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FTDSvsFTAETF Comparison

ETF 1

FTDS

First Trust Dividend Strength ETF

This fund is part of

US High Dividend

+0.02%

Full FTDS fund page

VS

ETF 2

FTA

First Trust Large Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund ETF

This fund is part of

US Large Cap Value

+0.12%

Full FTA fund page

First Trust Dividend Strength ETF (FTDS) belongs to the US High Dividend segment. First Trust Large Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund ETF (FTA) is part of the US Large Cap Value segment. FTDS's top 3 sector exposures are Financials, Energy and Industrials. In contrast, FTA's top sector exposures are Energy, Financials and Utilities. FTDS is more expensive with a Total Expense Ratio (TER) of 0.88%, versus 0.58% for FTA. FTDS is up 9.56% year-to-date (YTD) with +$39K in YTD flows. FTA performs better with 10.13% YTD performance, and -$8M in YTD flows. Run a side-by-side ETF comparison of FTDS and FTA below, and assess how they stack up in performance, liquidity, risk, exposure, holdings, and more, helping you select the best ETF for your investments.

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FTDS vs FTA performance and flow charts

Performance

Cumulative Flows

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Daily, global ETF data for advanced analysis or integration into apps (API), from our partner Trackinsight.

Data Services

Historic performance and flows

Data as of 04/28/2026

		1M	3M	YTD	1Y	3Y	5Y
Perf.	FTDS FTA	+2.60%+3.31%	+3.95%+6.13%	+9.56%+10.13%	+26.86%+31.36%	+57.54%+52.34%	+41.61%+58.73%
Flows	FTDS FTA	--$8M	--$8M	+$39K-$8M	+$75K-$75M	+$3M-$348M	+$3M-$110M

Volatility and drawdown

		3M	1Y	3Y	5Y
Volatility	FTDS FTA	+11.40%+10.74%	+13.56%+12.32%	+15.55%+14.58%	+17.96%+16.73%
Max drawdown	FTDS FTA	-6.00%-5.17%	-6.00%-5.17%	-17.92%-18.80%	-23.56%-19.87%
Max drawdown duration	FTDS FTA	57d45d	57d45d	239d269d	854d285d

Trading data

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	FTDS	FTA
Last sale 4/29/2026 at 7:21 PM	$61.60	$95.13
Previous close 04/29/2026	$61.44	$94.04
Consolidated volume 04/29/2026
Average volume 30 days
Average discount or premium 30 days
Average Bid/Ask spread 30 days

Replication quality

Data as of March 31, 2026

1-year trailing difference

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	FTDS	FTA
Tracking error
Tracking difference
1 year cumulative return difference
Best
Worst
Daily return difference
Average
Worst

Main metrics

Last update 4/29/2026 at 7:21 PM

Live

Closed

	FTDS	FTA
Last price	$61.60	$95.13
1D performance	+0.25%	+1.15%
AuM	$30.72 M	$1.29 B
E/R	0.88%	0.58%

Characteristics

	FTDS	FTA
Management strategy	Passive	Passive
Provider	First Trust	First Trust
Benchmark	The Dividend Strength Index	NASDAQ AlphaDEX Large Cap Value Index
N° of holdings	50	180
Asset class	Equities	Equities
Trailing 12m distribution yield	Join	Join
Inception date	December 5, 2006	May 8, 2007
ESG	No	No

More FTDS data on Trackinsight

More FTA data on Trackinsight

Exposure

Countries

FTDS

USA

90.43%

Other

9.57%

FTA

USA

94.59%

Other

5.41%

Sectors

FTDS

Financials

29.09%

Energy

19.56%

Industrials

19.22%

Health Care

11.52%

Materials

10.25%

Other

10.36%

FTA

Energy

17.77%

Financials

16.38%

Utilities

14.93%

Health Care

9.3%

Industrials

7.79%

Other

33.83%

Diversification

FTDS

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

35.28%

FTA

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

16.81%

Top 15 holdings

Data as of March 31, 2026

FTDS

CF INDUSTRIES HOLDINGS

2.90%

DEVON ENERGY

2.63%

EOG RESOURCES

2.62%

COTERRA ENERGY

2.59%

CONOCOPHILLIPS

2.57%

DIAMONDBACK ENERGY

2.47%

HALLIBURTON

2.29%

BAKER HUGHES

2.29%

GARMIN

2.20%

JOHNSON&JOHNSON

2.19%

MERCK & CO INC

2.17%

SCHLUMBERGER

2.10%

POPULAR

2.09%

CME GROUP

2.09%

UNION PACIFIC U

2.08%

FTA

CF INDUSTRIES HOLDINGS

1.40%

OCCIDENTAL U

1.28%

DOW INC

1.18%

CONOCOPHILLIPS

1.16%

EOG RESOURCES

1.13%

EXXON

1.13%

DEVON ENERGY

1.12%

SCHLUMBERGER

1.10%

CHEVRON TEXACO

1.09%

COTERRA ENERGY

1.09%

DIAMONDBACK ENERGY

1.07%

TARGET

1.04%

EDISON INTERNATIONAL

1.03%

VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS

1.02%

PFIZER

0.97%

Frequently asked questions about FTDS and FTA

How have the FTDS and FTA ETFs performed in 2026?

As of April 28, 2026, FTDS is up 9.56% year-to-date (YTD), while FTA has returned 10.13%. That puts FTA better performer ahead so far this year.

Which ETF is attracting more investor money: FTDS or FTA?

Year-to-date, the FTDS ETF saw +$39K in flows, compared to -$8M for FTA.

Which ETF is more volatile: FTDS or FTA?

Over the past year, FTDS had a volatility of 13.56%, while FTA experienced 12.32%.

Which ETF is bigger: FTDS or FTA?

As of April 28, 2026, FTDS holds $30.72 M in assets under management (AUM), while FTA manages $1.29 B.

What sectors do the FTDS and FTA ETFs invest in?

FTDS leans toward sectors like Financials, Energy and Industrials. Meanwhile, FTA focuses on Energy, Financials and Utilities.

What are the top holdings of the FTDS ETF and FTA ETF?

FTDS top holdings include CF INDUSTRIES HOLDINGS, DEVON ENERGY and EOG RESOURCES. FTA holds in its top three: CF INDUSTRIES HOLDINGS, OCCIDENTAL U and DOW INC.

FTDSvsFTAETF Comparison

First Trust Dividend Strength ETF

First Trust Large Cap Value AlphaDEX Fund ETF

FTDS vs FTA performance and flow charts

Performance

Cumulative Flows

Get all the metrics on this page, and more, through a reliable ETF data feed

Countries

Sectors

Diversification

Top 15 holdings

How have the FTDS and FTA ETFs performed in 2026?

As of April 28, 2026, FTDS is up 9.56% year-to-date (YTD), while FTA has returned 10.13%. That puts FTA better performer ahead so far this year.

Which ETF is attracting more investor money: FTDS or FTA?

Year-to-date, the FTDS ETF saw +$39K in flows, compared to -$8M for FTA.

Which ETF is more volatile: FTDS or FTA?

Over the past year, FTDS had a volatility of 13.56%, while FTA experienced 12.32%.

Which ETF is bigger: FTDS or FTA?

As of April 28, 2026, FTDS holds $30.72 M in assets under management (AUM), while FTA manages $1.29 B.

What sectors do the FTDS and FTA ETFs invest in?

FTDS leans toward sectors like Financials, Energy and Industrials. Meanwhile, FTA focuses on Energy, Financials and Utilities.

What are the top holdings of the FTDS ETF and FTA ETF?

FTDS top holdings include CF INDUSTRIES HOLDINGS, DEVON ENERGY and EOG RESOURCES. FTA holds in its top three: CF INDUSTRIES HOLDINGS, OCCIDENTAL U and DOW INC.

Which ETF is more diversified: FTDS or FTA?

FTDS holds 50 securities with 35.28% of its assets in the top 15. FTA has 186 securities and a top 15 weight of 16.81%.

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