- Business
- First Trust Active Factor Large Cap ETF (AFLG) is an actively managed exchange-traded fund that seeks capital appreciation by investing in a portfolio of factor-focused U.S. large-cap equity securities, emphasizing quality, value, momentum, and low volatility characteristics; it employs quantitative models and portfolio manager discretion to select and weight holdings from sectors including information technology, communication services, consumer discretionary, financials, health care, industrials, consumer staples, utilities, materials, energy, and real estate. The fund's top holdings as of late 2025 include NVIDIA Corporation, Apple Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Alphabet Inc., and Amazon.com, Inc., with approximately 254 securities and assets under management exceeding $440 million. AFLG trades on U.S. exchanges, targets institutional and retail investors seeking large-cap equity exposure with active risk management, and pays regular dividends, such as $0.1799 per share in mid-2025 and $0.0139 per share in September 2025.
Launched on December 3, 2019, AFLG is managed by First Trust Advisors L.P., an affiliate of First Trust Portfolios L.P., headquartered in Wheaton, Illinois; First Trust, founded in 1991, is a leading provider of ETFs, unit investment trusts, mutual funds, closed-end funds, and separately managed accounts, overseeing approximately $268 billion in assets as of mid-2025. The firm operates primarily in the United States, with distribution through brokerage firms, registered investment advisors, insurance companies, foundations, and endowments.
Recent developments include routine portfolio adjustments, such as reductions in holdings like Motorola Solutions Inc. in December 2025, alongside First Trust's broader expansions in its actively managed ETF suite to 187 funds by November 2025 and launches of new target outcome strategy ETFs in June 2025; the firm also completed reorganizations of certain closed-end funds into ETFs, such as the First Trust Specialty Finance and Financial Opportunities Fund into FT Confluence BDC & Specialty Finance Income ETF in June 2025, and announced asset transfers to abrdn-managed funds in early 2025. These changes reflect First Trust's strategic focus on enhancing its ETF lineup, streamlining operations, and pursuing growth in active and outcome-based strategies amid a competitive U.S. investment management landscape.