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BBP vs FBT

Virtus Biotech ETF

BBPANYSE Arca

First Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index Fund

FBTBNYSE Arca

Overlap

26.7%by weight

Expense ratio

BBP −0.21pt a year

BBP0.34%FBT0.55%

Avg volume · 30D

FBT 6.0×the volume

BBP11.7KFBT71K

10Y return · a year

BBP +1.0pt

BBP+12.0%FBT+11.0%

BBP vs FBT Performance

Nov 9, 2021 – Nov 9, 2026

+103.3%BBP+72.3%FBT

Nov 9, 2021 to Nov 9, 2026. BBP +103.3%. FBT +72.3%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−25%0%25%50%Nov 2021May 2024Nov 2026
Expense ratio
BBP 0.34%, better
FBT 0.55%
Fund size
BBP $133M
FBT $2.97B
1Y total return
BBP +41.2%, better
FBT +40.6%
Yield (12M)
BBP 0.00%
FBT 0.00%
Holdings
BBP 66
FBT 31
Avg volume (30D)
BBP 11.7K sh
FBT 71K sh, better
NAV per share
BBP $102.46
FBT $266.13
52W range

ETF.net Grade

BBP: Cost 94, Risk 66, Mission 83, Tradability 29, Holdings 82, Durability 56. FBT: Cost 25, Risk 73, Mission 85, Tradability 81, Holdings 68, Durability 76.
Pillar letters and Scores for BBP, FBT, with each pillar’s weight
PillarBBPFBT
Cost30% weightA94HigherD25
Mission25% weightA83A85Higher
Risk15% weightB66A73Higher
Tradability15% weightD29A81Higher
Holdings10% weightA82HigherB68
Durability5% weightB56A76Higher

Rank among Biotech & Genomics funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. BBP and FBT are both graded against the same 17 Biotech & Genomics funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Biotech & Genomics⁠

Category · 17 funds
See all 17 ›

BBP ranks 4th and FBT 6th of 17 funds in the Biotech & Genomics Category.

  1. Rank 1AXBIState Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETFScore 79
  2. Rank 2AIBBQInvesco Nasdaq Biotechnology ETFScore 77
  3. Rank 3AIBBiShares Biotechnology ETFScore 75
  4. Rank 4ABBPVirtus Biotech ETFScore 74
  5. Rank 5BBBHVanEck Biotech ETFScore 69
  6. Rank 6BFBTFirst Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index FundScore 62
  7. Rank 7BPBEInvesco Biotechnology & Genome ETFScore 58

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

BBPAVirtus Biotech ETF

FBTBFirst Trust NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index Fund

In short

BBP Biotech, minus the coin flips. BBP tracks an index of US-listed biotech companies that already have at least one FDA-approved therapy, so the basket leans commercial-stage instead of clinical-trial hopefuls.

FBT Biotech served in about 30 equal-sized bites. FBT has tracked the NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index since 2006, spreading each dollar evenly across a short roster instead of letting a few large caps run the show.

Stated mandate

BBP The fund seeks to track the LifeSci Biotechnology Products Index, which consists of U.S.-listed biotechnology stocks with at least one FDA-approved drug therapy.

FBT The fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index.

Why people hold it

  • BBP The screen does the heavy lifting: index membership requires at least one FDA-approved drug therapy, which filters out pre-approval story stocks.
  • 0.34% a year undercuts the biotech cohort median of 0.50% and sits below IBB's 0.44%.
  • Running since 2014 and spread across roughly 200 US-listed names, so one approval or rejection does not decide the whole basket.
  • One of the stronger builds in its biotech and genomics peer group, with a portfolio that stays close to the index it promises.
  • FBT Equal weighting hands a small cap the same slot as a mega cap. About 30 names, each sized alike, so no single giant steers the fund.
  • Live since 2006, through multiple biotech booms and busts, with a billion-dollar-plus asset base behind it.
  • Moderately traded rather than a thin corner of the shelf, which matters in a sector where headlines arrive fast.
  • Lands in the upper half of the biotech and genomics funds we grade.

Worth knowing

  • BBP Thinly traded and modest in size next to the category's household names. Spreads can widen, which makes limit orders the safer habit.
  • Income is not the point here. The fund has not been paying distributions, so the return story is price.
  • An approved drug filters risk, it does not erase it. This is a single-sector biotech basket, and sector drawdowns hit everything in it.
  • FBT At 0.55% a year it runs above the typical biotech fund's fee, and cheaper index routes exist (IBBQ at 0.19%, XBI at 0.35%).
  • About 30 stocks, equally weighted, means one trial readout can swing the whole basket. Concentrated biotech moves hard in both directions.
  • Not an income holding: drug developers plow cash into pipelines, and the fund has not been sending out distributions.

Full BBP profile⁠

Full FBT profile⁠

BBP vs FBT Holdings

How BBP and FBT differ

Overlap by weight

26.7%

Shared holdings make up 61.3% of FBT and 26.7% of BBP.

Level by level

  • Holdings18 in both26.7%
  • Countryby domicile95.0%
  • Asset classStocks100%
  • Sector1 Sector100%

Sector

Sector weights in BBP and FBT, widest gap first
SectorMore in BBPMore in FBTGap
Health CareSame weight

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in BBP and FBT, widest gap first
CountryMore in BBPMore in FBTGap
DenmarkFBT +4.8 points
ChinaBBP +2.0 points
United KingdomBBP +1.7 points
SwitzerlandBBP +1.3 points
United StatesFBT +0.2 points

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

  • BBP27.9%
  • FBT39.3%

Securities held

  • BBP65
  • FBT30

Asset class

BBP
Stocks
FBT
Stocks

Holdings

  • Only in BBP47
  • In both18
  • Only in FBT12

Only in BBP

47 securities, 73.1% of BBP by weight

  • Moderna Inc6.70%
  • Xeris Biopharma Holdings Inc2.95%
  • Verastem Inc2.70%

Only in FBT

12 securities, 38.6% of FBT by weight

  • Genmab A/S (ADR)4.81%
  • BeOne Medicines Ltd. (ADR)3.82%
  • Alkermes Plc3.76%

Weight gaps

All 18 Holdings in both funds, largest gap first.

Holding weights in BBP and FBT, widest gap first
HoldingMore in BBPMore in FBTGap
Neurocrine Biosciences IncNBIXFBT +2.49 points
Exelixis IncEXELFBT +2.15 points
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals IncREGNFBT +2.09 points
BioMarin Pharmaceutical IncBMRNFBT +2.08 points
Incyte CorpINCYFBT +2.08 points
United Therapeutics CorpUTHRFBT +2.06 points
ADMA Biologics IncADMAFBT +2.05 points
Biogen IncBIIBFBT +2.03 points

All 198 BBP holdings⁠All 30 FBT holdings⁠

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

BBP vs FBT Cost

Overpaying FBT vs BBP

$3,972

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

  • BBP 0.34%

    $6,932

  • FBT 0.55%

    $10,904

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • BBP 0.34%
  • FBT 0.55%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.5K$5K$7.5K$10K$12.5K051015202530FBT $10,904BBP $6,932

Year by year

YearBBPFBTOverpaying
10$616$988$372
20$2,386$3,790$1,404
30$6,932$10,904$3,972

Expense ratio

  • 0.34%BBP, cheaper
  • 0.55%FBT
  • Middle half of Biotech & Genomics funds
  • Median 0.47%

BBP 2nd cheapest of 17 funds

FBT 13th cheapest of 17 funds

BBP vs FBT Dividends

Last 12 months to Nov 9, 2026
Yield (12M)
BBP 0.00%
FBT 0.00%
Payout (12M)
BBP None
FBT None

Distribution history

Per share, 2015 to 2024, same scale for both

BBP2 paymentsAll BBP payments⁠
One bar per payment. 2 payments from 2015 to 2024. Dec 21, 2015 $0.40; Dec 20, 2017 $0.07. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.502015201820212024
FBT5 paymentsAll FBT payments⁠
One bar per payment. 5 payments from 2015 to 2024. Mar 25, 2015 $0.05; Jun 24, 2015 $0.07; Sep 23, 2015 $0.02; Dec 30, 2021 $2.21; Dec 13, 2024 $1.17. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.502015201820212024

BBP vs FBT Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

  • BBP
  • FBT
Nov 9, 2021 to Nov 9, 2026. Worst fall: BBP −33.6% · May 2022. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−30%−20%−10%0%Nov 2021May 2024Nov 2026

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
BBP 18.7%FBT 17.4%, better
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
BBP 1.30, betterFBT 1.27
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
BBP −33.6%FBT −24.7%, better
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
BBP 0.71FBT 0.76

BBP and FBT in the news

All news⁠

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