Innovator Laddered Allocation Buffer ETF
$40.90+0.02 (+0.05%)
- 0.10%
- $343M
- +15.7%
- 0M sh
- $40.82
- low $35.10high $41.00
The ETF.net BUFB Grade
B
Score 64 out of 100
- 5 of 18
Score 64 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.A82 out of 100Rank 1 of 18Mission
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.C42 out of 100Rank 13 of 18Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.C54 out of 100Rank 8 of 18Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.B62 out of 100Rank 10 of 18Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.B68 out of 100Rank 7 of 18
Our read on BUFB
BMost buffer ETFs make you pick a start month and live with it. BUFB holds 12 Innovator buffer funds, one resetting each month, so a ladder stands in for the timing bet. Fund-level fee: 0.10%.
The Fund seeks exposure to the investment results of the MerQube US Large Cap Equity Buffer Laddered Index through a laddered portfolio of 12 Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETFs. The underlying ETFs seek capped S&P 500 exposure and a 9% loss buffer; BUFB itself does not provide that buffer.
Why people hold it
- Twelve underlying buffer funds, one resetting each month, so no single start date defines the outcome. Buy on any day and you own a blend of periods.innovatoretfs.com
- 0.10% expense ratio at the fund level, a small fraction of what buffer-cohort peers like ZALT and SIXZ charge.
- Each underlying fund aims to absorb the first 9% of U.S. large-cap losses over its outcome period, with upside capped in exchange.innovatoretfs.com
- Rates among the strongest implementations in its buffer peer group, and it has run through live markets since 2022.
Worth knowing
- Caps are the price of the buffer. Each underlying fund limits gains over its outcome period, so sharp rallies get clipped.
- The 9% buffer belongs to each underlying fund's own period, not to your purchase date. At any moment you hold buffers at different stages of use.
- Volume is light next to the category's headline names, so bid-ask spreads can run wider. It also hasn't been a distribution payer.
BUFB Holdings
- Stocks
- 13
- 84%
- BOCT
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%
Geography
- United States100.00%
BUFB 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.Not enough history yet.
BUFB$11,571
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 | BUFB |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +11.5% |
| 1 month | +1.7% |
| 3 months | +3.3% |
| 1 year | +15.7% |
| 3 years | +16.6% |
| 5 years | — |
| 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 | BUFB |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +11.5% | |
| 2025 | +13.4% | |
| 2024 | +16.4% | |
| 2023 | +20.5% | |
| 2022 | −8.4% |
BUFB in the news
Week in Funds
ZOCT paid its cap, then reset at 9.43%
BUFB Dividends
No distributions in the last 12 months.
BUFB Risk
- 7.8%
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.
- 1.43
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.
- −14.9%
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.
- 0.68
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
BUFB Cost
0.10%
BUFB0.10%
- The middle half of S&P 500 Laddered Buffer funds
- Median 0.25%
No S&P 500 Laddered Buffer fund charges less.
Other funds in S&P 500 Laddered Buffer
- ABUFZFT Vest Laddered Moderate Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.10%1 year return +12.1%
- ABUFFInnovator Laddered Allocation Power Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.10%1 year return +12.3%
- BBUFTFT Vest Buffered Allocation Defensive ETFExpense ratio 0.20%1 year return +10.3%
- CPBFRPGIM Laddered S&P 500 Buffer 20 ETFExpense ratio 0.50%1 year return +10.8%
- CBUFGFT Vest Buffered Allocation Growth ETFExpense ratio 0.20%1 year return +13.9%