First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (NASDAQ:FEMS) Shares Break Below 50 Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• FEMS shares fell below their 50-day moving average, trading as low as $45.26 and last changing hands at $45.51, down 1.1%. The ETF’s 50-day average is $45.91, compared with a 200-day average of $46.13.
• The fund reduced its quarterly dividend to $0.3986 per share from $0.4450, implying an annualized payout of $1.59 and a 3.5% yield.
• Institutional investors generally increased their positions, including Baird Financial Group, which boosted its stake by 68.4%. FEMS targets small-cap emerging-market companies using quantitative selection metrics.

Shares of First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (NASDAQ:FEMS - ) passed below its fifty day moving average during trading on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $45.91 and traded as low as $45.26. First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund shares last traded at $45.51, with a volume of 33,828 shares trading hands.

First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund Stock Down 1.1%

The business's 50 day moving average is $45.91 and its 200 day moving average is $46.13. The company has a market cap of $223.00 million, a P/E ratio of 8.10 and a beta of 0.51.

First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 24th were given a dividend of $0.3986 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 24th. This is a negative change from First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund's previous quarterly dividend of $0.4450. This represents a $1.59 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 81,963 shares of the exchange traded fund's stock worth $3,734,000 after acquiring an additional 3,817 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund by 6.0% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 74,175 shares of the exchange traded fund's stock valued at $3,379,000 after acquiring an additional 4,180 shares during the last quarter. Archer Investment Corp lifted its position in First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund by 1.1% during the first quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 69,100 shares of the exchange traded fund's stock valued at $3,148,000 after acquiring an additional 763 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund by 68.4% in the second quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 68,862 shares of the exchange traded fund's stock valued at $3,144,000 after acquiring an additional 27,974 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted its stake in First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund by 7.4% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 52,484 shares of the exchange traded fund's stock valued at $2,391,000 after acquiring an additional 3,598 shares in the last quarter.

About First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund

The First Trust Emerging Markets Small Cap AlphaDEX Fund (FEMS) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the NASDAQ AlphaDEX EM Small Cap index. The fund aims to outperform other index funds by selecting small-cap emerging markets securities using quantitative metrics. FEMS was launched on Feb 15, 2012 and is managed by First Trust.

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