The combination of an Average People Pillar rating and a Below Average Process Pillar rating limit  First Trust Nasdaq Pharmaceuticals ETF to a Morningstar Medalist Rating of Negative.  The portfolio maintains a sizable cost advantage over competitors, priced within the least expensive fee quintile among peers.  

 The strategy receives a Below Average Process Pillar rating. Independent of the rating, analysis of the strategy's portfolio shows it has maintained a significant overweight position in yield exposure and an underweight in volatility exposure compared with category peers. High yield exposure is attributed to holding high dividend-paying or buyback stocks, and is suitable for income seekers outside of fixed-income. And low volatility exposure is rooted in stocks that have a lower standard deviation of returns. The strategy’s management team earns an Average People Pillar rating. The strategy's parent organization earns the firm an Average Parent Pillar rating. People Pillar and Parent Pillar ratings for this strategy are indirectly assigned by a Morningstar analyst rather than algorithmically derived. Please see the notes following each pillar section for more details. The details of assigning methods can be found in each pillar section.

Analyst Rating

Merck

Pfizer

Bristol-Myers

AbbVie

Johnson & Johnson

Eli Lilly

Amgen

Cardinal Health

Vertex Pharmaceuticals

United Therapeutics

Morningstar's evaluation of this security's process aims to determine the likelihood that it will outperform its Morningstar Category index on a risk-adjusted basis over the long term. First Trust Nasdaq Pharmaceuticals ETF earns a Below Average Process Pillar rating. 

The process benefits from tracking an index. Historical data, such as Morningstar's Active/Passive Barometer, finds that passively managed funds have generally outperformed their active counterparts, especially over longer time horizons. However, the rating is limited by the fund's weak long-term risk-adjusted performance. This can be seen in its five-year alpha calculated relative to the category index, which suggests that the process has struggled over that period. The parent firm's five-year risk-adjusted success ratio of 29% also detracts from the process. The measure indicates the percentage of a firm's funds that survived and outperformed their respective category's median Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return for the period. The parent's relatively low success ratio suggests that the firm could do better across its fund lineup.

 This strategy skews toward smaller, more undervalued companies compared with its average peer in the Health Morningstar Category. Examining additional factor exposure, this strategy has continually had more high-yield exposure than the Morningstar Category average during recent years, with the portfolio holding more stocks with high dividend or buyback yields. High-yield stocks tend to be associated with more mature, profitable businesses that can grow as well as provide a stream of income. Such stocks could suffer, however, if setbacks force them to cut their dividends. In recent months, the strategy was more exposed to the Yield factor compared with its Morningstar Category peers as well. The managers have also shown an underweight risk tilt, demonstrated by lower volatility exposure over peers in recent years. Such holdings can limit a strategy's downside, but cause it to lag in bull markets. Similarly, in recent months, the strategy also had less exposure to the Volatility factor than peers. Additionally, this strategy has demonstrated a bias away from momentum stocks during these years. Momentum investors tend to expect stocks that have done well recently to continue to do so in the short term. Momentum approaches can entail higher turnover and trading costs since the top stocks can often change. In this month, however, the strategy had more exposure to the Momentum factor than its peers. More information on a fund and its respective category's factor exposure can be found in the Factor Profile module within the Portfolio section. 

 The portfolio has allocations in its top two sectors, healthcare and financial services, that are similar to the category. The sectors with low exposure compared to category peers are basic materials and technology; however, the allocations are similar to the category. The strategy owns 50 securities and is relatively concentrated. Specifically, 56.3% of the fund’s assets are housed within the top 10 holdings, as opposed to the category’s 38.7% average. And in closing, in terms of portfolio turnover, looking at year-over-year movements, 76% of the fund's holdings have turned over, whether through increasing, decreasing, or changing a position.

Below Average

Process

First Trust’s team is valuable but does not stand out as one of the industry's best, warranting an Average People Pillar rating. There’s a sizable bench of seven managers listed on the fund. Experience on the team is abundant, with 22 years of average portfolio management experience. Together, they manage a total of 108 strategies, with solid long-term prospects. The strategies average a Bronze asset-weighted Morningstar Medalist Rating, indicating a position to deliver positive alpha relative to the category median in aggregate.  

 Note: This People Pillar rating is indirectly assigned by an analyst. Morningstar analysts evaluate the People Pillar for passive products at the brand level and may also differentiate by asset class. There is at least one other passive strategy at the firm that is covered by a Morningstar analyst, so the People Pillar rating of the fund is inherited from the rating that the Morningstar analyst assigned to investment vehicles under the same brand name.

Average

People

First Trust meets the industry standard for stewardship, but it could do more to align itself with investors. It earns an Average Parent rating.

This is a team-oriented organization that eschews star managers. While exchange-traded funds represent the bulk of the firm's assets, First Trust bypasses the competitive market for low-cost beta funds, instead opting for complex strategies with higher management fees. However, the firm's focus on ETFs for future product development underpins its commitment to tax efficiency and transparency. Some of its thematic strategies appear trendy, but it stands behind them and rarely liquidates funds. 

The firm is a private partnership, controlled by Jim Bowen, the CEO. Many senior managers are limited partners. This ownership structure helps the firm stay focused on the long term and promotes retention, which has been strong for the investment team. The firm has grown considerably over the past decade and is among the largest providers of actively managed ETFs, as well as unit investment trusts. As it has grown, the firm has expanded its investment team and beefed up its technology infrastructure.

First Trust's focus is on educating advisors and providing them solutions. This may benefit investors indirectly, but First Trust could do more to directly align with investors by cutting fees and limiting trendy strategies.

Parent

Nasdaq Pharm Shs Nasdaq Pharmaceuticals

FTXH tracks the 30 most liquid US pharmaceutical companies, weighted according to factors related to value, volatility, and growth.

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News for Nasdaq Pharm Shs Nasdaq Pharmaceuticals ETF (FTXH)