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FXO vs VFH

First Trust Financials AlphaDEX Fund

FXOBNYSE Arca

Vanguard Financials ETF

VFHBNYSE Arca

Overlap

Expense ratio

VFH −0.51pt a year

FXO0.60%VFH0.09%

Avg volume · 30D

VFH 10.1×the volume

FXO58.7KVFH592K

10Y return · a year

FXO +0.3pt

FXO+12.9%VFH+12.6%

FXO vs VFH Performance

Nov 9, 2021 – Nov 9, 2026

+55.1%FXO+55.7%VFH

Nov 9, 2021 to Nov 9, 2026. FXO +55.1%. VFH +55.7%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−20%0%20%Nov 2021May 2024Nov 2026
Expense ratio
FXO 0.60%
VFH 0.09%, better
Fund size
FXO $1.07B
VFH $12.7B
1Y total return
FXO +16.0%, better
VFH +11.4%
Yield (12M)
FXO 2.13%, better
VFH 1.67%
Holdings
FXO 106
VFH 432
Avg volume (30D)
FXO 58.7K sh
VFH 592K sh, better
NAV per share
FXO $64.72
VFH $138.57
52W range

ETF.net Grade

FXO: Cost 15, Risk 63, Mission 99, Tradability 53, Holdings 85, Durability 49. VFH: Cost 88, Risk 53, Mission not scored, Tradability 55, Holdings 54, Durability 80.
Pillar letters and Scores for FXO, VFH, with each pillar’s weight
PillarFXOVFH
Cost30% weightF15A88Higher
Mission25% weightA99Not scored
Risk15% weightB63HigherC53
Tradability15% weightC53B55Higher
Holdings10% weightA85HigherC54
Durability5% weightC49A80Higher

Rank among Financials (Broad) funds

Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. FXO and VFH are both graded against the same 18 Financials (Broad) funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Financials (Broad)⁠

Category · 18 funds
See all 18 ›

VFH ranks 4th and FXO 10th of 18 funds in the Financials (Broad) Category.

  1. Rank 1AXLFState Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETFScore 82
  2. Rank 2AFNCLFidelity MSCI Financials Index ETFScore 73
  3. Rank 2AKIEState Street SPDR S&P Insurance ETFScore 73
  4. Rank 4BVFHVanguard Financials ETFScore 69
  5. Rank 5BIYFiShares U.S. Financials ETFScore 66
  6. Rank 9BIAKiShares U.S. Insurance ETFScore 58
  7. Rank 10BFXOFirst Trust Financials AlphaDEX FundScore 57
  8. Rank 11CRSPFInvesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Financials ETFScore 54

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

FXOBFirst Trust Financials AlphaDEX Fund

VFHBVanguard Financials ETF

In short

FXO No data

VFH Financials without the size filter. VFH holds roughly 400 US financial stocks, from the megabanks down to small regional lenders and insurers, for 0.09% a year.

Stated mandate

FXO No data

VFH VFH seeks to track the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Financials 25/50, providing passively managed, multicapitalization exposure to U.S. financial-sector equities.

Why people hold it

FXO No data

  • VFH Owns the whole sector, not just the giants: roughly 400 US financial names through MSCI's US IMI Financials 25/50 index, megabanks through small regional lenders and insurers.vanguard.com
  • Costs 0.09% a year, a fraction of what the typical broad financials fund charges.vanguard.com
  • Running since 2004, now a multi-billion-dollar fund that trades actively, and it has stayed close to its index. One of the strongest implementations in the financials group.
  • Pays out quarterly, passively managed, no manager stock-picking inside the sector.

Worth knowing

FXO No data

  • VFH One sector, one storyline: banks, insurers and brokers tend to move together with interest rates and the credit cycle.
  • The multicap reach cuts both ways. Small regional banks and niche insurers ride along with the megacaps, and they can swing harder.
  • Cost isn't the edge here: XLF and FNCL sit at essentially the same fee. Breadth of coverage is the real differentiator.

Full FXO profile⁠

Full VFH profile⁠

FXO vs VFH 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.

FXO vs VFH Cost

Overpaying FXO vs VFH

$9,919

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

  • FXO 0.60%

    $11,817

  • VFH 0.09%

    $1,898

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • FXO 0.60%
  • VFH 0.09%
  • 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$12.5K051015202530FXO $11,817VFH $1,898

Year by year

YearFXOVFHOverpaying
10$1,076$165$911
20$4,116$646$3,470
30$11,817$1,898$9,919

Expense ratio

  • 0.60%FXO
  • 0.09%VFH, cheaper
  • Middle half of Financials (Broad) funds
  • Median 0.37%

VFH 3rd cheapest of 18 funds

FXO 15th cheapest of 18 funds

FXO vs VFH Dividends

Last 12 months to Nov 9, 2026
Yield (12M)
FXO 2.13%, better
VFH 1.67%
Payout (12M)
FXO $1.40
VFH $2.35
Last payment
FXO $0.33
VFH $0.45
Ex-dividend
FXO Sep 24, 2026
VFH Sep 23, 2026
Paid on
FXO Sep 30, 2026
VFH Sep 25, 2026
Frequency
FXO Quarterly
VFH Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

FXOQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll FXO payments⁠
One bar per payment. 39 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 23, 2017 $0.09; Jun 22, 2017 $0.11; Sep 21, 2017 $0.08; Dec 21, 2017 $0.22; Mar 22, 2018 $0.10; Jun 21, 2018 $0.17; Sep 14, 2018 $0.13; Dec 18, 2018 $0.30; Mar 21, 2019 $0.06; Jun 14, 2019 $0.10; Sep 25, 2019 $0.18; Dec 13, 2019 $0.24; Mar 26, 2020 $0.20; Jun 25, 2020 $0.22; Sep 24, 2020 $0.26; Dec 24, 2020 $0.21; Mar 25, 2021 $0.16; Jun 24, 2021 $0.19; Sep 23, 2021 $0.23; Dec 23, 2021 $0.30; Mar 25, 2022 $0.16; Jun 24, 2022 $0.18; Sep 23, 2022 $0.31; Dec 23, 2022 $0.37; Mar 24, 2023 $0.21; Jun 27, 2023 $0.33; Sep 22, 2023 $0.37; Dec 22, 2023 $0.38; Mar 21, 2024 $0.16; Jun 27, 2024 $0.28; Sep 26, 2024 $0.28; Dec 13, 2024 $0.35; Mar 27, 2025 $0.25; Jun 26, 2025 $0.23; Sep 25, 2025 $0.24; Dec 12, 2025 $0.36; Mar 26, 2026 $0.47; Jun 25, 2026 $0.24; Sep 24, 2026 $0.33. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$12017202020232026YTD
VFHQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll VFH payments⁠
One bar per payment. 39 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 24, 2017 $0.15; Jun 28, 2017 $0.27; Sep 27, 2017 $0.31; Dec 14, 2017 $0.35; Mar 16, 2018 $0.25; Jun 28, 2018 $0.36; Sep 24, 2018 $0.35; Dec 13, 2018 $0.40; Mar 21, 2019 $0.36; Jun 21, 2019 $0.38; Sep 26, 2019 $0.46; Dec 16, 2019 $0.46; Mar 10, 2020 $0.37; Jun 22, 2020 $0.41; Sep 11, 2020 $0.36; Dec 17, 2020 $0.48; Mar 26, 2021 $0.38; Jun 21, 2021 $0.37; Sep 29, 2021 $0.54; Dec 16, 2021 $0.51; Mar 24, 2022 $0.41; Jun 23, 2022 $0.41; Sep 28, 2022 $0.47; Dec 15, 2022 $0.62; Mar 24, 2023 $0.44; Jun 29, 2023 $0.44; Sep 28, 2023 $0.50; Dec 19, 2023 $0.54; Mar 22, 2024 $0.40; Jun 28, 2024 $0.46; Sep 27, 2024 $0.55; Dec 18, 2024 $0.66; Mar 25, 2025 $0.51; Jun 26, 2025 $0.47; Sep 24, 2025 $0.42; Dec 17, 2025 $0.67; Mar 24, 2026 $0.38; Jun 24, 2026 $0.85; Sep 23, 2026 $0.45. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$12017202020232026YTD

FXO vs VFH Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

  • FXO
  • VFH
Nov 9, 2021 to Nov 9, 2026. Worst fall: FXO −28.8% · May 2023. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−25%−20%−15%−10%−5%0%Nov 2021May 2024Nov 2026

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
FXO 17.3%VFH 15.9%, better
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
FXO 1.07VFH 1.11, better
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
FXO −28.8%VFH −25.7%, better
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
FXO 0.95VFH 0.88

FXO and VFH in the news

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