
Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF
$35.05−0.01 (−0.03%)
- 0.69%
- $3.1B
- +7.2%
- 0.5M sh
- $35.07
- low $32.69high $35.15
The ETF.net BALT Grade
Score 67 out of 100
- 1 of 24
Score 67 of 100 falls in the B band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.B65 out of 100Rank 9 of 24Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A78 out of 100Rank 3 of 4Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.B67 out of 100Rank 4 of 23Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.B67 out of 100Rank 6 of 24Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A85 out of 100Rank 1 of 24
Our read on BALT
BMost buffer ETFs hand you a cushion once a year. BALT rebuilds a 20% one every three months: four fresh starts against S&P 500 drawdowns. The trade-off is that the cap resets with it, and it starts low.
The fund seeks to track the return of SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY), subject to a cap, while buffering investors against losses. It targets a 20% buffer during each three-month outcome period and resets quarterly.
Why people hold it
- Deep and short-dated: it targets a 20% buffer against losses in the S&P 500 ETF it references, over a three-month outcome period, then resets for the next quarter.innovatoretfs.com
- 0.69% a year, under the typical fee in its deep-buffer group, and it has been running the quarterly reset since launching in 2021.
- One of the larger funds doing 20% buffers on the S&P 500, and one of the strongest implementations in that peer group.
Worth knowing
- A deep buffer over a short window buys a low ceiling. The cap is set fresh each three-month period, and it is far tighter than what annual buffer funds start with.
- The 20% cushion is measured from the start of each outcome period. Buy mid-quarter and the buffer and cap you actually own differ from the headline terms.innovatoretfs.com
- Cheaper 20% buffer options exist: PBFR at 0.50%, Pacer's Swan SOS Flex funds (PSFJ, PSFM) at 0.49%.
BALT Holdings
- Stocks
- 3
- 103%
- Spy 12/31/2026 1.91 C
Sectors
- Technology40.1%
- Financials11.3%
- Communication9.9%
- Health Care9.4%
- Consumer Discretionary8.7%
- Industrials7.6%
- Consumer Staples4.4%
- Energy3.4%
- Utilities1.9%
- Real Estate1.7%
- Materials1.6%
BALT Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
Returns run to the Oct 12, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
| Period | BALT |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +4.6% |
| 1 month | +0.8% |
| 3 months | +1.9% |
| 1 year | +7.2% |
| 3 years | +7.8% |
| 5 years | +6.4% |
| 10 years | — |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | BALT |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +4.6% | |
| 2025 | +6.7% | |
| 2024 | +10.0% | |
| 2023 | +7.5% | |
| 2022 | +2.5% | |
| 2021 | +0.8% |
BALT in the news
BALT Dividends
No distributions in the last 12 months.
BALT Risk
- 2.4%
How it’s calculated: standard deviation
The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.
- 1.33
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio
Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.
Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.
- −4.9%
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown
The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.
Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.
- 0.18
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
BALT Cost
- The middle half of S&P 500 Buffer 20% funds
- Median 0.74%
8 of the 24 S&P 500 Buffer 20% funds charge less.
Other funds in S&P 500 Buffer 20%
- BPSFJPacer Swan SOS Flex (July) ETFExpense ratio 0.49%1 year return +13.1%
- BPSFDPacer Swan SOS Flex (January) ETFExpense ratio 0.49%1 year return +14.8%
- BPBJAPGIM Rock ETF Trust - PGIM S&P 500 Buffer 20 ETF - JanuaryExpense ratio 0.50%1 year return +11.0%
- BPSFMPacer Swan SOS Flex (April) ETFExpense ratio 0.49%1 year return +15.9%
- BPSFOPacer Swan SOS Flex (October) ETFExpense ratio 0.49%1 year return +15.9%

