FXU vs VPU: Grades, Fees and Holdings Compared

First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund

FXUCNYSE Arca

Vanguard Utilities ETF

VPUBNYSE Arca

Overlap

55.4%by weight

Expense ratio

VPU −0.52pt a year

FXU0.61%VPU0.09%

Avg volume · 30D

VPU 1.3×the volume

FXU242KVPU313K

10Y return · a year

FXU +0.3pt

FXU+9.7%VPU+9.4%

FXU vs VPU Performance

Nov 2, 2021 – Nov 2, 2026

+77.4%FXU+49.4%VPU

Expense ratio: FXU 0.61%; VPU 0.09%, better
Fund size: FXU $768M; VPU $9.5B
1Y total return: FXU +8.9%, better; VPU +0.5%
Yield (12M): FXU 2.30%; VPU 2.76%, better
Holdings: FXU 41; VPU 75
Avg volume (30D): FXU 242K sh; VPU 313K sh, better
NAV per share: FXU $48.31; VPU $187.56
52W range

ETF.net Grade

Pillar letters and Scores for FXU, VPU, with each pillar’s weight
Pillar	FXU	VPU
Cost30% weight	F6	A72Higher
Mission25% weight	Not scored	A88
Risk15% weight	A71Higher	C40
Tradability15% weight	C52	C53Higher
Holdings10% weight	A78Higher	C49
Durability5% weight	C48	A83Higher

Rank among Utilities (Broad) funds

How we build Categories ›

Same Category. FXU and VPU are both graded against the same 10 Utilities (Broad) funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Utilities (Broad)⁠

Category · 10 funds

See all 10 ›

VPU ranks 3rd and FXU 8th of 10 funds in the Utilities (Broad) Category.

Rank 1AFUTYFidelity MSCI Utilities Index ETFScore 76
Rank 2AXLUState Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETFScore 75
Rank 3BVPUVanguard Utilities ETFScore 66
Rank 4BJXIiShares Global Utilities ETFScore 59
Rank 7CPSCUInvesco S&P SmallCap Utilities & Communication Services ETFScore 47
Rank 8CFXUFirst Trust Utilities AlphaDEX FundScore 40
Rank 8CTRUUVanEck Utilities TruSector ETFScore 40

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

FXUCFirst Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund

VPUBVanguard Utilities ETF

In short

FXU No data

VPU Utilities, the whole sector, not just the S&P 500 slice. VPU tracks an index that reaches past the megacap names into mid and small utilities, about 70 in all, for 0.09% a year. Vanguard has run it since 2004.

Stated mandate

FXU No data

VPU The fund seeks to track the MSCI US Investable Market Utilities 25/50 Index through a primarily full-replication, passively managed strategy.

Why people hold it

FXU No data

VPU At 0.09% a year, it costs roughly a quarter of the median utilities fund fee. In a sector where the holdings barely differ between funds, the fee is most of the fight.
Its MSCI Investable Market benchmark spans large, mid and small US utilities. XLU, by contrast, drafts only from the S&P 500 universe, so the smaller names never appear.vanguard.com ssga.com
The index's 25/50 caps exist to keep any single issuer under 25% and the pile of 5%-plus names under half the fund, a guardrail in a sector with a few giants.msci.com
Plain full replication since 2004: buy the index, hold the index. Tracking here has been among the tightest in the US utilities group.

Worth knowing

FXU No data

VPU One sector, about 70 stocks. It swings on rate expectations and regulator decisions, with nothing outside utilities to cushion it.
XLU and FUTY shave the fee to 0.08%, and XLU is the more heavily traded ticker if order size matters to you.
Income arrives quarterly, not monthly, so the cash lands in four lumps a year.

Full FXU profile⁠

Full VPU profile⁠

FXU vs VPU Holdings

How FXU and VPU differ

Overlap by weight

55.4%

Shared holdings make up 95.2% of FXU and 88.4% of VPU.

Level by level

Holdings36 in both55.4%
Sector3 Sectors91.7%
Asset classEquity100%
Countryby domicile100%

Sector

Sector weights in FXU and VPU, widest gap first
Sector	More in FXUMore in VPU	FXU	VPU
Utilities	VPU +8.3 points	90.9%	99.2%
Industrials	FXU +4.7 points	5.0%	0.3%
Energy	FXU +3.6 points	4.1%	0.5%

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in FXU and VPU, widest gap first
Country	More in FXUMore in VPU	FXU	VPU
United States	Same weight	100.0%	100.0%

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

FXU40.0%
VPU52.3%

Securities held

FXU40
VPU73

Asset class

FXU: Equity
VPU: Equity

Holdings

Only in FXU4
In both36
Only in VPU37

Only in FXU

4 securities, 4.8% of FXU by weight

Clean Harbors, Inc.2.21%
Republic Services, Inc.0.88%
Waste Management, Inc.0.87%
GFL Environmental Inc. (Subordinate Voting Shares)0.82%

Only in VPU

37 securities, 11.4% of VPU by weight

Vistra Corp3.37%
AES Corp/The0.77%
Essential Utilities Inc0.76%
SLBBH11420.42%
TXNM Energy Inc0.42%
Southwest Gas Holdings Inc0.39%
Black Hills Corp0.38%
Portland General Electric Co0.37%
New Jersey Resources Corp0.37%
Oklo Inc0.35%
Ormat Technologies Inc0.34%
ONE Gas Inc0.33%
Spire Inc0.32%
Northwestern Energy Group Inc0.30%
Otter Tail Corp0.24%
American States Water Co0.23%
Chesapeake Utilities Corp0.22%
Avista Corp0.21%
California Water Service Group0.20%
MGE Energy Inc0.19%
H2O America0.15%
Northwest Natural Holding Co0.14%
TRS:AMERICAN WATER WORKS CO INC USD 2027-Aug-310.12%
Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc0.11%
TRS:ALLIANT ENERGY CORP USD 2027-Aug-310.10%
Fervo Energy Co0.08%
Middlesex Water Co0.07%
XPLR Infrastructure LP0.07%
Unitil Corp0.07%
TRS:ORMAT TECHNOLOGIES INC USD 2027-Aug-310.06%
TRS:OKLO INC USD 2027-Jan-290.06%
York Water Co/The0.04%
Hallador Energy Co0.04%
Consolidated Water Co Ltd0.03%
Artesian Resources Corp0.02%
Cadiz Inc0.02%
Genie Energy Ltd0.02%

Weight gaps

All 36 Holdings in both funds, largest gap first.

Holding weights in FXU and VPU, widest gap first
Holding	More in FXUMore in VPU	FXU	VPU
NextEra Energy, Inc.NEE	VPU +9.72 points	1.67%	11.39%
The Southern CompanySO	VPU +5.03 points	1.71%	6.74%
Constellation Energy CorporationCEG	VPU +4.95 points	0.78%	5.73%
UGI CorporationUGI	FXU +3.55 points	4.10%	0.55%
National Fuel Gas CompanyNFG	FXU +3.47 points	3.96%	0.49%
MDU Resources Group, Inc.MDU	FXU +2.95 points	3.22%	0.27%
Edison InternationalEIX	FXU +2.65 points	4.14%	1.49%
Pinnacle West Capital CorporationPNW	FXU +2.64 points	3.45%	0.81%
OGE Energy Corp.OGE	FXU +2.61 points	3.29%	0.68%
Entergy CorporationETR	VPU +2.50 points	0.84%	3.34%
Eversource EnergyES	FXU +2.30 points	4.04%	1.74%
Clearway Energy, Inc. (Class C)CWEN	FXU +2.23 points	2.48%	0.25%
Duke Energy CorporationDUK	VPU +2.19 points	4.22%	6.41%
Dominion Energy, Inc.D	VPU +2.18 points	1.66%	3.84%
American Electric Power Company, Inc.AEP	VPU +2.17 points	2.49%	4.66%
PG&E CorporationPCG	FXU +2.12 points	4.07%	1.95%
Evergy, Inc.EVRG	FXU +2.01 points	3.31%	1.30%
SempraSRE	VPU +2.01 points	1.67%	3.68%
Consolidated Edison, Inc.ED	FXU +1.59 points	4.31%	2.72%
PPL CorporationPPL	FXU +1.50 points	3.28%	1.78%
Alliant Energy CorporationLNT	FXU +1.49 points	2.57%	1.08%
Atmos Energy CorporationATO	FXU +1.45 points	3.33%	1.88%
Ameren CorporationAEE	FXU +1.38 points	3.36%	1.98%
Exelon CorporationEXC	FXU +1.34 points	4.32%	2.98%
NiSource Inc.NI	FXU +1.24 points	2.59%	1.35%
IDACORP, Inc.IDA	FXU +1.16 points	1.68%	0.52%
CMS Energy CorporationCMS	FXU +1.11 points	2.52%	1.41%
American Water Works Company, Inc.AWK	VPU +0.87 points	0.84%	1.71%
DTE Energy CompanyDTE	FXU +0.69 points	2.52%	1.83%
WEC Energy Group, Inc.WEC	VPU +0.63 points	1.74%	2.37%
NRG Energy, Inc.NRG	VPU +0.62 points	0.76%	1.38%
Xcel Energy Inc.XEL	FXU +0.25 points	3.42%	3.17%
Talen Energy CorporationTLN	VPU +0.09 points	0.83%	0.92%
Public Service Enterprise Group IncorporatedPEG	FXU +0.08 points	2.50%	2.42%
FirstEnergy Corp.FE	VPU +0.08 points	1.64%	1.72%
CenterPoint Energy, Inc.CNP	Same weight	1.74%	1.74%

All 40 FXU holdings⁠All 69 VPU 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.

FXU vs VPU Cost

Overpaying FXU vs VPU

$10,100

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

FXU 0.61%
$11,998
VPU 0.09%
$1,898

Amount$10,000

Years30 years

Cost over time

FXU 0.61%
VPU 0.09%
Overpaying

Year by year

Year	FXU	VPU	Overpaying
10	$1,093	$165	$928
20	$4,181	$646	$3,535
30	$11,998	$1,898	$10,100

Expense ratio

0.61%FXU
0.09%VPU, cheaper

VPU0.09%FXU0.61%

0.08%0.61%

Middle half of Utilities (Broad) funds
Median 0.33%

VPU 3rd cheapest of 10 funds

FXU 10th cheapest of 10 funds

FXU vs VPU Dividends

Last 12 months to Nov 2, 2026

Yield (12M): FXU 2.30%; VPU 2.76%, better
Payout (12M): FXU $1.12; VPU $5.20
Last payment: FXU $0.33; VPU $1.26
Ex-dividend: FXU Sep 24, 2026; VPU Sep 23, 2026
Paid on: FXU Sep 30, 2026; VPU Sep 25, 2026
Frequency: FXU Quarterly; VPU Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

FXUQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll FXU payments⁠

VPUQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll VPU payments⁠

FXU vs VPU Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years: FXU 15.4%, betterVPU 15.6%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years: FXU 1.10, betterVPU 0.80
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years: FXU −21.9%, betterVPU −25.1%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years: FXU 0.47VPU 0.50; Market = 1

FXU and VPU in the news

All news⁠

ETF Filings
Kayne Anderson files energy and power ETFs as adviser of record
Sep 22, 2026VPU

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FXU vs VPU

In short

Stated mandate

Why people hold it

Worth knowing

How FXU and VPU differ

Level by level

Sector

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Concentration

Asset class

Holdings

Only in FXU

Only in VPU

Weight gaps

Cost over time

Year by year

Distribution history

Fall from peak · 5 years

Risk facts

Kayne Anderson files energy and power ETFs as adviser of record

How FXU and VPU differ

Level by level

Sector

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Concentration

Asset class

Holdings

Only in FXU

Only in VPU

Weight gaps