Skip to content
etf.net

Launched · SEC filings

Gabelli Commercial Aerospace and Defense ETF

GCADNYSE ArcaGabelliC

$50.13+1.25 (+2.55%)

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

C40/ 100

Rank 15 of 26 in Defense & Aerospace

C40/100Rank 15 of 26inDefense & Aerospace
Intraday session: up, 79 prints from 48.88 to 50.13. Range 48.70 to 50.22. Use the arrow keys to read each point.49.2549.5049.7510 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.90%
Fund size
$45M
1Y total return
+11.2%
Yield · Last 12 months
1.91%
Holdings
57
Avg volume · 30D
6.21K sh
52W range
low $44.00high $59.11
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net GCAD Grade

C

Score 40 out of 100

Category
Defense & Aerospace⁠
Rank
15 of 26
Six-pillar profile for GCAD. Scores out of 100: Cost 12, Risk 76, Mission 79, Tradability 44, Holdings 59, Durability 53. Strongest: Mission (79). Weakest: Cost (12). Leans toward Mission and Risk.

Score 40 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.
    F12 out of 100
    Rank 23 of 26

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    A79 out of 100
    Rank 1 of 4

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    A76 out of 100
    Rank 4 of 26

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    C44 out of 100
    Rank 14 of 26

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    B59 out of 100
    Rank 10 of 26

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    C53 out of 100
    Rank 15 of 26

Our read on GCAD

ETF.net Research

In short

CA stock-picker's defense fund. Gabelli runs GCAD without a declared index, chasing total return with an emphasis on income, an unusual mandate in a corner of the market where index trackers set the rules.

Stated mandate

The Fund seeks a high level of total return, emphasizing income.

Why people hold it

  • No index to follow. The mandate is total return with an income emphasis, so the portfolio reflects Gabelli's own calls rather than a benchmark's weighting rules.
  • Trading since 2022, so there is a multi-year live record in the aerospace and defense theme to judge, not a backtest.
  • The book stays on-theme: holdings line up closely with the commercial aerospace and defense mandate on the label, with little drift into loosely related names.

Worth knowing

  • Costs 0.90% a year, well above the defense-theme median of 0.50%. Index rivals XAR (0.35%) and ITA (0.37%) cover the sector for a fraction of that.
  • A small, thinly traded fund. Spreads tend to run wider than the big index names, and larger orders can push the price around.
  • Income sits in the objective, but cash reaches shareholders on an annual or semiannual schedule, not monthly.

GCAD Performance

Launched Jan 3, 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.
GCAD$11,117
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,146
Oct 31, 2025 to Nov 2, 2026. GCAD $11,117. SPY $11,146. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000$12,000$13,000Oct 2025May 2026Nov 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Nov 2, 2026

Returns run to the Nov 2, 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 GCAD. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodGCAD
Year to date+8.0%
1 month+2.4%
3 months−8.8%
1 year+11.2%
3 yearsper year+27.4%
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 GCAD
YearReturn barGCAD
2026 YTD+8.0%
2025+39.3%
2024+22.2%
2023+14.1%

History from Jan 4, 2023

GCAD in the news

GCAD Dividends

Adds up every distribution paid per share over the last 12 months, divided by the last completed close. Distributions are counted by ex-date. Data through Nov 2, 2026.
1.91%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$0.96Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.96 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Annual

Distribution history

2023–2026

One bar per payment. 3 payments from 2023 to 2026 YTD. Dec 27, 2023 $0.27; Dec 27, 2024 $0.62; Dec 29, 2025 $0.96. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Dec 29, 2025Jan 9, 2026$0.96
Dec 27, 2024Jan 8, 2025$0.62
Dec 27, 2023Dec 29, 2023$0.27

$10,000 in GCAD 3 years ago paid $715 in dividends.

GCAD Risk

Risk pillarA76 out of 100Rank 4 of 26 in Defense & Aerospace
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
17.3%
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.
1.25
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.
−17.8%
45 months · trough Oct 2026
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.
0.99
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.

GCAD Cost

Compare GCAD and XAR

Overpaying vs XAR, tied cheapest in Defense & Aerospace

$9,914

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

  • GCAD 0.90%

    $17,040

  • XAR 0.35% Tied cheapest

    $7,126

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • GCAD 0.90%
  • XAR 0.35%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K$20K051015202530GCAD $17,040XAR $7,126

Year by year

YearGCADXAROverpaying
10$1,593$634$959
20$6,015$2,454$3,561
30$17,040$7,126$9,914

Other funds in Defense & Aerospace

See others