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FAD

First Trust Multi Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund (FAD)

Rating:68Neutral
Price Target:$193.00▲(7.98% Upside)

FAD, the First Trust Multi Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund, earns a solid overall rating thanks to several strong growth-focused holdings with healthy financial performance and positive business momentum. Key positions like Expedia and Expeditors International support the fund’s quality through robust earnings, strategic initiatives, and favorable technical trends, while names such as Guardant Health introduce some risk due to financial instability and valuation concerns. The main risk factor is the fund’s concentration in growth companies where high valuations and leverage in a few holdings could increase volatility and pressure the rating during market downturns.

Positive Factors
Strong Year-to-Date PerformanceThe fund has delivered solid gains so far this year, showing that its growth-focused strategy has recently worked well for investors.
Leading Growth Stocks in Top HoldingsSeveral of the largest positions, including technology and health care names, have shown strong performance, helping support the ETF’s overall returns.
Broad Sector DiversificationThe ETF spreads its investments across many sectors, with meaningful exposure to technology, health care, industrials, and consumer-related industries, which helps reduce reliance on any single area of the market.
Negative Factors
Higher-Than-Average Expense RatioThe fund’s fees are on the higher side for an ETF, which can slowly eat into investor returns over time compared with lower-cost alternatives.
Recent Short-Term WeaknessThe ETF has shown weak performance over the past one and three months, suggesting recent market conditions have been challenging for its holdings.
Heavy U.S. Market ConcentrationAlmost all of the ETF’s assets are invested in U.S. companies, offering little geographic diversification and making returns highly dependent on the U.S. economy and stock market.

FAD vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

-10%-5%0%5%10%15%20%25%30%SPY+14.28%FAD+14.19%Dec '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Jun '26Jul '26Aug '26Sep '26Oct '26Nov '26
AUM
588.54M
Region
North America
Expense Ratio
0.63%
Beta
1.09
Issuer
First Trust
Inception Date
May 08, 2007
Dividend Yield
0.09%
Asset Class
Equity
Index Tracked
NASDAQ AlphaDEX Multi Cap Growth Index

FAD Summary

FAD, the First Trust Multi Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund, is an ETF that follows the NASDAQ AlphaDEX Multi Cap Growth Index. It focuses on U.S. companies of all sizes that show strong growth potential, especially in technology and health care. Well-known holdings include Workday and Expedia, along with many other growing businesses across different sectors. Someone might invest in FAD to seek long-term growth while still spreading their money across many companies and industries. A key risk is that growth stocks can be more volatile, so the fund’s value can rise and fall sharply with changes in the market.

How much will it cost me?

This ETF has an expense ratio of 0.63%, which means you’ll pay about $6.30 per year for every $1,000 you invest. That’s higher than the average index ETF because it uses an actively managed, rules-based AlphaDEX strategy instead of simply tracking a basic market index.

What would affect this ETF?

FAD could benefit if the U.S. economy stays strong and innovation continues in technology and health care, since these sectors make up a large part of the fund and many top holdings are growth-focused companies that tend to do well when business spending and consumer demand are healthy. On the downside, rising interest rates, a slowdown in U.S. growth, or tighter regulations on tech and health care could hurt these companies, and the fund’s emphasis on growth stocks across all sizes may make it more sensitive to market downturns than more conservative, income-focused ETFs.

FAD Top 10 Holdings

FAD is leaning hard into U.S. growth stories, with a clear tilt toward tech and health care names that have been doing the heavy lifting. Okta, NetApp, and Pure Storage are rising on the back of AI and cloud momentum, giving the fund a strong tech engine. In health care, Illumina and Agilent are steadily adding to returns, even if valuation worries keep them from sprinting. On the softer side, Workday has been more mixed and Expedia is lagging, acting like a small anchor on an otherwise forward‑moving, U.S.-focused growth portfolio.

FAD top ten holdings
NameCompany NameWeight %Market ValueMarket CapYearly GainOverall Rating
SNSNSharkNinja, Inc.0.57%$3.44M$31.92B146.18%76Outperform
CPAYCPAYCorpay Inc0.54%$3.25M$29.40B58.93%75Outperform
MRNAMRNAModerna0.47%$2.82M$101.49B841.65%59Neutral
NEMNEMNewmont Mining0.47%$2.80M$124.66B31.71%81Outperform
MEDPMEDPMedpace Holdings0.49%$2.91M$18.59B10.29%79Outperform
AAAgilent0.47%$2.80M$50.15B18.42%73Outperform
WDAYWDAYWorkday0.46%$2.74M$45.52B-15.78%73Outperform
EXPDEXPDExpeditors International0.48%$2.88M$24.43B39.48%80Outperform
ROSTROSTRoss Stores0.47%$2.82M$76.33B48.26%80Outperform
WABWABWestinghouse Air Brake Technologies0.48%$2.89M$50.93B46.28%79Outperform

FAD Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis SentimentPositive
Last Price178.73

Price Trends

50DMA180.26Negative
100DMA184.65Negative
200DMA178.99Negative

Market Momentum

MACD-1.59Negative
RSI51.01Neutral
STOCH68.16Neutral

Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in ETF analysis to make informed investment decisions. For FAD, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 178.73 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 177.05, below the 50-day MA of 180.26, and below the 200-day MA of 178.99, indicating a neutral trend. The MACD of -1.59 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 51.01 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 68.16 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for FAD.

FAD Peer Comparison

Comparison Results

FAD against its peer funds
NamePricePrice TargetAUMExpense RatioOverall Rating
FADFAD$178.73$193.00(7.98% Upside)$588.54M0.63%68Neutral
LSGRLSGR$43.33$55.01(26.94% Upside)$828.99M0.59%75Outperform
RJCARJCA$69.17$89.90(29.96% Upside)$554.34M0.61%75Outperform
BASGBASG$28.07$35.36(25.97% Upside)$507.18M0.61%70Outperform
GQGUGQGU$23.80$25.64(7.74% Upside)$493.29M0.49%71Outperform
FDGFDG$122.83$171.09(39.29% Upside)$425.27M0.45%71Outperform

Performance Comparison

-10%0%10%20%FADLSGRRJCABASGGQGUFDGDec '25Jan '26Feb '26Mar '26Apr '26May '26Jun '26Jul '26Aug '26Sep '26Oct '26Nov '26
FAD and its peers over the selected period
Show on chartTickerCompany NamePriceChange% Change
FADFirst Trust Multi Cap Growth AlphaDEX Fund178.7322.3414.29%
LSGRNatixis Loomis Sayles Focused Growth ETF43.33-0.37-0.85%
RJCARJ ClariVest Capital Appreciation ETF69.17-1.55-2.20%
BASGBrown Advisory Sustainable Growth ETF28.071.977.55%
GQGUGQG US Equity ETF23.80-0.76-3.09%
FDGAmerican Century Focused Dynamic Growth ETF122.830.750.62%
Glossary
BuyAn ETF rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the ETF is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other ETFs in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldAn ETF rated as a "Hold" s expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the ETF is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellAn ETF rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the ETF may deliver lower returns compared to other ETFs in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Disclaimer

This AI Analyst ETF Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in ETFs carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.