FSGS: First Trust Small Cap US Equity Select ETF
What this ETF is trying to do
The First Trust Small Cap US Equity Select ETF (ticker: FSGS) is an exchange-traded fund that focuses on small-cap companies within the United States. It holds a variety of different stocks, which helps spread out its exposure across many different businesses.
What the numbers show
The current price of this ETF is $33.77. When we look at how the share price has moved over time, we see several different measurements:
• One-Year Returns: The one-year price return was approximately 11.33%. The one-year total return, which includes distributions, was approximately 11.36%.
• Year-to-Date (YTD) Returns: The YTD price return is about 10.95%, while the YTD total return is about 10.99%.
• Three-Year Returns: Over the last three years, the price return was approximately 21.81%, and the total return was approximately 26.95%.
It is important to remember that "price return" only tracks how much the share price itself changed. "Total return" is a more complete measure because it includes the value of any distributions paid out to investors.
To see how the price has changed, we can look at an estimated price from roughly one year ago, which was approximately $30.33. For example, if you had invested $10,000 in this ETF one year ago based on that estimated price, your investment's value would have grown to about $11,133 based on the share-price change alone.
Income and distribution explanation
This ETF provides a distribution yield of approximately 3.02%. Distributions are cash payments made to investors. In the last 12 months, there was one payout recorded. The data shows that these distributions occur on an irregular or less frequent basis, most commonly on Thursdays.
NAV erosion explanation
"NAV erosion" refers to a situation where the value of the underlying assets in the fund decreases significantly over time. When an ETF's share price drops heavily, it can sometimes be a sign of this type of risk.
For this ETF, the erosion-risk score is 100, and the label indicates "No price erosion detected." There is no severe erosion-risk flag for this fund. This means that, based on the measured data, the fund is not showing signs of the substantial price deterioration often associated with high erosion risk.
Top Holdings
The following are some of the top holdings in this ETF. Please note that this list is only a partial view of the total 101 holdings:
• Sterling Infrastructure Inc (1.80%)
• Progeny Inc (1.55%)
• Myr Group Inc (1.51%)
• IES Holdings Inc (1.36%)
• Blue Bird Corp (1.26%)
• Neurocrine Biosciences Inc (1.25%)
• Exelixis Inc (1.20%)
• Hormy (1.20%)
• ATI Inc (1.19%)
• Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Inc (1.19%)
Holdings can change over time as the fund manager makes different decisions.
Pros
• The ETF has shown positive price returns and total returns over one-year, year-to-date, and three-year periods.
• The erosion-risk measurements suggest a healthy status regarding price stability.
Cons
• The distribution frequency is irregular, meaning investors cannot expect regular, predictable cash payments at set times.
Beginner takeaway
When looking at ETFs, it is helpful to distinguish between the share price and the total return. While distributions provide cash, they are not the same as the overall growth of your investment. This ETF has shown growth in both its share price and its total return over the measured periods.
Top Holdings
Structured portfolio holdings supplied by the ETF data provider. These figures are not generated by the AI article.
| # | Holding | Ticker | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HALOZYME THERAPEUTICS INC | HALO | 1.34% |
| 2 | UIPATH INC CLASS A | PATH | 1.30% |
| 3 | INTERDIGITAL INC | IDCC | 1.26% |
| 4 | PAYMENTUS HOLDINGS INC CLASS A | PAY | 1.26% |
| 5 | ELASTIC NV | ESTC | 1.24% |
| 6 | MANHATTAN ASSOCIATES INC | MANH | 1.24% |
| 7 | FIVE BELOW INC | FIVE | 1.22% |
| 8 | HERITAGE INSURANCE HOLDINGS INC | HRTG | 1.20% |
| 9 | VEEVA SYSTEMS INC CLASS A | VEEV | 1.20% |
| 10 | APPFOLIO INC CLASS A | APPF | 1.18% |