- ISIN
- US3369171091
- CUSIP
- 336917109
- Issuer
- First Trust
- Inception Date
- Mar 9, 2006
- Region
- North America (U.S.)
- Category
- Large Cap Value Equities, Dividend
- Leveraged
- 1x (No leverage)
- Index Tracked
- Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index
- Domicile
- United States
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Equity
- Asset Class Size
- Large-Cap
- Asset Class Style
- Blend
- Assets Under Management
- $9B
Share Price Chart
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Performance
FDL Performance Chart
First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund (FDL) is up 11.3% since the beginning of the year. FDL is currently trading at $49 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of FDL shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,838.
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Returns By Period
First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund (FDL) has returned 11.33% so far this year and 21.02% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, FDL has returned 10.99% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.88% annually.
First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund
- 1D
- -0.16%
- 1M
- -3.91%
- YTD
- 11.33%
- 6M
- 11.38%
- 1Y
- 21.02%
- 3Y*
- 18.63%
- 5Y*
- 12.95%
- 10Y*
- 10.99%
Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)
- 1D
- -0.37%
- 1M
- -0.01%
- YTD
- 9.16%
- 6M
- 8.64%
- 1Y
- 25.22%
- 3Y*
- 19.78%
- 5Y*
- 11.99%
- 10Y*
- 13.88%
FDL Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Mar 15, 2006, FDL's average daily return is +0.04%, while the average monthly return is +0.80%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 7.2 years.
Historically, 64% of months were positive and 36% were negative. The best month was Apr 2009 with a return of +14.0%, while the worst month was Jan 2009 at -21.5%. The longest winning streak lasted 8 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 3 months.
On a daily basis, FDL closed higher 53% of trading days. The best single day was Oct 28, 2008 with a return of +12.1%, while the worst single day was Mar 12, 2020 at -10.3%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 7.92% | 7.00% | 0.01% | -0.24% | -1.32% | -2.08% | 11.33% | ||||||
| 2025 | 3.15% | 5.66% | -0.18% | -5.29% | 1.65% | 1.23% | 0.93% | 5.44% | -1.63% | -1.50% | 3.51% | 1.42% | 14.79% |
| 2024 | 0.61% | 0.86% | 6.62% | -3.46% | 4.06% | -0.63% | 7.14% | 2.39% | 1.76% | 0.24% | 4.52% | -6.61% | 17.98% |
| 2023 | 3.83% | -4.00% | -1.68% | 1.01% | -7.45% | 3.87% | 5.73% | -3.25% | -2.86% | -3.53% | 6.97% | 5.48% | 2.94% |
| 2022 | 2.25% | -0.74% | 4.52% | -2.30% | 6.12% | -8.66% | 4.06% | -2.18% | -9.32% | 12.54% | 5.28% | -2.93% | 6.66% |
| 2021 | -1.32% | 4.55% | 7.97% | 3.79% | 1.27% | -2.50% | 0.90% | 1.70% | -2.98% | 3.11% | -2.10% | 9.91% | 26.10% |
Benchmark Metrics
First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund has an annualized alpha of 1.60%, beta of 0.82, and R2 of 0.67 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since March 15, 2006.
- This ETF participated in 81.50% of S&P 500 Index downside but only 81.34% of its upside - more exposed to losses than it benefited from rallies.
- Alpha
- 1.60%
- Beta
- 0.82
- R²
- 0.67
- Upside Capture
- 81.34%
- Downside Capture
- 81.50%
Expense Ratio
FDL has an expense ratio of 0.43%, placing it in the medium range.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
FDL ranks 65 for risk / return — better than 65% of ETFs on our site. You're getting solid returns for the risk taken. A good sign, especially for investors who want growth without excessive volatility.
Return / Risk — by metrics
The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund (FDL) and compare them to S&P 500 Index.
Values are calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. Risk-adjusted metrics are more stable over longer periods — use the period switch above to explore them.
| FDL | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | -0.19 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | +0.05 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.32 | 1.37 | -0.05 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 4.94 | 2.78 | +2.16 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 11.71 | 12.44 | -0.73 |
Dividends
Dividend History
First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund provided a 3.74% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $1.83 per share.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $1.83 | $1.79 | $2.00 | $1.64 | $1.31 | $1.63 | $1.33 | $1.22 | $1.08 | $0.96 | $0.81 | $0.86 |
Dividend yield | 3.74% | 4.04% | 4.96% | 4.58% | 3.58% | 4.59% | 4.48% | 3.75% | 3.97% | 3.18% | 2.93% | 3.65% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund. 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.40 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.40 | ||||||
| 2025 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.36 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.46 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.42 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.55 | $1.79 |
| 2024 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.33 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.49 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.39 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.79 | $2.00 |
| 2023 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.31 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.46 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.36 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.52 | $1.64 |
| 2022 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.28 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.24 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.40 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.39 | $1.31 |
| 2021 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.24 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.35 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.27 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.77 | $1.63 |
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.
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Worst Drawdowns
The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund. 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 Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund was 65.93%, occurring on Mar 5, 2009. Recovery took 996 trading sessions.
The current First Trust Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index Fund drawdown is 4.24%.
Related event | Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Financial crisis2007–2009 | -65.93%Mar 2009 | 1y 9mo | 3y 11mo | 5y 9moMay 2007 - Feb 2013 |
COVID crash2020 | -41.40%Mar 2020 | 2mo 20d | 11mo 6d | 1y 1moJan 2020 - Feb 2021 |
Bear market2022 | -16.46%Sep 2022 | 4mo 2d | 4mo 4d | 8mo 6dMay 2022 - Feb 2023 |
2023 correction2023 | -14.66%Oct 2023 | 8mo 15d | 2mo 10d | 10mo 25dFeb 2023 - Jan 2024 |
Rate-hike selloffLate 2018 | -13.33%Dec 2018 | 10mo 29d | 2mo 19d | 1y 1moJan 2018 - Mar 2019 |
Drawdown Indicators
| FDL | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -65.93% | -56.78% | -9.15% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -4.27% | -9.10% | +4.83% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -12.24% | -18.90% | +6.66% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -16.46% | -25.43% | +8.97% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -41.40% | -33.92% | -7.48% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -4.24% | -1.80% | -2.44% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -9.64% | -10.71% | +1.07% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 1.80% | 2.03% | -0.23% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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