Is First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF (AIRR) a Strong ETF Right Now?

The First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF (AIRR) was launched on 03/10/2014, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Industrials ETFs category of the market.What Are Smart Beta ETFs?For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track non-cap weighted strategies.By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.Fund Sponsor & IndexThe fund is managed by First Trust Advisors, and has been able to amass over $5.23 billion, which makes it one of the largest ETFs in the Industrials ETFs. AIRR seeks to match the performance of the Richard Bernstein Advisors American Industrial Renaissance Index before fees and expenses.The Richard Bernstein Advisors American Industrial Renaissance Index is measures the performance of small and mid cap US companies in the industrial and community banking sectors.Cost & Other ExpensesCost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.70% for AIRR, making it one of the most expensive products in the space.The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.26%.Sector Exposure and Top HoldingsWhile ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Industrials sector - about 93% of the portfolio.Taking into account individual holdings, Bwx Technologies, Inc. (BWXT) accounts for about 3.65% of the fund's total assets, followed by Comfort Systems Usa, Inc. (FIX) and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (KTOS).AIRR's top 10 holdings account for about 32.71% of its total assets under management.Performance and RiskSo far this year, AIRR has gained about 19.6%, and it's up approximately 37.26% in the last one year (as of 09/09/2025). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $61.92 and $93.08.The ETF has a beta of 1.29 and standard deviation of 24.94% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 53 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .AlternativesFirst Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Industrials ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.Vanguard Industrials ETF (VIS) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Industrials 25/50 Index and the Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLI) tracks Industrial Select Sector Index. Vanguard Industrials ETF has $6.11 billion in assets, Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF has $23.17 billion. VIS has an expense ratio of 0.09% and XLI changes 0.08%.Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Industrials ETFsBottom LineTo learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.Boost Your Portfolio with Our Top ETF InsightsZacks' exclusive Fund Newsletter delivers actionable information, top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, straight to your inbox every week.Don’t miss out on this valuable resource. It’s free!Get it now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF (AIRR): ETF Research ReportsThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks