What Is the FXR ETF? A Complete Guide to Returns, Expense Ratio, Holdings, and Alternative ETFs
The First Trust Industrials/Producer Durables AlphaDEX Fund is a passive sector product that invests in US industrials stocks through a rules-based smart beta approach, seeking differentiated industrials exposure. Key points to check are the fees, sector concentration, and the economic outlook, and comparison with standard industrials ETFs is the main selection criterion. The trading ticker is FXR.
SubscribeWhat Is the First Trust Industrials AlphaDEX ETF?
This is a passive sector ETF that tracks a rules-based smart beta index. The index selects industrials companies from the Russell 1000 using fundamental metrics and builds the portfolio with a modified equal weighting.
It suits investors who want exposure to the industrials sector and expect a rules-based smart beta approach to differentiate performance from the broader market.
It is a passive (index-tracking) ETF managed by First Trust.
How Does the First Trust Industrials AlphaDEX ETF Invest?
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Tracking Index | Industrials AlphaDEX Index |
| Management Style | Passive (smart beta) |
| Rebalancing Frequency | Periodic (per index rules) |
| Dividend Frequency | Quarterly |
| Total Expense Ratio | 0.60% |
It uses the AlphaDEX method, which evaluates industrials companies within the Russell 1000 using fundamental metrics, selects the top-ranked stocks, and sets weights using a modified equal weighting. Unlike simple market-cap weighting, it reflects fundamental scores to provide differentiated industrials exposure.
- Industrials stocks selected by fundamental metrics
- Smart beta approach with modified equal weighting
First Trust Industrials AlphaDEX ETF Size and Costs (AUM and Management Fee)
Assets under management (AUM) stand at $683.5M, and the total expense ratio is 0.60% per year.
Unlike market-cap-weighted industrials ETFs, fundamental screening and equal weighting increase the share of mid-cap stocks, so performance may differ from the market.
First Trust Industrials AlphaDEX ETF Performance and Trends
1-Year Price Performance
Dividend & Yield
52-Week Price RangeIndustrials are a typical cyclical sector that reacts sensitively to the economic cycle. They tend to perform strongly when expectations for an economic recovery or expanded infrastructure investment are high, but volatility can increase during an economic slowdown.
Money tends to flow into industrials ETFs when expectations for an economic recovery and infrastructure investment rise, and as a cyclical sector, outflows can also occur quickly when recession fears grow.
First Trust Industrials AlphaDEX ETF Pros and Cons
Its strength is differentiated industrials exposure through a rules-based smart beta approach, while sector concentration and economic sensitivity are its weaknesses.
💪 Key Strengths
⚠️ Points of Caution
First Trust Industrials AlphaDEX ETF Alternative ETFs and Related Products
Market-cap-weighted industrials ETFs tend to have a larger share of large-cap stocks. For more industrials exposure, you can also compare the flagship industrials fund XLI, the broad industrials fund IYJ, and ITA, which focuses on aerospace and defense. These differ in weighting method, industry composition, and fees, so it is best to choose according to your investment style.
Peer Comparison ETFs| Ticker | Name | Price | Change | AUM | Total Expense Ratio | Dividend Yield | 1Y |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 VFH | Vanguard Financials ETF | $135.38 | +1.2% | $13.0B | 0.09% | 1.74% | +5.4% |
 ONEQ | Fidelity Nasdaq Composite Index ETF | $104.14 | +0.0% | $10.8B | 0.21% | 0.49% | +15.3% |
 VIS | Vanguard Industrials ETF | $319.09 | +0.1% | $8.0B | 0.09% | 0.96% | +7.4% |
 FV | First Trust Dorsey Wright Focus 5 ETF | $74.54 | +1.3% | $3.8B | 0.89% | 0.35% | +19.8% |
 IYF | iShares U.S. Financials ETF | $129.52 | +1.3% | $3.7B | 0.37% | 1.5% | +5.5% |
Top Holdings| Ticker | Name | Weight | Price | Change | Market Cap | P/E | Dividend Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACN | Accenture plc | 0.01% | $239.12 | +0.9% | $160.0B | 17.6 | 2.89% |
| PYPL | PayPal Holdings Inc | 0.01% | $57.14 | +1.1% | $48.9B | 10.8 | 0.59% |
| FIX | Comfort Systems USA Inc | 0.01% | $1397.09 | -4.6% | $49.2B | 34.4 | 0.23% |
 G | Genpact Ltd | 0.01% | $38.70 | +2.7% | $6.5B | 11.5 | 1.28% |
| PWR | Quanta Services Inc | 0.01% | $596.00 | -3.6% | $89.6B | 68.3 | 0.07% |
| CAT | Caterpillar Inc | 0.01% | $725.24 | -0.1% | $333.4B | 31.2 | 0.86% |
| GEV | GE Vernova Inc | 0.01% | $890.33 | -2.0% | $237.1B | 25.5 | 0.23% |
 ADT | ADT Inc | 0.01% | $6.79 | +1.3% | $5.0B | 9.4 | 3.24% |
 MTZ | Mastec Inc | 0.01% | $187.34 | -1.9% | $15.0B | 29.8 | - |
 FIS | Fidelity National Information Services Inc | 0.01% | $36.43 | +1.3% | $18.8B | 5.6 | 4.9% |
First Trust Industrials AlphaDEX ETF Investor Checkpoints
These are the points to review before investing in FXR. As an industrials smart beta ETF, it is important to check sector concentration, economic sensitivity, performance gap, and fee level in advance.
| Checkpoint | What to Check | Current Status |
|---|---|---|
| 💵 Expense Ratio | Check the fees of the smart beta sector ETF | Somewhat high |
| 🏭 Sector Concentration | Check concentration in the single industrials sector | Concentrated exposure |
| 🔄 Economic Sensitivity | Performance swings with the economic cycle | Sensitive |
| 📊 Performance Gap | Possible performance differences from the smart beta approach | May vary |
Because it is concentrated in the single industrials sector, volatility can rise sharply during an economic slowdown. You should also consider that the smart beta approach can produce performance that differs from market-cap-weighted indexes, and that equal weighting increases the share of mid-cap stocks.
It is a passive ETF suited to investors who want exposure to the industrials sector and expect differentiation from a rules-based smart beta approach. If you want market-cap-weighted exposure, a standard industrials ETF may be the alternative, and if you want smart beta, FXR can be the alternative.
SubscribeDisclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. All investment responsibility lies with the investor.
This article reflects information as of June 4, 2026.
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