BUFX ETF — First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII - FT Vest Laddered Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF

First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VIII - FT Vest Laddered Enhance & Moderate Buffer ETF (BUFX)

Updated October 16, 2026.

BUFX is an ETF. its expense ratio is 0.96%. Total return is 12.7% over the past 1.3 years, 14.7 points behind SPY at 27.4%.

First Trust's laddered buffer ETF provides U.S. large-cap equity exposure through a portfolio of twelve underlying buffer ETFs, each designed to double positive price returns of the S&P 500 up to a cap while protecting against the first 15% of losses over rolling one-year periods. The fund carries an expense ratio of 0.96% and does not currently distribute income. It appeals to equity investors seeking enhanced upside potential combined with downside protection through a laddered strategy.

BUFX performance versus SPY

Price and return data through 2026-10-16.

Total return is 12.7% over the past 1.3 years, 14.7 points behind SPY at 27.4%. Its deepest 1-year drawdown was 2.9%.

BUFX key facts

Issuer

First Trust

Asset type

ETF

Asset class

Equity

Inception date

06/24/2025

Expense ratio

0.96%

Distribution frequency

None

Last close

$22.68 (as of 2026-10-16)

AUM

$19,292,893

Average volume

354.0

Beta

0.2881

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.

BUFX risks and drawbacks

Total return has trailed SPY over the available window. The deepest 1-year drawdown on record here is 2.9%.

Who may consider BUFX — and who may not

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

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Frequently asked questions

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