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Launched

AB Conservative Buffer ETF

BUFCNasdaqAlliance BernsteinB

$43.21−0.04 (−0.09%)

At close: Nov 2, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

B55/ 100

Rank 12 of 61 in S&P 500 Buffer 15%

B55/100Rank 12 of 61inS&P 500 Buffer 15%
Intraday session: down, 78 prints from 43.25 to 43.21. Range 43.21 to 43.37. Use the arrow keys to read each point.43.2743.3043.3343.3543.3810 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.69%
Fund size
$1.11B
1Y total return
+5.8%
Yield · Last 12 months
No data
Holdings
4
Avg volume · 30D
49.5K sh
52W range
low $40.15high $43.71
Launched

The ETF.net BUFC Grade

Based on 4 of 6 pillars

B

Score 55 out of 100

Category
S&P 500 Buffer 15%⁠
Rank
12 of 61
Six-pillar profile for BUFC. Scores out of 100: Cost 57, Risk 41, Mission not scored, Tradability 62, Holdings not scored, Durability 74. Strongest: Durability (74). Weakest: Risk (41). Based on 4 of 6 pillars.

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 100
    Rank 27 of 61

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    Not scored

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    C41 out of 100
    Rank 49 of 60

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    B62 out of 100
    Rank 18 of 61

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    Not scored

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    A74 out of 100
    Rank 17 of 61

Our read on BUFC

ETF.net Research

In short

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.

Stated mandate

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 Performance

Launched Dec 12, 2023

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$10,577
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,199
Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. BUFC $10,577. SPY $11,199. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

Returns run to the Oct 30, 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.

Trailing total return for BUFC. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodBUFC
Year to date+4.6%
1 month−0.1%
3 months+1.2%
1 year+5.8%
3 yearsFund is under 3 years oldper yearNo data
5 yearsFund is under 5 years oldper yearNo data
10 yearsFund is under 10 years oldper yearNo data

With distributions reinvested.

Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.

Annual total returns for BUFC
YearReturn barBUFC
2026 YTD+4.6%
2025+5.5%
2024+10.8%
2023+0.5%

History from Dec 13, 2023

BUFC in the news

BUFC Dividends

This fund pays no distributions.
No dataLast 12 months
Payout per share
No dataLast 12 months

No distributions in the last 12 months.

BUFC Risk

Risk pillarC41 out of 100Rank 49 of 60 in S&P 500 Buffer 15%
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
3.4%
Annualised · 34 months to Oct 2026
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.

Return above 3-month US Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
0.82
vs 3-month T-bills · 34 months to Oct 2026
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.

The largest fall from a peak to the low that followed.
−8.3%
34 months · trough Apr 2025
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.

How strongly the fund’s returns move with its asset-class index.
0.26
vs its asset-class index
How it’s calculated: beta

The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.

FMP measures it over up to five years of monthly returns.

BUFC Cost

Compare BUFC and CAUG

Overpaying vs CAUG, tied cheapest in S&P 500 Buffer 15%

$7,280

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • BUFC 0.69%

    $13,429

  • CAUG 0.30% Tied cheapest

    $6,149

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • BUFC 0.69%
  • CAUG 0.30%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K051015202530BUFC $13,429CAUG $6,149

Year by year

YearBUFCCAUGOverpaying
10$1,232$545$687
20$4,697$2,113$2,584
30$13,429$6,149$7,280

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