BUFH ETF — First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII - FT Vest Laddered Max Buffer ETF

First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII - FT Vest Laddered Max Buffer ETF (BUFH)

Updated October 16, 2026.

BUFH is an ETF. its expense ratio is 0.95%. Total return is 8.2% over the past 1.3 years, 19.2 points behind SPY at 27.4%.

First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII - FT Vest Laddered Max Buffer ETF is a fund that provides U.S. large-cap equity exposure while seeking to limit downside risk through a laddered portfolio of twelve underlying buffer ETFs, each designed to match the price return of SPY up to a predetermined cap while offering maximum protection against SPY losses over rolling one-year periods. The fund does not currently distribute income to shareholders and carries an expense ratio of 0.95%. It may appeal to investors seeking equity market participation with structured downside protection rather than traditional dividend income.

BUFH performance versus SPY

Price and return data through 2026-10-16.

Total return is 8.2% over the past 1.3 years, 19.2 points behind SPY at 27.4%. Its deepest 1-year drawdown was 1.5%.

BUFH key facts

Issuer

First Trust

Asset type

ETF

Asset class

Equity

Inception date

06/24/2025

Expense ratio

0.95%

Distribution frequency

None

Last close

$21.73 (as of 2026-10-16)

AUM

$70,658,800

Average volume

1672.0

Beta

0.1444

How Dividend Vision calculates yield and returns

Distribution rate (the posted rate) uses calculation basis unavailable. Issuer rates can use a different denominator and date, including ex-date NAV. Trailing-12-month yield is the sum of split-adjusted cash distributions with ex-dates in the last 12 months, divided by the published price. It lags a recent raise or cut. Total return uses split-adjusted close with distributions reinvested on the ex-dividend date (a modeling convention, not the cash-settlement date) from the first stored bar on or after inception through the latest bar, compared with the same window on the benchmark. That is the security's total return, not your personal gain/loss.

Yield and safety methodology · Distribution rate methodology · Distribution Safety Score methodology

Sources and review

Primary sources: First Trust or company page; prices and distributions from Dividend Vision, derived from vendor EOD data.

Reviewed by Bert Sweet, CEO and Co-owner of Dividend Vision. Methodology: Distribution Safety Score.

BUFH risks and drawbacks

Total return has trailed SPY over the available window. The deepest 1-year drawdown on record here is 1.5%.

Who may consider BUFH — and who may not

It is a weaker fit for investors who need monthly cash flow (BUFH does not currently distribute); investors whose main goal is matching SPY total return. This is educational context, not a recommendation to buy or sell.

More on BUFH

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Tagged: Downside Protection, Options, Target.

Frequently asked questions

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