- Business
- FlexShares STOXX Global Broad Infrastructure Index Fund (NFRA) is an exchange-traded fund that seeks investment results corresponding generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the STOXX Global Broad Infrastructure Index. The fund provides exposure to global companies generating at least 50% of their revenues from 17 infrastructure-specific sectors, including Communication (cable & satellite, data centers, wireless, wireless towers, wireline); Energy (energy utilities, midstream energy); Government Outsourcing/Social (correctional facilities, hospitals, postal services); Transportation (air transportation, passenger transportation, rail transportation, road transportation, water transportation); and Utilities (waste management, water utilities). It employs a representative sampling technique to track the index, which selects constituents from the STOXX Global Total Market Index across developed and emerging markets based on free-float market capitalization, liquidity, and supersector/sector limits.
NFRA invests primarily in large-cap value stocks across diversified market capitalizations, with allocations to non-U.S. stocks (approximately 59%), U.S. stocks (40%), and minimal cash/other assets; top sectors include industrials (32%), utilities (25%), and communication services (24%), spanning regions such as the United States, Eurozone, Canada, Japan, and emerging Asia. The fund targets investors seeking broad global infrastructure exposure with potential risk mitigation through diversification, offering quarterly dividend distributions and a net expense ratio of 0.47%. It is domiciled in the United States, available for sale in the U.S., with total net assets of approximately $3.00 billion.
Launched on October 8, 2013, NFRA is sponsored and managed by Northern Trust Investments, Inc., under FlexShares ETFs, a brand leveraging Northern Trust Corporation's expertise in asset allocation, portfolio construction, and risk management; the fund lists on U.S. exchanges such as NYSE Arca. Portfolio managers include Robert Anstine (since inception), Brendan Sullivan (since 2016), and Yair Walny (since March 2025).
In recent developments, NFRA continues regular quarterly distributions, including $0.1436 and $0.7752 in 2025, amid strong year-to-date performance driven by infrastructure demand. Northern Trust's FlexShares family announced the liquidation of the unrelated FlexShares Real Assets Allocation Index Fund (ASET) in October 2025, with no reported impact on NFRA operations, partnerships, or strategic shifts.