FXD vs VCR: Grades, Fees and Holdings Compared

First Trust Consumer Discretionary AlphaDEX Fund

FXDDNYSE Arca

Vanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF

VCRBNYSE Arca

Overlap

24.4%by weight

Expense ratio

VCR −0.51pt a year

FXD0.60%VCR0.09%

Avg volume · 30D

VCR 5.5×the volume

FXD10.9KVCR60.2K

10Y return · a year

VCR +5.1pt

FXD+8.7%VCR+13.8%

FXD vs VCR Performance

Nov 9, 2021 – Nov 9, 2026

+16.8%FXD+20.9%VCR

Expense ratio: FXD 0.60%; VCR 0.09%, better
Fund size: FXD $267M; VCR $5.6B
1Y total return: FXD +10.6%, better; VCR +4.5%
Yield (12M): FXD 0.66%; VCR 0.74%, better
Holdings: FXD 111; VCR 281
Avg volume (30D): FXD 10.9K sh; VCR 60.2K sh, better
NAV per share: FXD $70.33; VCR $391.22
52W range

ETF.net Grade

Pillar letters and Scores for FXD, VCR, with each pillar’s weight
Pillar	FXD	VCR
Cost30% weight	F4	A86Higher
Mission25% weight	Not scored	Not scored
Risk15% weight	C54Higher	C46
Tradability15% weight	D30	C43Higher
Holdings10% weight	A90Higher	C46
Durability5% weight	C52	A81Higher

Rank among Consumer Discretionary (Broad) funds

How we build Categories ›

Same Category. FXD and VCR are both graded against the same 14 Consumer Discretionary (Broad) funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Consumer Discretionary (Broad)⁠

Category · 14 funds

See all 14 ›

VCR ranks 4th and FXD 13th of 14 funds in the Consumer Discretionary (Broad) Category.

Rank 1AXLYState Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETFScore 80
Rank 2BFDISFidelity MSCI Consumer Discretionary Index ETFScore 70
Rank 3BXRTState Street SPDR S&P Retail ETFScore 66
Rank 4BVCRVanguard Consumer Discretionary ETFScore 63
Rank 5BRTHVanEck Retail ETFScore 56
Rank 12DITBiShares U.S. Home Construction ETFScore 35
Rank 13DFXDFirst Trust Consumer Discretionary AlphaDEX FundScore 33
Rank 14DPEZInvesco Dorsey Wright Consumer Cyclicals Momentum ETFScore 25

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

FXDDFirst Trust Consumer Discretionary AlphaDEX Fund

VCRBVanguard Consumer Discretionary ETF

In short

FXD Most consumer discretionary ETFs buy the sector as it comes. FXD screens it first: First Trust's AlphaDEX rules rank names on growth and value metrics, landing on roughly 120 holdings. A rules-based stock picker in index clothing, running since 2007.

VCR Consumer discretionary, the whole aisle. VCR tracks roughly 300 US retailers, carmakers, restaurants and travel names across large, mid and small caps for 0.09% a year, instead of stopping at the S&P 500's handful of giants.

Stated mandate

FXD The Fund seeks investment results that generally track the price and yield performance of the StrataQuant® Consumer Discretionary Index before fees and expenses.

VCR The fund passively tracks an index representing U.S. consumer discretionary stocks, seeking to approximate the index through full replication when possible and sampling when required.

Why people hold it

FXD The AlphaDEX screen ranks consumer names on growth and value metrics instead of just size, so the lineup can look very different from the plain sector index.ftportfolios.com
Roughly 120 holdings spread the bet across retailers, restaurants, homebuilders and autos rather than parking most of the money in a couple of megacaps.
It does what the label says: close tracking of the StrataQuant Consumer Discretionary Index, with no style drift away from US consumer discretionary equity.
Live since 2007, so the methodology has run through housing busts, retail shakeouts and a pandemic rather than being a recent backtest.

VCR Costs 0.09% a year against a category median near 0.35%. In sector funds, where everyone owns roughly the same giants, that fee gap is the part you control.
The index reaches past mega-caps into mid and small cap US consumer stocks, so homebuilders, specialty retailers and restaurant chains ride along too.vanguard.com msci.com
Plain mechanics: full replication of its MSCI index where possible, sampling only where it isn't, with quarterly distributions. Same recipe since the 2004 launch.
A multi-billion-dollar fund and one of the stronger builds in the consumer discretionary group, with tracking that stays close to the index it names.

Worth knowing

FXD The screen carries a toll: 0.60% a year, against a peer-group median of 0.35% and cap-weighted rivals like XLY, FDIS and VCR charging under a tenth of a percent.
Volume is thin next to the sector's giants, so bid-ask spreads matter more at the moment you trade.
Screened weights are a different bet from the headline sector: results can diverge from plain cap-weighted consumer discretionary exposure in either direction.

VCR Cap weighting rules the top: a few giants carry most of the basket despite about 300 names. Index rules cap any single issuer at 25%, which still leaves it top-heavy.msci.com msci.com 2
One sector, and a cyclical one. These are the industries Vanguard describes as most sensitive to economic cycles, so the ride is bumpier than a total-market fund.vanguard.com
XLY and FDIS come in a basis point lower at 0.08%. The cost race in this corner is now measured in rounding, not dollars.

Full FXD profile⁠

Full VCR profile⁠

FXD vs VCR Holdings

How FXD and VCR differ

Overlap by weight

24.4%

Shared holdings make up 71.9% of FXD and 61.5% of VCR.

Level by level

Holdings79 in both24.4%
Sector8 Sectors75.1%
Countryby domicile98.5%
Asset classStocks100%

Sector

Sector weights in FXD and VCR, widest gap first
Sector	Gap	FXD	VCR
Consumer Discretionary	VCR +24.6 points	71.7%	96.3%
Communication	FXD +10.3 points	10.3%	0.0%
Industrials	FXD +7.2 points	8.1%	0.9%
Consumer Staples	FXD +5.2 points	6.3%	1.2%
Technology	FXD +2.3 points	3.6%	1.3%
Health Care	VCR +0.1 points	0.0%	0.1%
Real Estate	VCR +0.1 points	0.0%	0.1%
Financials	VCR +0.1 points	0.0%	0.1%

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in FXD and VCR, widest gap first
Country	Gap	FXD	VCR
United States	VCR +1.5 points	98.5%	100.0%
Finland	FXD +0.6 points	0.6%	0.0%
Canada	FXD +0.6 points	0.6%	0.0%
Switzerland	FXD +0.3 points	0.3%	0.0%

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

FXD16.4%
VCR56.6%

Securities held

FXD110
VCR279

Asset class

FXD: Stocks
VCR: Stocks

Holdings

Only in FXD31
In both79
Only in VCR200

Only in FXD

31 securities, 27.9% of FXD by weight

Sirius XM Holdings Inc.1.73%
Lyft, Inc. (Class A)1.57%
Versant Media Group, Inc. (Class A)1.47%
Delta Air Lines, Inc.1.44%
The Estee Lauder Companies Inc.1.31%
Copart, Inc.1.29%
Birkenstock Holding Plc1.27%
Fox Corporation (Class A)1.17%
The Trade Desk, Inc. (Class A)1.17%
MSG Knickerbockers Corp. (Class A)1.13%
United Airlines Holdings, Inc.1.12%
Dollar Tree, Inc.0.95%
Dollar General Corporation0.93%
The Walt Disney Company0.92%
Southwest Airlines Co.0.88%
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.0.86%
Target Corporation0.84%
Alaska Air Group, Inc.0.83%
Uber Technologies, Inc.0.83%
American Airlines Group Inc.0.82%
U-Haul Holding Co. (Series N)0.78%
BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc.0.66%
Nexstar Media Group, Inc.0.65%
Amer Sports, Inc.0.64%
Restaurant Brands International Inc.0.60%
News Corporation (Class A)0.51%
Spotify Technology S.A.0.34%
Costco Wholesale Corporation0.32%
RB Global Inc.0.32%
Viking Holdings Ltd0.31%
The New York Times Company (Class A)0.30%

Only in VCR

200 securities, 38.4% of VCR by weight

Tesla Inc15.91%
Booking Holdings Inc2.07%
MercadoLibre Inc1.30%
O'Reilly Automotive Inc1.19%
DoorDash Inc1.15%
Ford Motor Co0.80%
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc0.72%
Tapestry Inc0.42%
Genuine Parts Co0.36%
Aramark0.29%
Wayfair Inc0.26%
Las Vegas Sands Corp0.23%
Service Corp International/US0.23%
Abercrombie & Fitch Co0.22%
Brinker International Inc0.21%
Victoria's Secret & Co0.19%
Mohawk Industries Inc0.19%
DraftKings Inc0.18%
Autoliv Inc0.18%
Cheesecake Factory Inc/The0.17%
Life Time Group Holdings Inc0.17%
Caesars Entertainment Inc0.16%
Frontdoor Inc0.16%
Champion Homes Inc0.16%
Signet Jewelers Ltd0.16%
Wynn Resorts Ltd0.15%
Laureate Education Inc0.15%
Cavco Industries Inc0.15%
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Inc0.15%
Garrett Motion Inc0.14%
Urban Outfitters Inc0.14%
Meritage Homes Corp0.13%
Installed Building Products Inc0.13%
Covista Inc0.13%
Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corp0.13%
M/I Homes Inc0.13%
Steven Madden Ltd0.13%
Graham Holdings Co0.13%
Dutch Bros Inc0.13%
Chewy Inc0.13%
Travel + Leisure Co0.13%
Kohl's Corp0.13%
Brunswick Corp/DE0.12%
Versigent PLC0.12%
Valvoline Inc0.12%
Dorman Products Inc0.12%
Cava Group Inc0.12%
American Eagle Outfitters Inc0.12%
Newell Brands Inc0.12%
Kontoor Brands Inc0.12%

Weight gaps

All 79 Holdings in both funds, largest gap first.

Holding weights in FXD and VCR, widest gap first
Holding	Gap	FXD	VCR
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN	VCR +21.84 points	1.15%	22.99%
The Home Depot, Inc.HD	VCR +4.19 points	0.33%	4.52%
McDonald's CorporationMCD	VCR +2.31 points	0.33%	2.64%
The TJX Companies, Inc.TJX	VCR +2.09 points	0.28%	2.37%
Crocs, Inc.CROX	FXD +1.61 points	1.78%	0.17%
Mattel, Inc.MAT	FXD +1.56 points	1.67%	0.11%
Boyd Gaming CorporationBYD	FXD +1.48 points	1.59%	0.11%
Starbucks CorporationSBUX	VCR +1.43 points	0.31%	1.74%
lululemon athletica inc.LULU	FXD +1.39 points	1.59%	0.20%
SharkNinja Inc.SN	FXD +1.37 points	1.71%	0.34%
Lowe's Companies, Inc.LOW	VCR +1.34 points	0.34%	1.68%
Deckers Outdoor CorporationDECK	FXD +1.30 points	1.53%	0.23%
Whirlpool CorporationWHR	FXD +1.29 points	1.37%	0.08%
Toll Brothers, Inc.TOL	FXD +1.29 points	1.56%	0.27%
Lithia Motors, Inc.LAD	FXD +1.28 points	1.46%	0.18%
Columbia Sportswear CompanyCOLM	FXD +1.27 points	1.35%	0.08%
Five Below, Inc.FIVE	FXD +1.25 points	1.51%	0.26%
Macy's, Inc.M	FXD +1.22 points	1.40%	0.17%
Thor Industries, Inc.THO	FXD +1.17 points	1.29%	0.12%
AutoNation, Inc.AN	FXD +1.17 points	1.29%	0.12%
PulteGroup, Inc.PHM	FXD +1.15 points	1.57%	0.42%
The Gap, Inc.GAP	FXD +1.14 points	1.30%	0.16%
Lear CorporationLEA	FXD +1.13 points	1.29%	0.16%
Gentex CorporationGNTX	FXD +1.12 points	1.26%	0.14%
Carnival Corporation Ltd.CCL	FXD +1.10 points	1.66%	0.56%
LKQ CorporationLKQ	FXD +1.06 points	1.21%	0.15%
Bath & Body Works, Inc.BBWI	FXD +0.99 points	1.11%	0.12%
DICK'S Sporting Goods, Inc.DKS	FXD +0.99 points	1.16%	0.17%
Murphy USA Inc.MUSA	FXD +0.94 points	1.14%	0.20%
Churchill Downs IncorporatedCHDN	FXD +0.94 points	1.07%	0.13%
H&R Block, Inc.HRB	FXD +0.92 points	1.07%	0.15%
D.R. Horton, Inc.DHI	FXD +0.92 points	1.54%	0.62%
Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc.HLT	VCR +0.90 points	0.32%	1.22%
GameStop Corp. (Class A)GME	FXD +0.88 points	1.12%	0.24%
Hasbro, Inc.HAS	FXD +0.88 points	1.12%	0.24%
Dillard's, Inc. (Class A)DDS	FXD +0.87 points	0.99%	0.12%
Lennar CorporationLEN	FXD +0.87 points	1.20%	0.33%
Ulta Beauty, Inc.ULTA	FXD +0.85 points	1.30%	0.45%
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.NCLH	FXD +0.84 points	1.01%	0.17%
Aptiv PlcAPTV	FXD +0.81 points	1.01%	0.20%
YETI Holdings, Inc.YETI	FXD +0.79 points	0.91%	0.12%
Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc. (Class A)FND	FXD +0.78 points	0.93%	0.15%
Duolingo, Inc.DUOL	FXD +0.76 points	0.93%	0.17%
Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings, Inc.OLLI	FXD +0.72 points	0.87%	0.15%
Marriott International, Inc.MAR	VCR +0.67 points	0.65%	1.32%
V.F. CorporationVFC	FXD +0.67 points	0.80%	0.13%
Pool CorporationPOOL	FXD +0.57 points	0.72%	0.15%
Best Buy Co., Inc.BBY	FXD +0.56 points	0.93%	0.37%
Garmin Ltd.GRMN	VCR +0.55 points	0.27%	0.82%
Expedia Group, Inc.EXPE	FXD +0.54 points	1.09%	0.55%
NVR, Inc.NVR	FXD +0.52 points	0.85%	0.33%
Etsy, Inc.ETSY	FXD +0.51 points	0.69%	0.18%
AutoZone, Inc.AZO	VCR +0.48 points	0.31%	0.79%
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.RCL	VCR +0.46 points	0.68%	1.14%
Penske Automotive Group, Inc.PAG	FXD +0.44 points	0.58%	0.14%
MGM Resorts InternationalMGM	FXD +0.42 points	0.57%	0.15%
Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc.BFAM	FXD +0.34 points	0.46%	0.12%
Yum! Brands, Inc.YUM	VCR +0.32 points	0.33%	0.65%
Tractor Supply CompanyTSCO	FXD +0.31 points	0.64%	0.33%
CarMax, Inc.KMX	FXD +0.31 points	0.52%	0.21%
Ralph Lauren CorporationRL	FXD +0.30 points	0.58%	0.28%
Grand Canyon Education, Inc.LOPE	FXD +0.30 points	0.43%	0.13%
Darden Restaurants, Inc.DRI	FXD +0.24 points	0.65%	0.41%
eBay Inc.EBAY	FXD +0.22 points	0.95%	0.73%
BorgWarner Inc.BWA	FXD +0.19 points	0.45%	0.26%
Vail Resorts, Inc.MTN	FXD +0.17 points	0.32%	0.15%
Airbnb, Inc. (Class A)ABNB	FXD +0.16 points	1.30%	1.14%
Hyatt Hotels Corporation (Class A)H	FXD +0.16 points	0.32%	0.16%
Ross Stores, Inc.ROST	VCR +0.16 points	1.09%	1.25%
NIKE, Inc. (Class B)NKE	VCR +0.12 points	0.60%	0.72%
Texas Roadhouse, Inc.TXRH	FXD +0.10 points	0.32%	0.22%
Williams-Sonoma, Inc.WSM	FXD +0.10 points	0.61%	0.51%
Domino's Pizza, Inc.DPZ	FXD +0.10 points	0.31%	0.21%
Burlington Stores, Inc.BURL	VCR +0.08 points	0.25%	0.33%
Flutter Entertainment PlcFLUT	FXD +0.06 points	0.30%	0.24%
Rivian Automotive, Inc. (Class A)RIVN	VCR +0.06 points	0.25%	0.31%
Somnigroup International IncSGI	VCR +0.06 points	0.28%	0.34%
General Motors CompanyGM	FXD +0.05 points	1.23%	1.18%
Carvana Co. (Class A)CVNA	FXD +0.05 points	0.65%	0.60%

All 110 FXD holdings⁠All 277 VCR 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.

FXD vs VCR Cost

Overpaying FXD vs VCR

$9,919

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

FXD 0.60%
$11,817
VCR 0.09%
$1,898

Amount$10,000

Years30 years

Cost over time

FXD 0.60%
VCR 0.09%
Overpaying

Year by year

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

Expense ratio

0.60%FXD
0.09%VCR, cheaper

VCR0.09%FXD0.60%

0.08%0.60%

Middle half of Consumer Discretionary (Broad) funds
Median 0.35%

VCR 3rd cheapest of 14 funds

FXD 13th cheapest of 14 funds

FXD vs VCR Dividends

Last 12 months to Nov 9, 2026

Yield (12M): FXD 0.66%; VCR 0.74%, better
Payout (12M): FXD $0.48; VCR $2.99
Last payment: FXD $0.14; VCR $0.82
Ex-dividend: FXD Sep 24, 2026; VCR Sep 23, 2026
Paid on: FXD Sep 30, 2026; VCR Sep 25, 2026
Frequency: FXD Quarterly; VCR Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

FXDQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll FXD payments⁠

VCRQuarterly · 38 paymentsAll VCR payments⁠

FXD vs VCR Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years: FXD 17.9%, betterVCR 18.3%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years: FXD 0.56VCR 0.64, better
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years: FXD −33.7%, betterVCR −39.2%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years: FXD 1.13VCR 1.25; Market = 1

FXD and VCR in the news

All news⁠

Deep Dive
Amazon and Tesla are 41.6% of consumer discretionary ETF XLY
Oct 28, 2026FXDVCR

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FXD vs VCR

In short

Stated mandate

Why people hold it

Worth knowing

How FXD and VCR differ

Level by level

Sector

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Concentration

Asset class

Holdings

Only in FXD

Only in VCR

Weight gaps

Cost over time

Year by year

Distribution history

Fall from peak · 5 years

Risk facts

Amazon and Tesla are 41.6% of consumer discretionary ETF XLY

How FXD and VCR differ

Level by level

Sector

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Concentration

Asset class

Holdings

Only in FXD

Only in VCR

Weight gaps