First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF (AFSM)
AFSM is an actively managed ETF by First Trust. AFSM launched on Dec 3, 2019 and has a 0.77% expense ratio.
ETF Info
Dec 3, 2019
North America (U.S.)
1x
No Index (Active)
Small-Cap
Blend
Expense Ratio
AFSM has an expense ratio of 0.77%, placing it in the medium range.
Share Price Chart
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Compare to other instruments
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Performance
Performance Chart
The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF, comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends.
Returns By Period
First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF (AFSM) returned -5.24% year-to-date (YTD) and 0.09% over the past 12 months.
AFSM
-5.24%
14.69%
-12.74%
0.09%
14.45%
N/A
^GSPC (Benchmark)
-3.70%
13.67%
-5.18%
9.18%
14.14%
10.43%
Monthly Returns
The table below presents the monthly returns of AFSM, with color gradation from worst to best to easily spot seasonal factors. Returns are adjusted for dividends.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.63% | -5.96% | -3.55% | -1.36% | 3.20% | -5.24% | |||||||
| 2024 | -1.53% | 5.84% | 2.85% | -5.54% | 4.69% | -2.20% | 9.63% | -1.51% | 1.37% | -2.22% | 8.99% | -8.22% | 10.99% |
| 2023 | 7.51% | 0.28% | -4.58% | -1.58% | -1.02% | 9.87% | 5.46% | -3.99% | -4.11% | -5.75% | 8.74% | 11.55% | 22.22% |
| 2022 | -10.08% | 2.39% | 0.41% | -7.73% | 2.11% | -9.86% | 10.82% | -4.67% | -9.09% | 11.91% | 4.10% | -6.09% | -17.50% |
| 2021 | 5.50% | 5.74% | 1.56% | 2.89% | 1.42% | 1.76% | -2.48% | 2.90% | -2.98% | 4.54% | -1.16% | 4.12% | 26.03% |
| 2020 | -4.01% | -9.72% | -22.73% | 17.70% | 1.95% | 2.32% | 4.85% | 4.67% | -2.38% | -0.22% | 13.50% | 8.73% | 8.45% |
| 2019 | 2.63% | 2.63% |
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Risk-Adjusted Performance Rank
The current rank of AFSM is 21, meaning it’s performing worse than 79% of other ETFs on our website when it comes to balancing risk and reward. Below is a breakdown of how it compares using common performance measures.
Risk-Adjusted Performance Indicators
The charts below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF (AFSM) and compare them to a chosen benchmark (^GSPC). These indicators evaluate an investment's returns against its associated risks.
Dividends
Dividend History
First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF provided a 0.71% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $0.20 per share.
| Period | TTM | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $0.20 | $0.18 | $0.25 | $0.29 | $0.10 | $0.12 | $0.07 |
Dividend yield | 0.71% | 0.59% | 0.92% | 1.28% | 0.36% | 0.53% | 0.32% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.05 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.05 | |||||||
| 2024 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.03 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.05 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.02 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.08 | $0.18 |
| 2023 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.04 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.05 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.16 | $0.25 |
| 2022 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.02 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.07 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.06 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.15 | $0.29 |
| 2021 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.02 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.08 | $0.10 |
| 2020 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.04 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.02 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.06 | $0.12 |
| 2019 | $0.07 | $0.07 |
Drawdowns
Drawdowns Chart
The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.
Worst Drawdowns
The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.
The maximum drawdown for the First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF was 43.54%, occurring on Mar 23, 2020. Recovery took 179 trading sessions.
The current First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF drawdown is 14.07%.
Depth | Start | To Bottom | Bottom | To Recover | End | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -43.54% | Jan 17, 2020 | 45 | Mar 23, 2020 | 179 | Dec 4, 2020 | 224 |
| -28.27% | Nov 17, 2021 | 215 | Sep 26, 2022 | 349 | Feb 15, 2024 | 564 |
| -25.07% | Nov 12, 2024 | 100 | Apr 8, 2025 | — | — | — |
| -9.26% | Aug 1, 2024 | 5 | Aug 7, 2024 | 46 | Oct 11, 2024 | 51 |
| -8.21% | Mar 16, 2021 | 7 | Mar 24, 2021 | 22 | Apr 26, 2021 | 29 |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The current First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF volatility is 10.19%, representing the average percentage change in the investments's value, either up or down over the past month. The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.