FT Vest Buffered Allocation Defensive ETF
$26.54+0.01 (+0.02%)
- 0.20%
- $163M
- +10.3%
- 0M sh
- $26.52
- low $24.05high $26.68
The ETF.net BUFT Grade
B
Score 56 out of 100
- 6 of 18
Score 56 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.B56 out of 100Rank 8 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.A81 out of 100Rank 2 of 18Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.C44 out of 100Rank 10 of 18Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.C42 out of 100Rank 13 of 18Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.B58 out of 100Rank 8 of 18
Our read on BUFT
BOne 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.
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
- Other
- 8
- 100%
- XMAR
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%
BUFT 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.
BUFT$11,031
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 | BUFT |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +7.8% |
| 1 month | +0.6% |
| 3 months | +2.2% |
| 1 year | +10.3% |
| 3 years | +10.0% |
| 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 | BUFT |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +7.8% | |
| 2025 | +9.7% | |
| 2024 | +7.7% | |
| 2023 | +12.9% | |
| 2022 | −8.4% | |
| 2021 | +0.6% |
BUFT in the news
BUFT Dividends
No distributions in the last 12 months.
BUFT Risk
- 4.1%
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.
- 1.33
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.
- −10.4%
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.
- 0.30
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
BUFT Cost
0.20%
BUFT0.20%
- The middle half of S&P 500 Laddered Buffer funds
- Median 0.25%
7 of the 18 S&P 500 Laddered Buffer funds charge less.
Other funds in S&P 500 Laddered Buffer
- ABUFFInnovator Laddered Allocation Power Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.10%1 year return +12.3%
- BBUFBInnovator Laddered Allocation Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.10%1 year return +15.7%
- 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%
- CBUFPPGIM Laddered S&P 500 Buffer 12 ETFExpense ratio 0.50%1 year return +14.4%