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Launched · SEC filings

FT Vest Buffered Allocation Defensive ETF

BUFTCboeFirst TrustD

$26.40−0.03 (−0.11%)

As of Nov 10, 2026, 11:10 AM ET

D35/ 100

Rank 15 of 18 in S&P 500 Laddered Buffer

D35/100Rank 15 of 18inS&P 500 Laddered Buffer
Intraday session: down, 20 prints from 26.43 to 26.40. Range 26.39 to 26.43. Use the arrow keys to read each point.26.3926.4126.4210 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
1.21%
Fund size
$164M
1Y total return
+9.0%
Yield · Last 12 months
No data
Holdings
8
Avg volume · 30D
23.9K sh
52W range
low $24.12high $26.68
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net BUFT Grade

Based on 5 of 6 pillars

D

Score 35 out of 100

Category
S&P 500 Laddered Buffer⁠
Rank
15 of 18
Six-pillar profile for BUFT. Scores out of 100: Cost 0, Risk 78, Mission not scored, Tradability 50, Holdings 42, Durability 62. Strongest: Risk (78). 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 18 of 18

  • 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.
    A78 out of 100
    Rank 2 of 18

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    C50 out of 100
    Rank 7 of 18

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    C42 out of 100
    Rank 13 of 18

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    B62 out of 100
    Rank 8 of 18

Our read on BUFT

ETF.net Research

In short

DOne ticket instead of a whole ladder of dated buffer funds: BUFT owns a basket of S&P 500 buffer ETFs tilted to the defensive end, with capital preservation as its stated goal. That convenience carries a 1.21% price tag.

Stated mandate

The Fund seeks capital preservation by investing in ETFs whose returns are tied to SPY up to a predetermined cap and that provide a defined buffer against SPY losses over a one-year period.

Why people hold it

  • Buy the ladder, skip the legwork: one holding spreads you across several S&P 500 buffer ETFs instead of tracking start dates, caps and rolls fund by fund.ftportfolios.com
  • The reference point is plain vanilla: the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust. No bespoke index under the options layer, just the benchmark everyone already knows.ftportfolios.com
  • Downside cushion is the entire design. Each underlying fund absorbs a defined slice of S&P 500 losses across its one-year outcome period before losses reach the shareholder.ftportfolios.com

Worth knowing

  • At 1.21%, you pay for the wrapper plus the funds inside it, which lands above the typical buffer ETF. First Trust's own laddered BUFR runs cheaper.
  • Caps are the price of cushions: upside is limited to a preset ceiling each period, and the fund has not been paying distributions.
  • Assets are modest and trading is thin, so spreads can widen. Limit orders are the standard tool for funds in this volume range.

BUFT Holdings

Holdings pillarC42 out of 100Rank 13 of 18 in S&P 500 Laddered Buffer
Asset class
Other
Holdings
8
Top-10 weight
100%
Largest holding
XMAR16.6%

Sectors

  • Technology39.4%
  • Financials11.7%
  • Health Care9.8%
  • Consumer Discretionary9.1%
  • Communication8.9%
  • Industrials7.5%
  • Consumer Staples4.6%
  • Energy3.7%
  • Utilities2.0%
  • Real Estate1.7%
  • Materials1.5%

Geography

  • United States100.00%
The fund’s holdings, weight-ordered — page 1 of 1.
#TickerCompanyWeight %SharesMarket valueHeld by ETFs
1XMARFT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - March16.61%627,284$27.2M2
2XDECFT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - December16.34%613,076$26.8M2
3XJANFT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - January14.29%599,824$23.4M2
4XFEBFT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - February14.00%603,561$22.9M2
5DMARFT Vest U.S. Equity Deep Buffer ETF - March13.78%497,593$22.6M2
6GMARFT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - March13.37%488,122$21.9M2
7XAPRFT Vest U.S. Equity Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF - April11.56%495,320$18.9M2
8No dataUS Dollar0.05%79,841$79.8K396

Showing 1–8 of 8 holdings

BUFT Performance

Launched Oct 26, 2021

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.
BUFT$10,899
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,339
Nov 7, 2025 to Nov 9, 2026. BUFT $10,899. SPY $11,339. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000Nov 2025May 2026Nov 2026

Nov 7, 2025 – Nov 9, 2026

Returns run to the Nov 9, 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 BUFT. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodBUFT
Year to date+7.4%
1 month−0.3%
3 months+0.8%
1 year+9.0%
3 yearsper year+10.0%
5 yearsper year+5.7%
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 BUFT
YearReturn barBUFT
2026 YTD+7.4%
2025+9.7%
2024+7.7%
2023+12.9%
2022−8.4%
2021+0.6%

History from Oct 28, 2021

BUFT in the news

BUFT Dividends

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

No distributions in the last 12 months.

BUFT Risk

Risk pillarA78 out of 100Rank 2 of 18 in S&P 500 Laddered Buffer
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
3.9%
Annualised · 36 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.
1.52
vs 3-month T-bills · 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.
−10.4%
Trough Sep 2022
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.
0.33
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.

BUFT Cost

Compare BUFT and ALDB

Overpaying vs ALDB, cheapest in S&P 500 Laddered Buffer

$15,856

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

  • BUFT 1.21%

    $22,005

  • ALDB 0.30% Cheapest

    $6,149

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • BUFT 1.21%
  • ALDB 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$20K$25K051015202530BUFT $22,005ALDB $6,149

Year by year

YearBUFTALDBOverpaying
10$2,115$545$1,570
20$7,873$2,113$5,760
30$22,005$6,149$15,856

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