Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF
$56.00+0.01 (+0.02%)
- 0.79%
- $274M
- +15.9%
- 0M sh
- $56.00
- low $47.71high $56.07
The ETF.net BAUG Grade
C
Score 51 out of 100
- 35 of 77
Score 51 of 100 falls in the C 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.C40 out of 100Rank 34 of 77Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A100 out of 100Rank 1 of 7Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.B57 out of 100Rank 26 of 76Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.B61 out of 100Rank 29 of 77Holdings
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.A80 out of 100Rank 17 of 77
Our read on BAUG
CA year of S&P 500 exposure with the first 9% of losses absorbed, in exchange for an upside cap set fresh every August 1. This is the August-reset seat in Innovator's buffer lineup, built to be held the full twelve months.
The Fund seeks returns linked to its underlying ETF, subject to a predetermined upside cap, while protecting against the first 9% of underlying losses during the applicable outcome period.
Why people hold it
- Mechanically simple: the first 9% of the reference S&P 500 ETF's losses over the outcome period are absorbed, and upside runs to a cap reset each August 1.innovatoretfs.com
- No style drift. It delivers the defined-outcome structure on its stated reference fund and nothing else, which is exactly what the prospectus advertises.
- The 0.79% fee sits right at the median for annual buffer funds. You are not paying a premium for the August calendar slot.
- Live since 2019, so it has run through multiple complete 12-month outcome cycles rather than being an untested launch.
Worth knowing
- Thinly traded next to its peers, so spreads can widen. Order type and timing matter more here than in a mega-cap index fund.
- Buy mid-period and your own buffer and cap differ from the stated terms, which run August 1 to July 31 and are measured before the fund's fee.innovatoretfs.com
- Cheaper wrappers around the same idea exist: BUFB ladders buffers for 0.10%, and ZALT runs a quarterly reset at 0.69%.
BAUG Holdings
- Stocks
- 3
- 104%
- Spy 07/30/2027 7.49 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%
BAUG Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
Not enough history yet.
BAUG$11,589
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 | BAUG |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +11.9% |
| 1 month | +1.5% |
| 3 months | +3.8% |
| 1 year | +15.9% |
| 3 years | +18.8% |
| 5 years | +12.2% |
| 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 | BAUG |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +11.9% | |
| 2025 | +14.8% | |
| 2024 | +21.1% | |
| 2023 | +20.1% | |
| 2022 | −10.3% | |
| 2021 | +12.1% | |
| 2020 | +12.2% |
BAUG in the news
Filings Digest
AllianzIM launches OCTI and resets October buffer terms
BAUG Dividends
No distributions in the last 12 months.
BAUG Risk
- 8.5%
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.
- 1.55
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.
- −15.6%
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.
- 0.69
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
BAUG Cost
0.79%
BAUG0.79%
- The middle half of S&P 500 Buffer 9-12% funds
- Median 0.79%
33 of the 77 S&P 500 Buffer 9-12% funds charge less.
Other funds in S&P 500 Buffer 9-12%
- CBMARInnovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return +17.1%
- CBOCTInnovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return +17.0%
- CNVBTAllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer10 Nov ETFExpense ratio 0.74%1 year return +15.3%
- CBDECInnovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return +17.5%
- CBJANInnovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return +17.0%