HISF vs. VTI

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about First Trust High Income Strategic Focus ETF (HISF) and Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI).

HISF and VTI are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. HISF is an actively managed fund by First Trust. It was launched on Aug 13, 2014. VTI is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the CRSP US Total Market Index. It was launched on Jun 27, 2016.

Performance

HISF vs. VTI - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in First Trust High Income Strategic Focus ETF (HISF) and Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

HISF vs. VTI - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024
HISF First Trust High Income Strategic Focus ETF	-0.74%	8.39%	3.30%
VTI Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF	-4.01%	17.10%	16.77%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, HISF achieves a -0.74% return, which is significantly higher than VTI's -4.01% return.

HISF

• 1D: 0.60%
• 1M: -1.96%
• YTD: -0.74%
• 6M: 0.66%
• 1Y: 5.20%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

VTI

• 1D: 2.93%
• 1M: -5.00%
• YTD: -4.01%
• 6M: -1.66%
• 1Y: 18.11%
• 3Y*: 17.84%
• 5Y*: 10.46%
• 10Y*: 13.60%

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

HISF vs. VTI - Expense Ratio Comparison

HISF has a 0.87% expense ratio, which is higher than VTI's 0.03% expense ratio.

HISF

First Trust High Income Strategic Focus ETF

VTI

Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF

Return for Risk

HISF vs. VTI — Risk / Return Rank

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

HISF

HISF Risk / Return Rank: 74
HISF Sharpe Ratio Rank: 77
HISF Sortino Ratio Rank: 77
HISF Omega Ratio Rank: 72
HISF Calmar Ratio Rank: 71
HISF Martin Ratio Rank: 72

VTI

VTI Risk / Return Rank: 65
VTI Sharpe Ratio Rank: 58
VTI Sortino Ratio Rank: 62
VTI Omega Ratio Rank: 65
VTI Calmar Ratio Rank: 65
VTI Martin Ratio Rank: 75

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.

HISF vs. VTI - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust High Income Strategic Focus ETF (HISF) and Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI). 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.

	HISF	VTI	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.42	0.96	+0.47
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.98	1.48	+0.49
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.27	1.23	+0.04
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.83	1.52	+0.31
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	7.59	7.26	+0.33
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

HISF vs. VTI - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current HISF Sharpe Ratio is 1.42, which is higher than the VTI Sharpe Ratio of 0.96. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of HISF and VTI, 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

	HISF	VTI	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.42	0.96	+0.47
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	0.60	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	—	0.75	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.32	0.48	+0.84

Correlation

The correlation between HISF and VTI is 0.30, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

HISF vs. VTI - Dividend Comparison

HISF's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 4.92%, more than VTI's 1.17% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
HISF First Trust High Income Strategic Focus ETF	4.92%	4.69%	3.92%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
VTI Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF	1.17%	1.12%	1.27%	1.44%	1.66%	1.21%	1.42%	1.78%	2.04%	1.71%	1.92%	1.98%

Drawdowns

HISF vs. VTI - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum HISF drawdown since its inception was -3.86%, smaller than the maximum VTI drawdown of -55.45%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for HISF and VTI.

Drawdown Indicators

	HISF	VTI	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-3.86%	-55.45%	+51.59%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-2.90%	-12.30%	+9.40%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-25.36%	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	—	-35.00%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-1.96%	-6.25%	+4.29%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-0.86%	-8.08%	+7.22%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.70%	2.58%	-1.88%

Volatility

HISF vs. VTI - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for First Trust High Income Strategic Focus ETF (HISF) is 1.76%, while Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) has a volatility of 5.45%. This indicates that HISF experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than VTI based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	HISF	VTI	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	1.76%	5.45%	-3.69%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	2.26%	9.73%	-7.47%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	3.67%	19.01%	-15.34%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	3.96%	17.42%	-13.46%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	3.96%	18.29%	-14.33%