FT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - February
$45.43+0.04 (+0.10%)
- 0.85%
- $374M
- +12.8%
- 0M sh
- $45.38
- low $40.27high $45.49
The ETF.net GFEB Grade
C
Score 41 out of 100
- 37 of 61
Score 41 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.F13 out of 100Rank 47 of 61Mission
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.C53 out of 100Rank 21 of 57Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.B63 out of 100Rank 19 of 59Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.B61 out of 100Rank 11 of 33Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A76 out of 100Rank 14 of 61
Our read on GFEB
CA one-year seatbelt on the S&P 500: GFEB soaks up the first 15% of losses over its outcome period, and in exchange your upside stops at a cap that gets reset every February.
The Fund seeks to match the price return of the State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust up to a 12.05% upside cap, while buffering the first 15% of losses over the February 23, 2026–February 19, 2027 outcome period.
Why people hold it
- Absorbs the first 15% of losses on the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust over each one-year outcome period, a cushion written into the fund's terms rather than left to a manager's judgment.ftportfolios.com
- What's being buffered is plain vanilla US large cap, the S&P 500 via the SPDR trust, not a bespoke index engineered around the options math.
- February is simply this fund's gate. First Trust runs the same 15% structure across a dozen reset months (GJAN, GMAR, GJUN and the rest), so entry dates can be staggered.
- Each February the outcome period rolls into a fresh one with a new cap and a new 15% buffer, so there is no options expiry for a shareholder to roll by hand.
Worth knowing
- 0.85% a year sits above the typical buffer-fund fee, and some rivals go far lower: the laddered BUFF lists 0.10%.
- The upside ceiling is the price of the cushion: gains stop at the cap, and both cap and buffer are measured over the full period, not from a mid-period purchase.
- Trades lightly next to the largest buffer funds, so spreads deserve attention. It has also made no distributions in the past year; any return shows up in the price.
GFEB Holdings
- Other
- 3
- 105%
- 2027-02-19 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust C 6.91
Sectors
- Technology41.0%
- Financials11.1%
- Communication9.7%
- Health Care9.1%
- Consumer Discretionary8.8%
- Industrials7.4%
- Consumer Staples4.3%
- Energy3.4%
- Utilities1.9%
- Real Estate1.6%
- Materials1.5%
GFEB 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.
GFEB$11,281
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 | GFEB |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +9.3% |
| 1 month | +1.1% |
| 3 months | +2.4% |
| 1 year | +12.8% |
| 3 years | +13.5% |
| 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 | GFEB |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +9.3% | |
| 2025 | +11.2% | |
| 2024 | +13.0% | |
| 2023 | +13.8% |
GFEB in the news
GFEB Dividends
No distributions in the last 12 months.
GFEB Risk
- 6.2%
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.
- 1.37
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.
- −9.6%
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.
- 0.47
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
GFEB Cost
0.85%
GFEB0.85%
- The middle half of S&P 500 Buffer 15% funds
- Median 0.79%
36 of the 51 S&P 500 Buffer 15% funds charge less.
Other funds in S&P 500 Buffer 15%
- CJULUAIM ETF Products Trust - AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer15 Uncapped Jul ETFExpense ratio 0.74%1 year return +13.9%
- CGAUGFT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - AugustExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +11.4%
- CGJANFT Vest U.S. Equity Moderate Buffer ETF - JanuaryExpense ratio 0.85%1 year return +12.4%
- CARLUAIM ETF Products Trust - AllianzIM U.S. Equity Buffer15 Uncapped Apr ETFExpense ratio 0.74%1 year return +12.4%
- CCJULCorgi ETF Trust I - Corgi U.S. Equities 15% Structured Buffer ETF - July SeriesExpense ratio 0.30%1 year return —