Telecom exposure pays off for ETF investors

Article Excerpt

Telecommunications form an integral part of the economic infrastructure. Moreover, existing players benefit from strict licensing standards and high capital requirements that act as barriers to entry for any new companies. In addition, many of the major telecommunication companies have strong cash flows, high levels of profitability, and rising dividends. Nevertheless, the main telecom stocks are valued at a substantial discount to other infrastructure-type companies. That may hurt their appeal. Below we take a closer look at ETFs that hold companies involved in the telecommunications industry. The Supplement on page 20 delves deeper into the performance and valuation of telecommunication companies. FIRST TRUST NEXT GENERATION ETF $75.42 (New York symbol NXTG; TSINetwork ETF Rating: Aggressive; Market cap: $403.9 million) tracks the Indxx 5G Thematic Index. The ETF invests in companies that are developing or participating in the development of 5G technologies. The fund allocates an equal weight to every holding, with 80% in 5G hardware and infrastructure and 20% in telecommunications service providers. Companies domiciled…