First Trust Nasdaq Pharmaceuticals ETF (FTXH)
  • 2024 Estimated Capital Gain Distributions
    Certain First Trust First Trust Exchange-Traded Funds are expected to pay a long-term capital gain distribution in December. For a list of exchange-traded funds expected to pay a long-term capital gain distribution, please click here. Also, certain First Trust Exchange-Traded Funds are expected to pay short-term capital gain distributions in December. For a list of exchange-traded funds expected to pay a short-term capital gain distribution, please click here. Final determination of the source and tax status of all distributions paid in the current year are to be made after year-end and could differ from the expectations noted above.
Investment Objective/Strategy - The First Trust Nasdaq Pharmaceuticals ETF is an exchange-traded fund. The investment objective of the Fund is to seek investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield, before the Fund's fees and expenses, of an index called the Nasdaq US Smart Pharmaceuticals™ Index. The Fund seeks to replicate the holdings and weightings of the Nasdaq US Smart Pharmaceuticals™ Index so as to generate performance results 95% correlated to that of the Nasdaq US Smart Pharmaceuticals™ Index.
There can be no assurance that the Fund's investment objectives will be achieved.
Index Description According to the Index Provider
  • The Nasdaq US Smart Pharmaceuticals™ Index is a modified factor weighted index created and administered by Nasdaq, Inc. (“Nasdaq”) designed to provide exposure to US companies within the pharmaceuticals industry.
  • Nasdaq ranks eligible pharmaceutical securities from the Nasdaq US Benchmark™ Index on three factors:
    • Trailing 12-month return on assets;
    • Trailing 12-month gross income;
    • Momentum: the 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month average price appreciation.
  • The bottom 25% of eligible companies based on the aggregate score from the above factors are eliminated and the remaining stocks make up the portfolio subject to the portfolio having 30-50 stocks.
  • The securities are weighted based on their trailing 12-month cash flow subject to a maximum of 8% and minimum of 0.50%.
  • The index is reconstituted and rebalanced semi-annually.
Fund Overview
TickerFTXH
Fund TypePharmaceuticals
Investment AdvisorFirst Trust Advisors L.P.
Investor Servicing AgentBank of New York Mellon Corp
CUSIP33738R837
ISINUS33738R8372
Intraday NAVFTXHIV
Fiscal Year-End03/31
ExchangeNasdaq
Inception9/20/2016
Inception Price$20.12
Inception NAV$20.12
Rebalance FrequencyQuarterly
Total Expense Ratio*0.60%
* As of 8/1/2024
Current Fund Data (as of 11/20/2024)
Closing NAV1$27.43
Closing Market Price2$27.38
Bid/Ask Midpoint$27.42
Bid/Ask Discount0.05%
30-Day Median Bid/Ask Spread (as of 11/19/2024)30.18%
Total Net Assets$16,455,293
Outstanding Shares600,002
Daily Volume590
Average 30-Day Daily Volume2,615
Closing Market Price 52-Week High/Low$29.66 / $24.39
Closing NAV 52-Week High/Low$29.67 / $24.43
Number of Holdings (excluding cash)50
Top Holdings (as of 11/20/2024)*
Holding Percent
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company 8.97%
Johnson & Johnson 7.14%
Pfizer Inc. 6.65%
AbbVie Inc. 6.61%
Merck & Co., Inc. 6.37%
Gilead Sciences, Inc. 4.34%
Viatris Inc. 4.21%
Cardinal Health, Inc. 4.13%
United Therapeutics Corporation 3.75%
Zoetis Inc. 3.70%

* Excluding cash.  Holdings are subject to change.

NAV History (Since Inception)
Past performance is not indicative of future results.
Distribution Information
Dividend per Share Amt (as of 11/21/2024)4$0.1218
30-Day SEC Yield (as of 10/31/2024)51.62%
12-Month Distribution Rate (as of 10/31/2024)61.56%
Index Yield (as of 10/31/2024)72.24%
Fund Characteristics (as of 10/31/2024)8
Maximum Market Cap.$746,198
Median Market Cap.$9,103
Minimum Market Cap.$1,994
Price/Earnings21.69
Price/Book3.49
Price/Cash Flow16.15
Price/Sales1.58
Bid/Ask Premium/Discount (as of 11/20/2024)
  2023 Q1 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2024
Days Traded at Premium 87 6 22 18
Days Traded at Discount 163 55 41 46
Top Industry Exposure (as of 11/20/2024)
Pharmaceuticals 76.37%
Biotechnology 23.34%
Medical Services 0.29%
Hypothetical Growth of $10,000 Since Inception (as of 11/19/2024) *
Tracking Index: Nasdaq US Smart Pharmaceuticals™ Index

Month End Performance (as of 10/31/2024)
  3 Month YTD 1 Year 3 Year 5 Year 10 Year Since
Fund
Inception9
Fund Performance *
Net Asset Value (NAV) -0.67% 7.29% 19.25% 3.80% 7.21% N/A 5.56%
After Tax Held -0.84% 6.80% 18.48% 3.20% 6.68% N/A 5.02%
After Tax Sold -0.39% 4.31% 11.38% 2.65% 5.41% N/A 4.13%
Market Price -0.70% 7.29% 19.26% 3.78% 7.20% N/A 5.55%
Index Performance **
Nasdaq US Smart Pharmaceuticals™ Index -0.53% 7.84% 20.02% 4.49% 7.88% N/A 6.25%
Nasdaq US Benchmark Pharmaceuticals™ Index 2.04% 17.13% 25.72% 13.91% 15.03% N/A 12.76%
Nasdaq US Benchmark™ Index 3.58% 20.13% 38.26% 7.63% 14.72% N/A 14.34%
Quarter End Performance (as of 9/30/2024)
  3 Month YTD 1 Year 3 Year 5 Year 10 Year Since
Fund
Inception9
Fund Performance *
Net Asset Value (NAV) 6.32% 9.53% 14.60% 5.70% 8.60% N/A 5.89%
After Tax Held 6.14% 9.03% 13.86% 5.09% 8.07% N/A 5.35%
After Tax Sold 3.74% 5.63% 8.62% 4.11% 6.53% N/A 4.40%
Market Price 6.32% 9.54% 14.52% 5.66% 8.57% N/A 5.88%
Index Performance **
Nasdaq US Smart Pharmaceuticals™ Index 6.47% 10.04% 15.32% 6.40% 9.28% N/A 6.58%
Nasdaq US Benchmark Pharmaceuticals™ Index 4.90% 19.96% 25.41% 16.43% 16.47% N/A 13.24%
Nasdaq US Benchmark™ Index 6.08% 20.96% 35.61% 10.26% 15.36% N/A 14.60%
3-Year Statistics (as of 10/31/2024)
  Standard Deviation Alpha Beta Sharpe Ratio Correlation
FTXH 14.32% -1.73 0.54 0.08 0.67
Nasdaq US Benchmark Pharmaceuticals™ Index 15.00% 8.33 0.43 0.71 0.50
Nasdaq US Benchmark™ Index 17.56% --- 1.00 0.31 1.00
Standard Deviation is a measure of price variability (risk). Alpha is an indication of how much an investment outperforms or underperforms on a risk-adjusted basis relative to its benchmark.Beta is a measure of price variability relative to the market. Sharpe Ratio is a measure of excess reward per unit of volatility. Correlation is a measure of the similarity of performance.

*Performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results and current performance may be higher or lower than performance quoted. Investment returns and principal value will fluctuate and shares when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

After Tax Held returns represent return after taxes on distributions. Assumes shares have not been sold. After Tax Sold returns represent the return after taxes on distributions and the sale of fund shares. Returns do not represent the returns you would receive if you traded shares at other times. Market Price returns are determined by using the midpoint of the national best bid offer price ("NBBO") as of the time that the fund's NAV is calculated. Returns are average annualized total returns, except those for periods of less than one year, which are cumulative.

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. The after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

**Performance information for each listed index is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent actual fund performance. Indexes do not charge management fees or brokerage expenses, and no such fees or expenses were deducted from the performance shown. Indexes are unmanaged and an investor cannot invest directly in an index.

Nasdaq US Benchmark Pharmaceuticals™ Index - The Index is a float adjusted market capitalization-weighted index which includes securities in the US Benchmark Index that are classified in the Pharmaceuticals Subsector according to the Industry Classification Benchmark.

Nasdaq US Benchmark™ Index - The Index is a float adjusted market capitalization-weighted index designed to track the performance of securities assigned to the United States.

Footnotes
1 The NAV represents the fund's net assets (assets less liabilities) divided by the fund's outstanding shares.
2 Fund shares are purchased and sold on an exchange at their market price rather than net asset value (NAV), which may cause the shares to trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
3 The median bid-ask spread is calculated by identifying the national best bid and national best offer ("NBBO") for the fund as of the end of each 10 second interval during each trading day of the last 30 calendar days and dividing the difference between each such bid and offer by the midpoint of the NBBO. The median of those values is identified and that value is expressed as a percentage rounded to the nearest hundredth.
4 Most recent distribution paid or declared to today's date. Subject to change in the future. There is no guarantee that the fund will declare dividends.
5 The 30-day SEC yield is calculated by dividing the net investment income per share earned during the most recent 30-day period by the maximum offering price per share on the last day of the period and includes the effects of fee waivers and expense reimbursements, if applicable.
6 12-Month Distribution Rate is calculated by dividing the sum of the fund's trailing 12-month ordinary distributions paid or declared by the NAV price. Distribution rates may vary.
7 Index yield represents the weighted average trailing 12-month dividend of the constituents of the Nasdaq US Smart Pharmaceuticals(TM) Index.
8 All market capitalization numbers are in USD$ Millions.
9 Inception Date is 9/20/2016

You should consider the fund's investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses carefully before investing. You can download a prospectus or summary prospectus, or contact First Trust Portfolios L.P. at 1-800-621-1675 to request a prospectus or summary prospectus which contains this and other information about the fund. The prospectus or summary prospectus should be read carefully before investing.

Risk Considerations

You could lose money by investing in a fund. An investment in a fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed. There can be no assurance that a fund's objective(s) will be achieved. Investors buying or selling shares on the secondary market may incur customary brokerage commissions. Please refer to each fund's prospectus and Statement of Additional Information for additional details on a fund's risks. The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor.

Unlike mutual funds, shares of the fund may only be redeemed directly from a fund by authorized participants in very large creation/redemption units. If a fund's authorized participants are unable to proceed with creation/redemption orders and no other authorized participant is able to step forward to create or redeem, fund shares may trade at a premium or discount to a fund's net asset value and possibly face delisting and the bid/ask spread may widen.

Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies are subject to changing government regulation which could have a negative effect on the price, profitability and availability of their products and services. Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies face increasing competition from generic drugs, termination of their patent protection and technological advances which render their products or services obsolete. The research and development costs required to bring a drug to market are substantial and may include a lengthy review by the government, with no guarantee that the product will ever be brought to market or show a profit. Many of these companies may not offer certain drugs or products for several years, and as a result, may have significant losses of revenue and earnings.

Current market conditions risk is the risk that a particular investment, or shares of the fund in general, may fall in value due to current market conditions. As a means to fight inflation, the Federal Reserve and certain foreign central banks have raised interest rates; however, the Federal Reserve has recently lowered interest rates and may continue to do so. Recent and potential future bank failures could result in disruption to the broader banking industry or markets generally and reduce confidence in financial institutions and the economy as a whole, which may also heighten market volatility and reduce liquidity. Ongoing armed conflicts between Russia and Ukraine in Europe and among Israel, Hamas and other militant groups in the Middle East, have caused and could continue to cause significant market disruptions and volatility within the markets in Russia, Europe, the Middle East and the United States. The hostilities and sanctions resulting from those hostilities have and could continue to have a significant impact on certain fund investments as well as fund performance and liquidity. The COVID-19 global pandemic, or any future public health crisis, and the ensuing policies enacted by governments and central banks have caused and may continue to cause significant volatility and uncertainty in global financial markets, negatively impacting global growth prospects.

A fund is susceptible to operational risks through breaches in cyber security. Such events could cause a fund to incur regulatory penalties, reputational damage, additional compliance costs associated with corrective measures and/or financial loss.

Depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market and distributions may be subject to a fee. Holders may have limited voting rights, and investment restrictions in certain countries may adversely impact their value.

Equity securities may decline significantly in price over short or extended periods of time, and such declines may occur in the equity market as a whole, or they may occur in only a particular country, company, industry or sector of the market.

Health care companies may be affected by government regulations and government health care programs, increases or decreases in the cost of medical products and services and product liability claims, among other factors. Many health care companies are heavily dependent on patent protection, and the expiration of a company's patent may adversely affect that company's profitability. Health care companies are also subject to competitive forces that may result in price discounting, may be thinly capitalized and susceptible to product obsolescence.

An index fund will be concentrated in an industry or a group of industries to the extent that the index is so concentrated. A fund with significant exposure to a single asset class, or the securities of issuers within the same country, state, region, industry, or sector may have its value more affected by an adverse economic, business or political development than a broadly diversified fund.

A fund may be a constituent of one or more indices or models which could greatly affect a fund's trading activity, size and volatility.

There is no assurance that the index provider or its agents will compile or maintain the index accurately. Losses or costs associated with any index provider errors generally will be borne by a fund and its shareholders.

Large capitalization companies may grow at a slower rate than the overall market.

Market risk is the risk that a particular security, or shares of a fund in general may fall in value. Securities are subject to market fluctuations caused by such factors as general economic conditions, political events, regulatory or market developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of a fund could decline in value or underperform other investments as a result. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, spread of infectious disease or other public health issues, recessions, natural disasters or other events could have significant negative impact on a fund.

A fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for fund shares due to a limited number of market makers. Decisions by market makers or authorized participants to reduce their role or step away in times of market stress could inhibit the effectiveness of the arbitrage process in maintaining the relationship between the underlying values of a fund's portfolio securities and a fund's market price.

A "momentum" style of investing emphasizes selecting stocks that have had higher recent price performance compared to other stocks. Momentum can turn quickly and cause significant variation from other types of investments.

An index fund's return may not match the return of the index for a number of reasons including operating expenses, costs of buying and selling securities to reflect changes in the index, and the fact that a fund's portfolio holdings may not exactly replicate the index.

A fund classified as "non-diversified" may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. As a result, a fund may be more susceptible to a single adverse economic or regulatory occurrence affecting one or more of these issuers, experience increased volatility and be highly concentrated in certain issuers.

A fund and a fund's advisor may seek to reduce various operational risks through controls and procedures, but it is not possible to completely protect against such risks. The fund also relies on third parties for a range of services, including custody, and any delay or failure related to those services may affect the fund's ability to meet its objective.

A fund that invests in securities included in or representative of an index will hold those securities regardless of investment merit and the fund generally will not take defensive positions in declining markets.

Pharmaceutical companies are subject to changing government regulation which could have a negative effect on the price, profitability and availability of their products and services. Regulations have been proposed to increase the availability and affordability of prescription drugs including proposals to increase access to generic drugs and to increase the rebates paid by drug manufacturers in exchange for Medicaid coverage of their products. Whether such proposals will be adopted cannot be predicted. In addition, such companies face increasing competition from existing generic drugs, the termination of their patent protection for certain drugs and technological advances which render their products or services obsolete. The research and development costs required to bring a drug to market are substantial and may include a lengthy review by the government, with no guarantee that the product will ever be brought to market or show a profit. In addition, the potential for an increased amount of required disclosure of proprietary scientific information could negatively impact the competitive position of these companies. Many of these companies may not offer certain drugs or products for several years, and as a result, may have significant losses of revenue and earnings.

The market price of a fund's shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in the fund's net asset value ("NAV") as well as the relative supply of and demand for shares on the exchange, and a fund's investment advisor cannot predict whether shares will trade below, at or above their NAV.

Securities of small- and mid-capitalization companies may experience greater price volatility and be less liquid than larger, more established companies.

Trading on an exchange may be halted due to market conditions or other reasons. There can be no assurance that a fund's requirements to maintain the exchange listing will continue to be met or be unchanged.

First Trust Advisors L.P. (FTA) is the adviser to the First Trust fund(s). FTA is an affiliate of First Trust Portfolios L.P., the distributor of the fund(s).

Nasdaq® and Nasdaq US Smart Pharmaceuticals™ Index are registered trademarks and service marks of Nasdaq, Inc. (together with its affiliates hereinafter referred to as the "Corporations") and are licensed for use by First Trust. The Fund has not been passed on by the Corporations as to its legality or suitability. The Fund is not issued, endorsed, sold or promoted by the Corporations. THE CORPORATIONS MAKE NO WARRANTIES AND BEAR NO LIABILITY WITH RESPECT TO THE FUND.

CUSIP identifiers have been provided by CUSIP Global Services, managed on behalf of the American Bankers Association by FactSet Research Systems Inc. and are not for use or dissemination in a manner that would serve as a substitute for any CUSIP service. The CUSIP Database, ©2024 CUSIP Global Services. "CUSIP" is a registered trademark of the American Bankers Association.

Not FDIC Insured • Not Bank Guaranteed • May Lose Value