# First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF (AFSM): ETF Facts & Distributions > Markdown mirror of https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/afsm for AI agents. Same live data as the HTML page, regenerated on the same refresh cycle. Not investment advice. - Issuer: First Trust · Asset class: Small/Micro Cap Equity - Strategy: Actively Managed · Inception: 2019-12-03 First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII - First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF is an exchange traded fund launched and managed by First Trust Advisors L.P. It invests in public equity markets of the United States. It invests in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. The fund invests in growth and value stocks of small-cap companies. The fund employs quantitative analysis to create its portfolio. It seeks to benchmark the performance of its portfolio against the Russell 2000 Index and the Russell 3000 Index. First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII - First Trust Active Facto... ## Key Facts | Metric | Value | |---|---| | Price | $39.89 | | Expense Ratio | 0.75% | | Assets Under Management | $133.0M | | NAV | $39.71 | | Holdings Count | 322 | | Distribution Yield (TTM) | 0.51% | | Annual Distribution (TTM) | $0.20 /share | | Distribution Frequency | Quarterly | | 52-Week Range | $30.74 – $41.63 | | Beta | 1.04 | ## Latest Distribution - Amount: $0.0201 /share - Ex-date: 2026-09-24 - Pay date: 2026-09-30 ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What does AFSM invest in? First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII - First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF is an exchange traded fund launched and managed by First Trust Advisors L.P. It invests in public equity markets of the United States. It invests in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. The fund invests in growth and value stocks of small-cap companies. The fund employs quantitative analysis to create its portfolio. It seeks to benchmark the performance of its portfolio against the Russell 2000 Index and the Russell 3000 Index. First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII - First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF was formed on December 3, 2019 and is domiciled in the United States. ### What is the expense ratio of AFSM? First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF (AFSM) charges an expense ratio of 0.75%. This is the annual fee deducted from fund assets to cover management and operations. ### How big is AFSM? First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF (AFSM) manages $133.0M in total assets. AUM determines bid-ask liquidity and the fund's vulnerability to closure. Funds below ~$50M are at higher risk of liquidation. ### Is AFSM actively managed or an index fund? AFSM is actively managed: the manager selects holdings rather than tracking an index. Active funds typically charge higher expense ratios than index funds (AFSM's is 0.75%) in exchange for the discretion to over- or under-weight positions. ### When was AFSM launched? First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF (AFSM) launched in December 2019 and is managed by First Trust. ### How has AFSM performed? AFSM's total return (price change plus reinvested distributions) is charted at the top of this page. Switch the price chart to Total Return and pick a 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, or 10-year window to read the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over each horizon. ### Does AFSM pay a dividend? First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF (AFSM) currently distributes little or no income. Trailing-twelve-month yield is 0.51%. Investors looking for income should consider income-focused alternatives. See the Peers tab. ### How often does AFSM pay dividends? First Trust Active Factor Small Cap ETF pays dividends Quarterly. Each ex-dividend date, record date, and payment date is listed in the dividend history table on this page. ### What is AFSM's dividend yield? AFSM's trailing-twelve-month yield is 0.51%, calculated from the sum of dividends over the past year divided by the current price. ### When is AFSM's next ex-dividend date? The most recently announced ex-dividend date for AFSM was 2026-09-24. The next ex-date typically follows Quarterly; once announced it appears at the top of the dividend history table on this page. ### How much will AFSM's expense ratio cost me over 30 years? On a $10,000 investment compounding at 7% gross return, a 0.75% expense ratio quietly compounds against your balance every year. The Fee Compounding Forecast card above projects the dollar drag for any holding period and assumption you pick. The typical result for a 1.0% expense ratio on a 30-year hold is roughly 25% of the final balance lost to fees. ### How does AFSM charge its expense ratio? The expense ratio is deducted in tiny daily slices from AFSM's net asset value (NAV). You never see a bill. The price quoted on every exchange is already net of fees. There's no "fee day" to avoid; the cost is continuous and built into the trading price. ### Why does AFSM cost more than a fund like VOO? AFSM is actively managed (current expense ratio 0.75%). Active funds charge more than passive index trackers in exchange for the manager's discretion to over- or under-weight positions. The Cost Verdict card above tells you whether AFSM's fee is competitive for the active-management cohort. ### Are there cheaper alternatives to AFSM? The Lower-Fee Alternatives card above lists ETFs following the same investment strategy as AFSM (0.75%) but at a lower expense ratio. Each row shows the fee gap, the peer's AUM as a liquidity sanity-check, and a direct link to that fund's analysis page. Cheaper price doesn't automatically mean better. Verify the peer holds what you actually want. ## More on Dividend Data - Overview (HTML): https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/afsm - Distribution history: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/afsm/dividend - Holdings & diversification: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/afsm/diversification - Fees & cheaper alternatives: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/afsm/expenses - Peer comparison: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/afsm/peers Data sourced from primary filings and market data providers; see https://www.dividenddata.com/methodology.