- ISIN
- US33740F5089
- Issuer
- First Trust
- Inception Date
- Sep 27, 2016
- Region
- North America (U.S.)
- Category
- Municipal Bonds
- Leveraged
- 1x (No leverage)
- Index Tracked
- No Index (Active)
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Bond
- Assets Under Management
- $19M
Share Price Chart
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Performance
MFLX Performance Chart
First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF (MFLX) is up 3.2% since the beginning of the year. MFLX is currently trading at $17 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of MFLX shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $997.
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Returns By Period
First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF (MFLX) has returned 3.15% so far this year and 8.70% over the past 12 months.
First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF
- 1D
- -0.23%
- 1M
- 0.53%
- YTD
- 3.15%
- 6M
- 3.63%
- 1Y
- 8.70%
- 3Y*
- 5.61%
- 5Y*
- -0.06%
- 10Y*
- —
Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)
- 1D
- -2.64%
- 1M
- 0.25%
- YTD
- 7.86%
- 6M
- 7.47%
- 1Y
- —
- 3Y*
- —
- 5Y*
- —
- 10Y*
- —
MFLX Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Sep 29, 2016, MFLX's average daily return is +0.01%, while the average monthly return is +0.20%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 28.9 years.
Historically, 62% of months were positive and 38% were negative. The best month was May 2020 with a return of +6.0%, while the worst month was Mar 2020 at -8.1%. The longest winning streak lasted 10 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 4 months.
On a daily basis, MFLX closed higher 47% of trading days. The best single day was Mar 25, 2020 with a return of +6.6%, while the worst single day was Mar 18, 2020 at -13.9%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0.94% | 1.87% | -3.00% | 2.29% | 1.07% | 0.02% | 3.15% | ||||||
| 2025 | 0.75% | 1.45% | -1.86% | -1.77% | 0.10% | 0.65% | -0.89% | 1.36% | 2.74% | 1.28% | 0.04% | 0.11% | 3.94% |
| 2024 | -0.64% | 0.72% | 0.24% | -0.99% | -0.30% | 2.44% | 1.35% | 1.39% | 0.97% | -1.36% | 1.91% | -1.94% | 3.74% |
| 2023 | 2.85% | -1.30% | 1.31% | 0.57% | -1.42% | 1.75% | 0.51% | -3.87% | -0.64% | -0.57% | 4.75% | 5.04% | 8.98% |
| 2022 | -8.09% | -2.00% | -4.21% | -6.03% | 1.91% | -2.66% | 4.01% | -3.20% | -5.80% | -0.62% | 4.41% | 1.14% | -19.94% |
| 2021 | 1.09% | -1.81% | 2.09% | 2.03% | 1.83% | 2.06% | 1.21% | 0.50% | -3.28% | -0.71% | 1.76% | 1.52% | 8.43% |
Benchmark Metrics
First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF has an annualized alpha of 7.26%, beta of 0.09, and R2 of 0.07 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since September 30, 2016.
- This ETF participates in less of S&P 500 Index's moves in both directions, but captures a larger share of gains (28.81%) than losses (13.45%) - typical of diversified or defensive assets.
- Beta of 0.09 may look defensive, but with R2 of 0.07 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 0.07 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
- 7.26%
- Beta
- 0.09
- R²
- 0.07
- Upside Capture
- 28.81%
- Downside Capture
- 13.45%
Expense Ratio
MFLX has an expense ratio of 0.88%, placing it in the medium range.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
MFLX ranks 74 for risk / return — better than 74% 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.
Return / Risk — by metrics
The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF (MFLX) and compare them to S&P 500 Index.
| MFLX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | — | — | |
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | — | — | |
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.46 | — | — |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 2.81 | — | — |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 11.28 | — | — |
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month. | |||
Dividends
Dividend History
First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF provided a 4.08% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $0.70 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 2 consecutive years.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $0.70 | $0.69 | $0.65 | $0.62 | $0.70 | $0.78 | $0.65 | $0.58 | $0.64 | $0.71 | $0.18 |
Dividend yield | 4.08% | 4.06% | 3.81% | 3.65% | 4.27% | 3.69% | 3.21% | 2.94% | 3.74% | 3.80% | 0.98% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.00 | $0.30 | ||||||
| 2025 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.69 |
| 2024 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.65 |
| 2023 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.62 |
| 2022 | $0.07 | $0.07 | $0.07 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.05 | $0.70 |
| 2021 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.09 | $0.78 |
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 Flexible Municipal High 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 Flexible Municipal High Income ETF was 26.76%, occurring on Mar 18, 2020. Recovery took 176 trading sessions.
The current First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF drawdown is 3.95%.
Related event | Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|
COVID crash2020 | -26.76%Mar 2020 | 22d | 8mo 12d | 9mo 4dFeb 2020 - Nov 2020 |
Bear market2022 | -25.88%Oct 2022 | 1y 2mo | — | 4y 9moAug 2021 - now |
2016 correction2016 | -10.10%Dec 2016 | 2mo 2d | 2y 3mo | 2y 5moSep 2016 - Mar 2019 |
2021 pullback2021 | -4.45%Feb 2021 | 12d | 1mo 19d | 2mo 1dFeb 2021 - Apr 2021 |
2019 pullback2019 | -3.82%Sep 2019 | 11d | 2mo 26d | 3mo 7dSep 2019 - Dec 2019 |
Drawdown Indicators
| MFLX | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -26.76% | -9.10% | -17.66% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -3.11% | — | — |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -8.18% | — | — |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -25.88% | — | — |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -3.95% | -2.97% | -0.98% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -8.17% | -1.13% | -7.04% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 0.77% | — | — |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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