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First Trust Preferred Securities & Income ETF (FPE...
Performance
Return for Risk
Dividends
Drawdowns
Volatility

ETF Info

ISIN
US33739E1082
CUSIP
33739E108
Inception Date
Feb 12, 2013
Region
North America (U.S.)
Leveraged
1x (No leverage)
Index Tracked
No Index (Active)
Distribution Policy
Distributing
Asset Class
Preferred Stock
Asset Class Size
Multi-Cap
Asset Class Style
Blend

Share Price Chart


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Performance

Performance Chart

The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in First Trust Preferred Securities & Income ETF, comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends.


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S&P 500 Index

Returns By Period

First Trust Preferred Securities & Income ETF (FPE) has returned -1.22% so far this year and 7.01% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, FPE has returned 5.23% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 12.16% annually.


First Trust Preferred Securities & Income ETF

1D
0.74%
1M
-2.57%
YTD
-1.22%
6M
0.25%
1Y
7.01%
3Y*
9.91%
5Y*
3.03%
10Y*
5.23%

Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)

1D
2.91%
1M
-5.09%
YTD
-4.63%
6M
-2.39%
1Y
16.33%
3Y*
16.69%
5Y*
10.18%
10Y*
12.16%
*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

Monthly Returns

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Feb 12, 2013, FPE's average daily return is +0.02%, while the average monthly return is +0.42%. At this rate, your investment would double in approximately 13.8 years.

Historically, 68% of months were positive and 32% were negative. The best month was Apr 2020 with a return of +9.9%, while the worst month was Mar 2020 at -16.0%. The longest winning streak lasted 11 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 5 months.

On a daily basis, FPE closed higher 54% of trading days. The best single day was Mar 24, 2020 with a return of +8.6%, while the worst single day was Mar 18, 2020 at -15.6%.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
20260.82%0.56%-2.57%-1.22%
20250.82%0.94%-0.94%-1.37%2.10%1.96%1.17%1.33%1.41%1.06%0.04%0.40%9.21%
20242.03%0.46%1.69%-1.35%1.86%1.20%1.60%1.62%2.43%-0.76%0.68%-0.71%11.17%
20237.93%-1.98%-8.79%0.62%-0.35%1.37%2.42%0.06%-0.81%-2.25%5.70%3.71%6.84%
2022-1.94%-2.80%-0.64%-3.83%0.26%-4.81%5.04%-1.75%-4.81%-0.73%3.25%-0.34%-12.77%
2021-0.20%0.39%0.78%1.19%0.72%1.38%0.59%0.26%-0.03%0.02%-1.26%1.29%5.24%

Benchmark Metrics

First Trust Preferred Securities & Income ETF has an annualized alpha of 1.63%, beta of 0.27, and R² of 0.25 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since February 13, 2013.

  • This ETF participated in 37.59% of S&P 500 Index downside but only 32.36% of its upside — more exposed to losses than it benefited from rallies.
  • Beta of 0.27 may look defensive, but with R² of 0.25 this ETF is largely uncorrelated with S&P 500 Index — low beta reflects independence, not downside protection. See the Volatility section for a true picture of this ETF's risk.
  • R² of 0.25 means this ETF moves largely independently of S&P 500 Index — capture ratios reflect limited market correlation rather than active downside protection. Consider using a more representative benchmark.

Alpha
1.63%
Beta
0.27
0.25
Upside Capture
32.36%
Downside Capture
37.59%

Expense Ratio

FPE has an expense ratio of 0.85%, placing it in the medium range.


Return for Risk

Risk / Return Rank

FPE ranks 70 for risk / return — better than 70% of ETFs on our site. You're getting solid returns for the risk taken. A good sign, especially for investors who want growth without excessive volatility.


FPE Risk / Return Rank: 7070
Overall Rank
FPE Sharpe Ratio Rank: 7272
Sharpe Ratio Rank
FPE Sortino Ratio Rank: 7070
Sortino Ratio Rank
FPE Omega Ratio Rank: 7878
Omega Ratio Rank
FPE Calmar Ratio Rank: 6565
Calmar Ratio Rank
FPE Martin Ratio Rank: 6666
Martin Ratio Rank
The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

Return / Risk — by metrics

The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Preferred Securities & Income ETF (FPE) and compare them to a chosen benchmark (S&P 500 Index).


FPEBenchmarkDifference

Sharpe ratio

Return per unit of total volatility

1.32

0.90

+0.43

Sortino ratio

Return per unit of downside risk

1.82

1.39

+0.44

Omega ratio

Gain probability vs. loss probability

1.31

1.21

+0.09

Calmar ratio

Return relative to maximum drawdown

1.72

1.40

+0.32

Martin ratio

Return relative to average drawdown

6.99

6.61

+0.38

Explore FPE risk-adjusted metrics in detail

Dive deeper into individual metrics with historical trends, benchmark comparisons, and performance across different time periods.

Dividends

Dividend History

First Trust Preferred Securities & Income ETF provided a 5.95% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $1.06 per share.


4.50%5.00%5.50%6.00%$0.00$0.20$0.40$0.60$0.80$1.00$1.2020152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Dividends
Dividend Yield
PeriodTTM20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Dividend$1.06$1.06$1.01$1.02$0.95$0.91$0.99$1.07$1.10$1.08$1.13$1.04

Dividend yield

5.95%5.81%5.68%6.03%5.67%4.48%4.88%5.32%6.14%5.39%5.97%5.49%

Monthly Dividends

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for First Trust Preferred Securities & Income ETF. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2026$0.07$0.09$0.09$0.25
2025$0.07$0.09$0.09$0.08$0.09$0.08$0.08$0.10$0.08$0.07$0.10$0.12$1.06
2024$0.07$0.09$0.09$0.07$0.09$0.10$0.07$0.09$0.09$0.07$0.09$0.09$1.01
2023$0.07$0.09$0.10$0.07$0.10$0.08$0.08$0.10$0.09$0.06$0.10$0.09$1.02
2022$0.07$0.07$0.09$0.06$0.09$0.09$0.07$0.09$0.08$0.07$0.09$0.09$0.95
2021$0.07$0.08$0.09$0.06$0.09$0.07$0.07$0.08$0.07$0.06$0.08$0.08$0.91

Drawdowns

Drawdowns Chart

The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.


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Worst Drawdowns

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the First Trust Preferred Securities & Income ETF. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.

The maximum drawdown for the First Trust Preferred Securities & Income ETF was 33.35%, occurring on Mar 18, 2020. Recovery took 164 trading sessions.

The current First Trust Preferred Securities & Income ETF drawdown is 2.99%.


Depth

Start

To Bottom

Bottom

To Recover

End

Total

-33.35%Feb 18, 202022Mar 18, 2020164Nov 9, 2020186
-19.65%Sep 23, 2021374Mar 20, 2023352Aug 13, 2024726
-13.32%May 10, 201371Aug 20, 2013321Nov 26, 2014392
-5.95%Jan 23, 2018235Dec 27, 201836Feb 20, 2019271
-5.45%Jan 6, 201626Feb 11, 201639Apr 8, 201665

Volatility

Volatility Chart

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.


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