ETF Evaluator: First Trust WCM International Equity ETF () Follow This ETF

First Trust WCM International Equity ETF Overview

First Trust WCM International Equity ETF (WCMI) is an actively managed International Equity Foreign Large Growth exchange-traded fund (ETF). First Trust launched the ETF in 2020.

The investment seeks to provide investors with long-term capital appreciation. Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of non-U.S. domiciled companies / companies not located in the U.S.

About First Trust WCM International Equity ETF (WCMI)

There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 2.50 years: Andrew Wiechert (2025), Drew French (2025) and Rob Quirk (2021). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.

The ETF has 1 primary benchmark: MSCI ACWI Ex USA NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. First Trust WCM International Equity ETF has 47 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 41.1% 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 WCM International Equity ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity ETF group. First Trust WCM International Equity ETF has 89.8% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 8.8% There is 89.8% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). First Trust WCM International Equity ETF has 1.3% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $1 billion in total assets, which is above the $1 billion average for the Foreign Large Growth 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.

WCMI 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 WCM International Equity ETF expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Foreign Large Growth category. First Trust WCM International Equity ETF has an expense ratio of 0.85%, which is 45% 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 WCM International Equity ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 111%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 58% for the Foreign Large Growth category.

Recently, in the month of July 2026, First Trust WCM International Equity ETF returned -1.2%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Foreign Large Growth category had an average return of -2.8%. 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 WCM International Equity ETF has a trailing yield of 0.55%, which is below the 1.31% category average. The fund normally distributes its income semi-annually and its capital gains annually.

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 WCM International Equity ETF Grades

Year to date, the ETF has returned 13.1%, 4.8 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 25.2% over the past year (grade of B), 15.3% over the past three years (grade of B) and 9.2% per year over the past five years (grade of A).

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