Richard P Slaughter Opens $7.3 Million Position in First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastructure Index Fund (NASDAQ:GRID)

Richard P Slaughter & Associates Inc. disclosed a new position in First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastructure Index Fund (NASDAQ:GRID), acquiring shares estimated at ~$7.3 million, according to its October 9, 2025, SEC filing.

What happened

According to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission dated October 09, 2025, Richard P Slaughter & Associates established a new position in First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastructure Index Fund.

The firm reported holding 48,021 shares, with a transaction value of $7.3 million.

What else to know

This addition represents 1.6% of the fund’s $464 million in 13F reportable assets.

Top holdings after the filing:

• JPMorgan International Research Enhanced Equity ETF: $52.63 million (11.3% of AUM)
• iShares Russell Top 200 Growth Index Fund: $41.86 million (9.0% of AUM)
• Fidelity Enhanced Mid Cap ETF: $39.12 million (8.4% of AUM)
• iShares Russell Top 200 Value ETF: $35.64 million (7.7% of AUM)
• NEOS Enhanced Income 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF: $33.88 million (7.3% of AUM)

As of October 8, 2025, shares were priced at $153.42, up 22.17% over the past year, outperforming the S&P 500 by 5.51 percentage points.

GRID’s annualized dividend yield is 0.97% (as reported by FMP) as of October 9, 2025, with shares priced 0.95% below their 52-week high (FMP, as of October 9, 2025).

Company overview

Company snapshot

First Trust NASDAQ® Clean Edge® Smart Grid Infrastructure Index Fund's investment strategy focuses on tracking the NASDAQ Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastructure Index, allocating at least 90% of assets to companies involved in electric grid, metering, energy storage, and enabling software within the smart grid sector.

Its underlying holdings primarily consist of equities and depositary receipts of firms engaged in smart grid infrastructure, including electric meters, grid management, and related technologies.

Structured as a non-diversified ETF, the fund provides exposure to the smart grid infrastructure theme.

The First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastructure Index Fund provides targeted exposure to companies driving innovation in electric grid modernization and smart energy management. By tracking a specialized index, the ETF allows investors to participate in the growth of the smart grid sector.

Focusing on infrastructure, technology, and energy management firms, the fund invests in companies within the smart grid sector. Its structure and strategy provide a rules-based approach to accessing this segment of the market.

Foolish take

Richard P Slaughter & Associates' purchase of GRID is definitely noteworthy to investors interested in the energy grid, smart grid, or artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure industries.

The GRID ETF is composed of grid and electric energy infrastructure stocks like Schneider Electric, ABB, Eaton, National Grid, and Johnson Controls. It has quintupled investors' total returns over the last decade and appears well-positioned to thrive for decades to come.

The ETF should be buoyed by long-term megatrends like the:

• Internet of Things (IoT)
• shift toward electric vehicles
• decarbonization of energy
• AI capacity buildout (and data storage for this buildout)
• general energy infrastructure upgrades needed worldwide

However, as promising as the ETF performance has been -- and as bright as its future looks to be -- it has an expense ratio of 0.58%. This is by no means outrageous, but it is above the ETF industry's average of 0.22%.

Ultimately, if it can keep delivering these impressive returns as it lets these megatrends work in its favor, Richard P Slaughter & Associates will be happy it opened the position.

Glossary

Assets Under Management (AUM): The total market value of assets a fund or investment manager oversees on behalf of clients.
13F reportable assets: Assets that investment managers must disclose quarterly to the SEC if they exceed $100 million in U.S. equity securities.
Dividend yield: The annual dividend income expressed as a percentage of the investment's current price.
Annualized dividend yield: The projected yearly dividend yield based on the most recent dividend payment, annualized.
Total return: The investment's price change plus all dividends and distributions, assuming those payouts are reinvested.
Non-diversified ETF: An exchange-traded fund that invests in a smaller number of holdings, increasing exposure to specific sectors or themes.
Depositary receipts: Certificates representing shares in a foreign company, traded on local stock exchanges.
Smart grid infrastructure: Technologies and systems that modernize the electric grid, improving efficiency, reliability, and integration of renewable energy.
Rules-based approach: An investment strategy that follows a set of predefined criteria or rules for selecting and weighting holdings.
Quarterly average price: The average price of a security over a three-month reporting period.
Underlying holdings: The individual securities or assets that make up an ETF or fund.

Josh Kohn-Lindquist has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Abb and Johnson Controls International. The Motley Fool recommends National Grid Plc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.