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If you're interested in broad exposure to the Technology - Semiconductors segment of the equity market, look no further than the First Trust NASDAQ Semiconductor ETF (FTXL), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 09/20/2016.
Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.
Sector ETFs also provide investors access to a broad group of companies in particular sectors that offer low risk and diversified exposure. Technology - Semiconductors is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 7, placing it in top 44%.
Index Details
The fund is sponsored by First Trust Advisors. It has amassed assets over $282.56 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Technology - Semiconductors segment of the equity market. FTXL seeks to match the performance of the Nasdaq US Smart Semiconductor Index before fees and expenses.
The Nasdaq US Smart Semiconductor Index is a modified factor weighted index, designed to provide exposure to US companies within the semiconductor industry.
Costs
When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts in the long term if all other factors remain equal.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.60%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.56%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector--about 100% of the portfolio.
Looking at individual holdings, Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) accounts for about 11.73% of total assets, followed by Nvidia Corporation (NVDA) and Qualcomm Incorporated (QCOM).
The top 10 holdings account for about 65.17% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has lost about -3.87% so far this year and is down about -3.89% in the last one year (as of 03/03/2025). In that past 52-week period, it has traded between $79.89 and $107.11.
The ETF has a beta of 1.22 and standard deviation of 34.47% for the trailing three-year period. With about 32 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.