
Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF
$59.84+0.01 (+0.02%)
- 0.79%
- $206M
- +17.1%
- 0M sh
- $59.84
- low $51.08high $59.90
The ETF.net BMAR Grade
Score 52 out of 100
- 31 of 77
Score 52 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.Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.B67 out of 100Rank 13 of 76Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.B58 out of 100Rank 34 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.B69 out of 100Rank 25 of 77
Our read on BMAR
CThe March vintage of Innovator's buffer lineup: it tracks SPY up to a cap set each March 1, and absorbs the first 9% of losses over the 12 months that follow. Running since 2020.
The fund seeks to track SPY's return up to a predetermined cap while protecting against the first 9% of losses during the outcome period.
Why people hold it
- The 9% cushion is written into the fund's terms, not left to a manager's judgment, and it resets with a fresh cap every March 1.innovatoretfs.com
- At 0.79%, the fee sits right at the median for its shallow-buffer peer group. The March calendar slot costs no premium.
- The reference asset is SPY itself, so the exposure underneath is plain US large-cap, with no bespoke index to decode.innovatoretfs.com
Worth knowing
- Protection runs 9% deep and no further. Losses past that come through in full, and gains stop at the cap.
- Terms are set for the full outcome period. Enter mid-period and your real cushion and remaining upside differ from the headline numbers.innovatoretfs.com
- Laddered rivals cost less: BUFB spreads buffer exposure across vintages for 0.10%, a fraction of BMAR's 0.79%.
BMAR Holdings
- Stocks
- 3
- 103%
- Spy 02/26/2027 6.87 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%
BMAR 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 | BMAR |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +12.8% |
| 1 month | +1.4% |
| 3 months | +3.1% |
| 1 year | +17.1% |
| 3 years | +17.6% |
| 5 years | +12.5% |
| 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 | BMAR |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +12.8% | |
| 2025 | +15.0% | |
| 2024 | +16.5% | |
| 2023 | +23.1% | |
| 2022 | −7.1% | |
| 2021 | +16.8% | |
| 2020 | +10.9% |
BMAR in the news

Filings Digest
AllianzIM launches OCTI and resets October buffer terms




BMAR Dividends
No distributions in the last 12 months.
BMAR Risk
- 8.2%
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.
- 1.49
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.
- −15.0%
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.
- 0.63
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
BMAR Cost
- 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%
- CBAPRInnovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return +18.3%
- CBJUNInnovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return +11.4%
- CBOCTInnovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return +17.0%
- CBAUGInnovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return +15.9%
- CNVBTAllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer10 Nov ETFExpense ratio 0.74%1 year return +15.3%