AB Conservative Buffer ETF
$43.68−0.01 (−0.02%)
- 0.69%
- $1.1B
- +8.0%
- 0.1M sh
- $43.65
- low $38.16high $43.71
The ETF.net BUFC Grade
B
Score 55 out of 100
- 12 of 61
Score 55 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.B57 out of 100Rank 27 of 61Mission
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.C46 out of 100Rank 41 of 57Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.B55 out of 100Rank 30 of 59Holdings
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.A74 out of 100Rank 17 of 61
Our read on BUFC
BMost buffer funds lock you into a 12-month outcome period. BUFC resets every three months, targeting 15% downside protection against the S&P 500 with roughly 3% of the upside per period. Deep cushion, short leash.
The Fund is an actively managed equity ETF seeking conservative capital appreciation with potential partial downside protection. It uses options to establish an upside cap and downside protection over rolling three-month periods, targeting 15% downside protection and about 3% upside participation to the S&P 500.
Why people hold it
- Uses options to target 15% downside protection against the S&P 500 over rolling three-month periods, so the cushion resets four times a year instead of once.alliancebernstein.com
- At 0.69%, it costs less than Innovator's 0.79% Power Buffer funds (PJUL, PJAN, POCT) and less than the typical fund in its buffer cohort.
- Actively managed rather than pinned to a calendar index series, running since 2023, and among the stronger implementations in its buffer peer group.
Worth knowing
- The price of that deep cushion: upside participation is targeted near 3% per three-month period, so big rallies mostly pass you by.
- Protection is partial and period-based. Losses past the targeted 15% pass through, and buying mid-period shifts your effective buffer and cap.alliancebernstein.com
- Thinly traded for its size, so spreads and limit orders deserve attention.
BUFC Holdings
- Other
- 4
- 101%
- 4SPY 11/30/26 C3.86 4SPY 11/30/26 C3.86
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%
BUFC 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.Not enough history yet.
BUFC$10,801
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 | BUFC |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +5.7% |
| 1 month | +0.9% |
| 3 months | +2.2% |
| 1 year | +8.0% |
| 3 years | — |
| 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 | BUFC |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +5.7% | |
| 2025 | +5.5% | |
| 2024 | +10.8% | |
| 2023 | +0.5% |
BUFC in the news
BUFC Dividends
No distributions in the last 12 months.
BUFC Risk
- 3.5%
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.
- 0.88
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.
- −8.3%
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.
- 0.26
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
BUFC Cost
0.69%
BUFC0.69%
- The middle half of S&P 500 Buffer 15% funds
- Median 0.79%
16 of the 51 S&P 500 Buffer 15% funds charge less.
Other funds in S&P 500 Buffer 15%
- BPSMOPacer Swan SOS Moderate (October) ETFExpense ratio 0.49%1 year return +13.4%
- BPSMRPacer Swan SOS Moderate (April) ETFExpense ratio 0.49%1 year return +13.7%
- BPOCTInnovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return +13.6%
- BPSEPInnovator U.S. Equity Power Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return +11.6%
- CQBSFAIM ETF Products Trust - AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer15 ETFExpense ratio 0.64%1 year return +8.3%