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Launched

FT Vest Laddered Small Cap Moderate Buffer ETF

BUFSCboeFirst TrustD

$24.83−0.01 (−0.04%)

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

D35/ 100

Rank 19 of 21 in Russell 2000 Buffer 15%

D35/100Rank 19 of 21inRussell 2000 Buffer 15%
Intraday session: down, 73 prints from 24.84 to 24.83. Range 24.83 to 25.01. Use the arrow keys to read each point.24.9024.9525.0010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
1.01%
Fund size
$200M
1Y total return
+9.4%
Yield · Last 12 months
No data
Holdings
5
Avg volume · 30D
32.4K sh
52W range
low $21.79high $25.61
Launched

The ETF.net BUFS Grade

Based on 5 of 6 pillars

D

Score 35 out of 100

Category
Russell 2000 Buffer 15%⁠
Rank
19 of 21
Six-pillar profile for BUFS. Scores out of 100: Cost 0, Risk 54, Mission not scored, Tradability 72, Holdings 63, Durability 83. Strongest: Durability (83). Weakest: Cost (0). Based on 5 of 6 pillars.

Score 35 of 100 falls in the D 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.
    F0 out of 100
    Rank 21 of 21

  • 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.
    C54 out of 100
    Rank 6 of 21

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    A72 out of 100
    Rank 4 of 21

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    B63 out of 100
    Rank 2 of 6

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    A83 out of 100
    Rank 4 of 21

Our read on BUFS

ETF.net Research

In short

DMost buffer funds make you pick a start month and live with it. BUFS ladders First Trust's small-cap buffer funds instead, so one ticker holds several outcome periods at different stages.

Stated mandate

The fund seeks capital appreciation by providing small-cap equity exposure through a laddered portfolio of FT Vest U.S. Small Cap Moderate Buffer ETFs while attempting to limit downside risk.

Why people hold it

  • Laddering spreads the money across outcome periods that begin at different times, so buying on a random Tuesday doesn't lock you into one cap and one buffer window.
  • Puts the moderate-buffer wrapper on small caps, benchmarked to the Russell 2000 via IWM, rather than the large-cap index most defined-outcome funds are built on.
  • One holding does the housekeeping: no DIY stack of separate buffer funds, no roll-date calendar to babysit.

Worth knowing

  • Fees run 1.01% a year, above the roughly 0.89% median for buffer ETFs. Structured downside cushioning rents expensive shelf space.
  • Laddering blurs the math. At any moment you hold partial buffers and partial caps across several periods, so there's no single clean protection number to point at.
  • Launched in 2024 and lightly traded, so the record is short and the bid-ask spread is part of what you pay.

BUFS Holdings

Holdings pillarB63 out of 100Rank 2 of 6 in Russell 2000 Buffer 15%
Asset class
Other
Holdings
5
Top-10 weight
100%
Largest holding
SNOV25.6%

Geography

  • United States100.00%
The fund’s holdings, weight-ordered — page 1 of 1.
#TickerCompanyWeight %SharesMarket valueHeld by ETFs
1SNOVFT Vest U.S. Small Cap Moderate Buffer ETF - November25.56%1,851,485$51.1M1
2SAUGFT Vest U.S. Small Cap Moderate Buffer ETF - August24.80%1,818,856$49.6M1
3SFEBFT Vest U.S. Small Cap Moderate Buffer ETF - February24.79%1,917,325$49.5M1
4SMAYFT Vest U.S. Small Cap Moderate Buffer ETF - May24.78%1,783,244$49.5M1
5No dataUS Dollar0.08%150,012$150K408

Showing 1–5 of 5 holdings

BUFS Performance

Launched May 29, 2024

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.
BUFS$10,940
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. BUFS $10,940. 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 BUFS. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodBUFS
Year to date+8.6%
1 month+0.4%
3 months−1.0%
1 year+9.4%
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 BUFS
YearReturn barBUFS
2026 YTD+8.6%
2025+7.1%
2024+6.8%

History from May 30, 2024

BUFS in the news

BUFS Dividends

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

No distributions in the last 12 months.

BUFS Risk

Risk pillarC54 out of 100Rank 6 of 21 in Russell 2000 Buffer 15%
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
8.2%
Annualised · 29 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.
0.61
vs 3-month T-bills · 29 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.
−15.0%
29 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.
0.53
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.

BUFS Cost

Compare BUFS and SCAU

Overpaying vs SCAU, tied cheapest in Russell 2000 Buffer 15%

$12,701

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

  • BUFS 1.01%

    $18,850

  • SCAU 0.30% Tied cheapest

    $6,149

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • BUFS 1.01%
  • SCAU 0.30%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K$20K051015202530BUFS $18,850SCAU $6,149

Year by year

YearBUFSSCAUOverpaying
10$1,780$545$1,235
20$6,686$2,113$4,573
30$18,850$6,149$12,701

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