%
Keurig Dr Pepper Inc.KDP	FTXG +3.21 points	4.69%	1.48%
The Hershey CompanyHSY	FTXG +3.01 points	3.91%	0.90%
General Mills, Inc.GIS	FTXG +2.78 points	3.47%	0.69%
US Foods Holding Corp.USFD	FTXG +2.52 points	3.32%	0.80%
Darling Ingredients Inc.DAR	FTXG +2.48 points	2.94%	0.46%
Brown-Forman CorporationBF.B	FTXG +2.45 points	2.73%	0.28%
The Campbell's CompanyCPB	FTXG +2.30 points	2.48%	0.18%
McCormick & Company, IncorporatedMKC	FTXG +2.22 points	2.70%	0.48%
Monster Beverage CorporationMNST	FTXG +2.21 points	4.29%	2.08%
Hormel Foods CorporationHRL	FTXG +2.18 points	2.49%	0.31%
Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc.COKE	FTXG +2.17 points	2.64%	0.47%
Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc.LW	FTXG +2.03 points	2.33%	0.30%
Bunge Global S.A.BG	FTXG +1.57 points	2.16%	0.59%
Ingredion IncorporatedINGR	FTXG +1.55 points	1.88%	0.33%
Primo Brands Corporation (Class A)PRMB	FTXG +1.50 points	1.77%	0.27%
The Coca-Cola CompanyKO	VDC +0.96 points	8.84%	9.80%
Cal-Maine Foods, Inc.CALM	FTXG +0.78 points	1.00%	0.22%
The Marzetti CompanyMZTI	FTXG +0.51 points	0.70%	0.19%
National Beverage Corp.FIZZ	FTXG +0.49 points	0.58%	0.09%
Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc.TR	FTXG +0.39 points	0.47%	0.08%
The Vita Coco Company, Inc.COCO	FTXG +0.30 points	0.52%	0.22%
Freshpet, Inc.FRPT	FTXG +0.30 points	0.51%	0.21%

All 30 FTXG holdings⁠All 103 VDC 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.

FTXG vs VDC Cost

Overpaying FTXG vs VDC

$9,919

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

FTXG 0.60%
$11,817
VDC 0.09%
$1,898

Amount$10,000

Years30 years

Cost over time

FTXG 0.60%
VDC 0.09%
Overpaying

Year by year

Year	FTXG	VDC	Overpaying
10	$1,076	$165	$911
20	$4,116	$646	$3,470
30	$11,817	$1,898	$9,919

Expense ratio

0.60%FTXG
0.09%VDC, cheaper

VDC0.09%FTXG0.60%

0.08%0.63%

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

VDC 3rd cheapest of 12 funds

FTXG 9th cheapest of 12 funds

FTXG vs VDC Dividends

Last 12 months to Nov 2, 2026

Yield (12M): FTXG 2.35%, better; VDC 1.98%
Payout (12M): FTXG $0.55; VDC $4.88
Last payment: FTXG $0.13; VDC $1.21
Ex-dividend: FTXG Sep 24, 2026; VDC Sep 23, 2026
Paid on: FTXG Sep 30, 2026; VDC Sep 25, 2026
Frequency: FTXG Quarterly; VDC Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

FTXGQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll FTXG payments⁠

VDCQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll VDC payments⁠

FTXG vs VDC Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

FTXG
VDC

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years: FTXG 14.0%VDC 13.3%, better
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years: FTXG −0.03VDC 0.67, better
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years: FTXG −21.7%VDC −16.6%, better
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years: FTXG 0.48VDC 0.50; Market = 1

FTXG and VDC in the news

All news⁠

New ETFs
A new US bank ETF puts 42% in four megabanks and charges 0.14%
Oct 5, 2026VDC
News
Costco beats Q4 estimates with $95.7 billion of revenue and $6.75 EPS
Sep 24, 2026VDC

Popular comparisons

FTXGDvsXLPA
First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF · State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF
Expense ratio
0.60% · 0.08%
Category
VDCBvsXLPA
Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF · State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF
Expense ratio
0.09% · 0.08%
Category
FTXGDvsFSTAA
First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF · Fidelity MSCI Consumer Staples Index ETF
Expense ratio
0.60% · 0.08%
Category
VDCBvsFSTAA
Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF · Fidelity MSCI Consumer Staples Index ETF
Expense ratio
0.09% · 0.08%
Category
FTXGDvsIYKB
First Trust Nasdaq Food & Beverage ETF · iShares U.S. Consumer Staples ETF
Expense ratio
0.60% · 0.37%
Category
VDCBvsIYKB
Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF · iShares U.S. Consumer Staples ETF
Expense ratio
0.09% · 0.37%
Category