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First Trust Low Duration Strategic Focus ETF

LDSFNasdaqFirst TrustC

$18.56−0.02 (−0.08%)

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

Intraday session: down, 79 prints from 18.58 to 18.56. Range 18.56 to 18.64. Use the arrow keys to read each point.18.6018.6218.6410 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.87%
Fund size
$160M
1Y total return
+1.8%
Yield · Last 12 months
4.78%
Holdings
9
Avg volume · 30D
28.6K sh
52W range
low $18.37high $19.59
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net LDSF Grade

C

Score 42 out of 100

Rank
94 of 116
Six-pillar profile for LDSF. Scores out of 100: Cost 3, Risk 84, Mission 67, Tradability 43, Holdings 29, Durability 59. Strongest: Risk (84). Weakest: Cost (3). Leans toward Risk.

Score 42 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.
    F3 out of 100
    Rank 112 of 115
  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    B67 out of 100
    Rank 91 of 100
  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    A84 out of 100
    Rank 7 of 116
  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    C43 out of 100
    Rank 74 of 116
  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    D29 out of 100
    Rank 102 of 115
  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    B59 out of 100
    Rank 51 of 116

Our read on LDSF

ETF.net Research

In short

CA one-ticket bond sleeve kept on a short leash: LDSF blends income ETFs, largely First Trust's own, to an effective duration of three years or less. Current income is the stated goal, capital preservation the backup.

Stated mandate

The Fund seeks current income and secondarily preservation of capital. It normally invests at least 80% of net assets in U.S.-listed ETFs principally investing in income-generating securities with effective portfolio duration of three years or less.

Why people hold it

  • Mandate pins effective portfolio duration at three years or less, the documented lever for keeping rate-driven price swings smaller than a full-maturity bond fund's.sec.gov
  • One ticket spans mortgages, investment grade corporates, high yield, senior loans and preferreds, with the prospectus capping high yield and senior loans at 40% of net assets.sec.govotcmarkets.com
  • First Trust's team shifts the mix as its rate and credit read changes; the advisory fee is a thin slice, with most of the 0.87% total coming from the ETFs held inside.ftportfolios.com
  • Income is the stated first objective and preservation of capital the second, and the fund pays monthly.

Worth knowing

  • At 0.87% all in, it costs more than the typical fund in its category, and far more than core index trackers like AGG and BND at 0.03%.
  • It trades thinly next to those giants, which can mean wider bid-ask spreads and more care on order size.
  • Most of the ETFs inside are First Trust's own, a conflict the prospectus discloses, so you get one house's allocation call rather than a broad-market index.otcmarkets.com

LDSF Performance

Launched Jan 3, 2019

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.
LDSF$10,185
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,199
Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. LDSF $10,185. SPY $11,199. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

Returns run to the Oct 30, 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 LDSF. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodLDSF
Year to date+0.9%
1 month+1.3%
3 months0.0%
1 year+1.8%
3 yearsper year+5.5%
5 yearsper year+2.5%
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 LDSF
YearReturn barLDSF
2026 YTD+0.9%
2025+6.8%
2024+4.2%
2023+6.6%
2022−5.5%
2021−0.3%
2020+2.5%

LDSF in the news

LDSF 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 Oct 30, 2026.
4.78%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$0.89Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.08 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Monthly

Distribution history

2023–2026

One bar per payment. 46 payments from 2023 to 2026 YTD. Jan 24, 2023 $0.06; Feb 22, 2023 $0.06; Mar 24, 2023 $0.06; Apr 21, 2023 $0.06; May 23, 2023 $0.06; Jun 27, 2023 $0.06; Jul 21, 2023 $0.06; Aug 22, 2023 $0.06; Sep 22, 2023 $0.07; Oct 24, 2023 $0.07; Nov 21, 2023 $0.07; Dec 22, 2023 $0.07; Jan 23, 2024 $0.07; Feb 21, 2024 $0.07; Mar 21, 2024 $0.07; Apr 23, 2024 $0.07; May 21, 2024 $0.07; Jun 27, 2024 $0.07; Jul 23, 2024 $0.08; Aug 21, 2024 $0.08; Sep 26, 2024 $0.07; Oct 22, 2024 $0.07; Nov 21, 2024 $0.07; Dec 13, 2024 $0.07; Jan 22, 2025 $0.07; Feb 21, 2025 $0.07; Mar 27, 2025 $0.07; Apr 22, 2025 $0.07; May 21, 2025 $0.07; Jun 26, 2025 $0.07; Jul 22, 2025 $0.07; Aug 21, 2025 $0.07; Sep 25, 2025 $0.07; Oct 21, 2025 $0.07; Nov 21, 2025 $0.07; Dec 12, 2025 $0.07; Jan 21, 2026 $0.07; Feb 20, 2026 $0.07; Mar 26, 2026 $0.07; Apr 21, 2026 $0.07; May 21, 2026 $0.07; Jun 25, 2026 $0.07; Jul 21, 2026 $0.07; Aug 21, 2026 $0.08; Sep 24, 2026 $0.08; Oct 21, 2026 $0.08. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Oct 21, 2026Oct 30, 2026$0.08
Sep 24, 2026Sep 30, 2026$0.08
Aug 21, 2026Aug 31, 2026$0.08
Jul 21, 2026Jul 31, 2026$0.07
Jun 25, 2026Jun 30, 2026$0.07
May 21, 2026May 29, 2026$0.07
Apr 21, 2026Apr 30, 2026$0.07
Mar 26, 2026Mar 31, 2026$0.07
Feb 20, 2026Feb 27, 2026$0.07
Jan 21, 2026Jan 30, 2026$0.07
Dec 12, 2025Dec 31, 2025$0.07
Nov 21, 2025Nov 28, 2025$0.07

See all 94 payments⁠

$10,000 in LDSF 5 years ago paid $1,874 in dividends.⁠

LDSF Risk

How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
2.9%
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.
0.33
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.
−7.5%
Trough Oct 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.
0.47
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.

LDSF Cost

Overpaying vs BKAG, cheapest in US Aggregate Bond

$16,536

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

  • LDSF 0.87%

    $16,536

  • BKAG 0.00% Cheapest

    $0

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • LDSF 0.87%
  • BKAG 0.00%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K$20K051015202530LDSF $16,536BKAG $0

Year by year

YearLDSFBKAGOverpaying
10$1,542$0$1,542
20$5,830$0$5,830
30$16,536$0$16,536

Other funds in US Aggregate Bond