FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - February
$63.28+0.05 (+0.08%)
- 0.85%
- $1.4B
- +16.2%
- 0M sh
- $63.25
- low $54.48high $63.28
The ETF.net FFEB Grade
C
Score 49 out of 100
- 39 of 77
Score 49 of 100 falls in the C 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.F11 out of 100Rank 60 of 77Mission
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.B68 out of 100Rank 11 of 76Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A84 out of 100Rank 4 of 77Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.B64 out of 100Rank 12 of 44Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A88 out of 100Rank 3 of 77
Our read on FFEB
CThe February door into First Trust's buffer lineup: it absorbs the first 10% of a year's decline in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, and caps the upside in exchange. Same recipe, reset every February since 2020.
The Fund seeks to match the price return of the State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust before fees and expenses, subject to a 15.01% upside cap and a 10% downside buffer over the current target-outcome period.
Why people hold it
- Absorbs the first 10% of the reference S&P 500 ETF's price decline over each 12-month period, with a cap set at the February reset. Price return only, so dividends aren't included.ftportfolios.com
- Running since February 2020, and First Trust fields a version for every calendar month, so you can start in any month or ladder several across the year.
- The reference asset is the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust itself, not a bespoke index, and this is a multi-billion-dollar fund.
Worth knowing
- The 0.85% fee sits above the buffer-fund median, and cheaper builds exist in the group (BUFB charges 0.10%).
- The cap resets each February and isn't known in advance. Buy mid-period and you inherit the remaining buffer and cap, not the headline terms.ftportfolios.com
- It trades lightly for its size, so bid-ask spreads can matter more here than with mainstream index ETFs.
FFEB Holdings
- Other
- 3
- 104%
- 2027-02-19 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust C 6.89
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%
FFEB 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.
FFEB$11,616
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 | FFEB |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +11.7% |
| 1 month | +1.3% |
| 3 months | +3.1% |
| 1 year | +16.2% |
| 3 years | +17.1% |
| 5 years | +11.4% |
| 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 | FFEB |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +11.7% | |
| 2025 | +13.8% | |
| 2024 | +16.6% | |
| 2023 | +19.9% | |
| 2022 | −7.5% | |
| 2021 | +16.3% | |
| 2020 | +9.8% |
FFEB in the news
Filings Digest
AllianzIM launches OCTI and resets October buffer terms
FFEB Dividends
No distributions in the last 12 months.
FFEB Risk
- 7.9%
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.
- 1.49
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.
- −13.8%
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.
- 0.61
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
FFEB Cost
0.85%
FFEB0.85%
- The middle half of S&P 500 Buffer 9-12% funds
- Median 0.79%
59 of the 77 S&P 500 Buffer 9-12% funds charge less.
Other funds in S&P 500 Buffer 9-12%
- CBJANInnovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return +17.0%
- CBMAYInnovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return +13.1%
- CFMARFT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - MarchExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +17.3%
- CFAPRFT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - AprilExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +11.7%
- CFAUGFT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - AugustExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +14.1%