ETF Evaluator:
First Trust Securitized Plus ETF ()
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(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Securitized Bond - Diversified Over the Last Year
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ETF Details
First Trust Securitized Plus ETF Overview
First Trust Securitized Plus ETF (DEED) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Securitized Bond - Diversified exchange-traded fund (ETF). First Trust launched the ETF in 2020.
The investment seeks to maximize long-term total return.
Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (including investment borrowings) in securitized debt securities, including asset-backed securities, residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities and collateralized loan obligations ("CLOs"). It will invest at least 50% of its total assets in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities (such as Ginnie Mae), and U.S. government-sponsored entities (such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac).
About First Trust Securitized Plus ETF (DEED)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 1.23 years: Jeremiah Charles (2025), Owen Aronson (2025) and Jim Snyder (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Bloomberg US MBS TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. First Trust Securitized Plus ETF has 115 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 32.9% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
First Trust Securitized Plus ETF is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond ETF group. First Trust Securitized Plus ETF has 1.4% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0% There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 96.4% (95.0% domestic bond, 1.4% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). First Trust Securitized Plus ETF has 3.6% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $64 million in total assets, which is below the $912 million average for the Securitized Bond - Diversified category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
DEED Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The First Trust Securitized Plus ETF expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Securitized Bond - Diversified category. First Trust Securitized Plus ETF has an expense ratio of 0.66%, which is 59% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a F. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. First Trust Securitized Plus ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 178%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 154% for the Securitized Bond - Diversified category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, First Trust Securitized Plus ETF returned -1.3%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Securitized Bond - Diversified category had an average return of -0.4%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
First Trust Securitized Plus ETF has a trailing yield of 4.47%, which is below the 5.35% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income monthly.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
First Trust Securitized Plus ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 0.2%, 0.8 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 4.8% over the past year (grade of B), 5.0% over the past three years (grade of C) and -0.0% per year over the past five years (grade of F).
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DEED Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| DEED Return (NAV) | -1.3% | -0.3% | 4.8% | 5.0% | -0.0% | na |
| DEED Return (Price) | -1.4% | -0.3% | 4.6% | 5.2% | -0.1% | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 0.091% | -0.050% | 0.142% | -0.120% | 0.056% | na |
| Securitized Bond - Diversified Avg | -0.4% | 0.2% | 4.5% | 5.8% | 1.6% | 2.7% |
| DEED Grade (NAV) | F | D | B | C | F | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | -0.8% | -0.5% | 0.3% | -0.7% | -1.6% | na |
| DEED Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.8% | 1.9% | 1.6% | na |
DEED Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| DEED Return (NAV) | 0.2% | 8.7% | 3.1% | 5.7% | -15.3% | 1.1% | na | na | na | na | na |
| DEED Return (Price) | -0.1% | 8.9% | 3.2% | 6.4% | -16.0% | 1.3% | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -1.467% | 0.023% | 0.027% | 0.129% | 0.046% | 0.210% | na | na | na | na | na |
| Securitized Bond - Diversified Avg | 1.1% | 7.6% | 5.1% | 6.6% | -10.6% | 1.3% | 2.9% | 5.9% | 1.6% | 3.7% | 3.0% |
| DEED Grade (NAV) | D | A | D | D | F | B | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | -0.8% | 1.1% | -2.0% | -0.9% | -4.7% | -0.2% | na | na | na | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 1.22 |
| R-Squared: | 98% |
| Standard Deviation: | 7.0% |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.53 |
| Category Risk Rating: | High |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.57 |
| Total Risk Rating: | Below Average |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 4.5% |
| Total Assets: | $ 64 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 64 Mil |
| Turnover: | 178.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.66% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Monthly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 1.2 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 1.2 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Charles Jeremiah (2025), Aronson Owen (2025), Snyder Jim (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 115 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 32.9% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 1.4% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 95.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 1.4% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 3.6% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | First Trust |
| Phone Number: | 800-621-1675 |
| Website: | |
| Inception Date: | April 29, 2020 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.66% (Rating: Above Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.41% |
