BAUG vs. BALT

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - August (BAUG) and Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF (BALT).

BAUG and BALT are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. BAUG is a passively managed fund by Innovator that tracks the performance of the Cboe S&P 500 Buffer Protect Index August. It was launched on Jul 31, 2019. BALT is a passively managed fund by Innovator that tracks the performance of the S&P 500. It was launched on Jun 30, 2021. Both BAUG and BALT are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

BAUG vs. BALT - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - August (BAUG) and Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF (BALT). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

BAUG vs. BALT - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021
BAUG Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - August	-2.38%	14.81%	21.15%	20.11%	-10.30%	5.95%
BALT Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF	-0.13%	6.65%	9.98%	7.45%	2.54%	0.82%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, BAUG achieves a -2.38% return, which is significantly lower than BALT's -0.13% return.

BAUG

• 1D: 2.07%
• 1M: -3.10%
• YTD: -2.38%
• 6M: -0.29%
• 1Y: 15.07%
• 3Y*: 15.67%
• 5Y*: 9.55%
• 10Y*: —

BALT

• 1D: 0.10%
• 1M: -0.87%
• YTD: -0.13%
• 6M: 1.97%
• 1Y: 6.64%
• 3Y*: 7.11%
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

BAUG vs. BALT - Expense Ratio Comparison

BAUG has a 0.79% expense ratio, which is higher than BALT's 0.69% expense ratio.

BAUG

Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - August

BALT

Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF

Return for Risk

BAUG vs. BALT — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

BAUG

BAUG Risk / Return Rank: 73
BAUG Sharpe Ratio Rank: 68
BAUG Sortino Ratio Rank: 71
BAUG Omega Ratio Rank: 76
BAUG Calmar Ratio Rank: 68
BAUG Martin Ratio Rank: 83

BALT

BALT Risk / Return Rank: 86
BALT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 81
BALT Sortino Ratio Rank: 87
BALT Omega Ratio Rank: 94
BALT Calmar Ratio Rank: 76
BALT Martin Ratio Rank: 92

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.

BAUG vs. BALT - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - August (BAUG) and Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF (BALT). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	BAUG	BALT	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.17	1.49	-0.32
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.77	2.29	-0.52
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.28	1.43	-0.15
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.72	1.91	-0.20
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	9.30	12.79	-3.49
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

BAUG vs. BALT - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current BAUG Sharpe Ratio is 1.17, which is comparable to the BALT Sharpe Ratio of 1.49. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of BAUG and BALT, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	BAUG	BALT	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.17	1.49	-0.32
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.82	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.75	1.70	-0.95

Correlation

The correlation between BAUG and BALT is 0.78, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

BAUG vs. BALT - Dividend Comparison

Neither BAUG nor BALT has paid dividends to shareholders.

Tickers have no history of dividend payments

Drawdowns

BAUG vs. BALT - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum BAUG drawdown since its inception was -24.19%, which is greater than BALT's maximum drawdown of -4.89%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for BAUG and BALT.

Drawdown Indicators

	BAUG	BALT	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-24.19%	-4.89%	-19.30%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-9.23%	-3.48%	-5.75%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-15.59%	—	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-3.70%	-1.05%	-2.65%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-2.91%	-0.35%	-2.56%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	1.70%	0.52%	+1.18%

Volatility

BAUG vs. BALT - Volatility Comparison

Innovator U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - August (BAUG) has a higher volatility of 3.97% compared to Innovator Defined Wealth Shield ETF (BALT) at 0.61%. This indicates that BAUG's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than BALT based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	BAUG	BALT	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	3.97%	0.61%	+3.36%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	6.21%	1.84%	+4.37%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	12.94%	4.48%	+8.46%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	11.66%	3.36%	+8.30%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	14.09%	3.36%	+10.73%