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First Trust Tactical High Yield ETF (HYLS)
Performance
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Dividends
Drawdowns
Volatility

First Trust Tactical High Yield ETF (HYLS)

ETF · Currency in USD · Last updated May 16, 2025

HYLS is an actively managed ETF by First Trust. HYLS launched on Feb 27, 2013 and has a 1.01% expense ratio.

ETF Info

ISIN

US33738D4088

CUSIP

33738D408

Issuer

First Trust

Inception Date

Feb 27, 2013

Region

North America (U.S.)

Category

High Yield Bonds, Actively Managed

Leveraged

1x

Index Tracked

No Index (Active)

Home Page

www.ftportfolios.com

Asset Class

Bond

Expense Ratio

HYLS has a high expense ratio of 1.01%, indicating above-average management fees.

Share Price Chart

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Compare to other instruments

Search for stocks, ETFs, and funds for a quick comparison or use the comparison tool for more options.

Popular comparisons:
HYLS vs. EIFAX HYLS vs. HYUP HYLS vs. FFTWX HYLS vs. RYLD HYLS vs. VOO HYLS vs. AGG HYLS vs. SCHD HYLS vs. HYGH HYLS vs. VTV HYLS vs. HYG
Popular comparisons:
HYLS vs. EIFAX HYLS vs. HYUP HYLS vs. FFTWX HYLS vs. RYLD HYLS vs. VOO HYLS vs. AGG HYLS vs. SCHD HYLS vs. HYGH HYLS vs. VTV HYLS vs. HYG

Performance

Performance Chart

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Returns By Period

First Trust Tactical High Yield ETF (HYLS) returned 2.26% year-to-date (YTD) and 7.86% over the past 12 months. Over the past 10 years, HYLS returned 3.79% annually, underperforming the S&P 500 benchmark at 10.79%.

HYLS

YTD

2.26%

1M

2.66%

6M

2.31%

1Y

7.86%

5Y*

4.61%

10Y*

3.79%

^GSPC (Benchmark)

YTD

0.60%

1M

9.64%

6M

-0.54%

1Y

11.47%

5Y*

15.67%

10Y*

10.79%

*Annualized

Monthly Returns

The table below presents the monthly returns of HYLS, with color gradation from worst to best to easily spot seasonal factors. Returns are adjusted for dividends.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
20251.25%0.59%-0.97%0.58%0.80%2.26%
2024-0.25%0.40%0.66%-1.79%1.21%0.73%1.72%1.64%1.44%-0.75%1.45%-0.69%5.85%
20234.41%-1.68%1.05%0.73%-1.36%1.77%1.19%0.47%-1.04%-1.72%5.99%3.39%13.66%
2022-1.89%-0.66%-0.31%-4.40%-1.80%-7.13%7.18%-2.29%-4.84%3.34%1.54%-1.60%-12.83%
20210.47%0.02%0.73%0.33%0.32%0.41%0.19%0.51%-0.02%-0.31%-1.05%2.06%3.69%
20200.09%-1.18%-11.88%7.45%3.42%-0.46%4.16%0.62%-0.46%0.32%3.18%1.15%5.32%
20195.27%1.75%0.89%1.38%-0.99%1.65%0.66%0.23%0.69%-0.10%1.24%1.22%14.66%
20180.23%-0.51%-0.31%0.23%0.00%-0.03%1.56%0.93%0.39%-1.29%-0.52%-3.09%-2.46%
20170.94%1.74%-0.08%0.91%0.99%0.03%1.36%-0.27%0.07%0.13%-0.25%0.65%6.39%
2016-0.48%0.59%2.30%1.67%0.18%0.14%2.02%0.92%0.38%-0.32%-0.71%1.48%8.42%
2015-0.13%3.25%0.14%0.93%0.40%-1.03%0.28%-0.06%-2.47%1.97%-2.07%-0.84%0.23%
20140.86%1.61%0.19%0.25%0.84%0.95%-1.93%1.25%-1.84%1.68%-0.17%-1.81%1.80%

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Adjusted Performance Rank

With an overall rank of 94, HYLS is among the top 6% of ETFs on our website when it comes to balancing risk and reward. Below is a breakdown of how it compares using common performance measures.

The Risk-Adjusted Performance Rank of HYLS is 9494
Overall Rank
The Sharpe Ratio Rank of HYLS is 9393
Sharpe Ratio Rank
The Sortino Ratio Rank of HYLS is 9494
Sortino Ratio Rank
The Omega Ratio Rank of HYLS is 9494
Omega Ratio Rank
The Calmar Ratio Rank of HYLS is 9494
Calmar Ratio Rank
The Martin Ratio Rank of HYLS is 9595
Martin Ratio Rank
The risk-adjusted ranks indicate the investment's position relative to the market. A rank closer to 100 signifies top-performing investments, while a rank closer to 0 might suggest underperformance, based on the selected ratio. The values are calculated based on the past 12 months of returns.

Risk-Adjusted Performance Indicators

The charts below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Tactical High Yield ETF (HYLS) and compare them to a chosen benchmark (^GSPC). These indicators evaluate an investment's returns against its associated risks.

The Sharpe ratio helps investors understand how much return they're getting for the level of risk taken. A higher Sharpe ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance, meaning more reward for each unit of risk.

First Trust Tactical High Yield ETF Sharpe ratios as of May 16, 2025 (values are recalculated daily):

  • 1-Year: 1.64
  • 5-Year: 0.68
  • 10-Year: 0.55
  • All Time: 0.65

These values reflect how efficiently the investment has delivered returns relative to its volatility over different time periods. All figures are annualized and based on daily total returns (including price changes and dividends).

The chart below shows the rolling Sharpe ratio of First Trust Tactical High Yield ETF compared to the selected benchmark. This view highlights how the investment's risk-adjusted performance has changed over time. For deeper analysis or to customize the calculation, use the Sharpe ratio tool.

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Dividends

Dividend History

First Trust Tactical High Yield ETF provided a 6.19% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $2.56 per share.

5.00%5.50%6.00%6.50%7.00%$0.00$0.50$1.00$1.50$2.00$2.50$3.0020142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
Dividends
Dividend Yield
PeriodTTM20242023202220212020201920182017201620152014
Dividend$2.56$2.58$2.48$2.87$2.62$2.48$2.52$2.61$2.69$2.59$2.87$2.87

Dividend yield

6.19%6.25%5.98%7.38%5.48%5.09%5.17%5.81%5.53%5.37%6.11%5.78%

Monthly Dividends

The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for First Trust Tactical High Yield ETF. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2025$0.22$0.22$0.22$0.22$0.00$0.86
2024$0.23$0.22$0.22$0.21$0.22$0.22$0.22$0.21$0.21$0.21$0.21$0.22$2.58
2023$0.22$0.21$0.20$0.19$0.19$0.19$0.21$0.22$0.22$0.22$0.22$0.22$2.48
2022$0.23$0.24$0.26$0.26$0.26$0.26$0.27$0.24$0.23$0.21$0.20$0.22$2.87
2021$0.23$0.21$0.22$0.21$0.22$0.22$0.21$0.23$0.20$0.20$0.23$0.23$2.62
2020$0.20$0.19$0.20$0.21$0.20$0.19$0.20$0.23$0.20$0.20$0.22$0.25$2.48
2019$0.22$0.22$0.23$0.22$0.22$0.22$0.22$0.21$0.21$0.20$0.19$0.19$2.52
2018$0.23$0.23$0.22$0.21$0.20$0.21$0.23$0.22$0.22$0.22$0.22$0.22$2.61
2017$0.21$0.21$0.21$0.22$0.22$0.22$0.22$0.23$0.23$0.23$0.23$0.30$2.69
2016$0.23$0.23$0.23$0.23$0.22$0.22$0.22$0.21$0.21$0.21$0.21$0.21$2.59
2015$0.24$0.24$0.24$0.24$0.24$0.24$0.24$0.24$0.24$0.24$0.24$0.23$2.87
2014$0.24$0.22$0.22$0.22$0.22$0.22$0.22$0.22$0.23$0.24$0.24$0.38$2.87

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 Tactical High Yield 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 Tactical High Yield ETF was 22.99%, occurring on Mar 20, 2020. Recovery took 96 trading sessions.

The current First Trust Tactical High Yield ETF drawdown is 0.07%.

Depth

Start

To Bottom

Bottom

To Recover

End

Total

-22.99%Feb 13, 202026Mar 20, 202096Aug 6, 2020122
-15.75%Jan 3, 2022187Sep 29, 2022422Jun 5, 2024609
-7.46%Jun 3, 2015160Jan 20, 201697Jun 8, 2016257
-5.73%Jul 7, 2014115Dec 16, 201449Feb 27, 2015164
-5.69%Oct 2, 201858Dec 24, 201825Jan 31, 201983

Volatility

Volatility Chart

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.

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