LGOV vs. MGOV

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about First Trust Long Duration Opportunities ETF (LGOV) and First Trust Intermediate Government Opportunities ETF (MGOV).

LGOV and MGOV are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. LGOV is an actively managed fund by First Trust. It was launched on Jan 22, 2019. MGOV is an actively managed fund by First Trust. It was launched on Aug 2, 2023.

Performance

LGOV vs. MGOV - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in First Trust Long Duration Opportunities ETF (LGOV) and First Trust Intermediate Government Opportunities ETF (MGOV). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

LGOV vs. MGOV - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023
LGOV First Trust Long Duration Opportunities ETF	-0.22%	9.13%	-2.05%	5.22%
MGOV First Trust Intermediate Government Opportunities ETF	0.21%	8.54%	1.55%	4.56%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, LGOV achieves a -0.22% return, which is significantly lower than MGOV's 0.21% return.

LGOV

• 1D: -0.09%
• 1M: -2.88%
• YTD: -0.22%
• 6M: 0.63%
• 1Y: 3.92%
• 3Y*: 2.14%
• 5Y*: -1.23%
• 10Y*: —

MGOV

• 1D: -0.07%
• 1M: -1.89%
• YTD: 0.21%
• 6M: 1.53%
• 1Y: 4.74%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

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

LGOV vs. MGOV - Expense Ratio Comparison

LGOV has a 0.70% expense ratio, which is higher than MGOV's 0.65% expense ratio.

LGOV

First Trust Long Duration Opportunities ETF

MGOV

First Trust Intermediate Government Opportunities ETF

Return for Risk

LGOV vs. MGOV — Risk / Return Rank

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

LGOV

LGOV Risk / Return Rank: 26
LGOV Sharpe Ratio Rank: 26
LGOV Sortino Ratio Rank: 24
LGOV Omega Ratio Rank: 22
LGOV Calmar Ratio Rank: 33
LGOV Martin Ratio Rank: 26

MGOV

MGOV Risk / Return Rank: 42
MGOV Sharpe Ratio Rank: 46
MGOV Sortino Ratio Rank: 44
MGOV Omega Ratio Rank: 36
MGOV Calmar Ratio Rank: 47
MGOV Martin Ratio Rank: 37

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.

LGOV vs. MGOV - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Long Duration Opportunities ETF (LGOV) and First Trust Intermediate Government Opportunities ETF (MGOV). 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.

	LGOV	MGOV	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.50	0.91	-0.41
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.74	1.31	-0.57
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.09	1.16	-0.07
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.90	1.43	-0.53
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	2.21	4.09	-1.88
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

LGOV vs. MGOV - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current LGOV Sharpe Ratio is 0.50, which is lower than the MGOV Sharpe Ratio of 0.91. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of LGOV and MGOV, 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

	LGOV	MGOV	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.50	0.91	-0.41
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.14	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.14	0.93	-0.80

Correlation

The correlation between LGOV and MGOV is 0.87, 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

LGOV vs. MGOV - Dividend Comparison

LGOV's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 4.18%, less than MGOV's 4.96% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
LGOV First Trust Long Duration Opportunities ETF	4.18%	4.02%	4.03%	3.59%	1.97%	2.58%	3.75%	3.01%
MGOV First Trust Intermediate Government Opportunities ETF	4.96%	4.95%	5.05%	1.47%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

LGOV vs. MGOV - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum LGOV drawdown since its inception was -30.86%, which is greater than MGOV's maximum drawdown of -6.11%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for LGOV and MGOV.

Drawdown Indicators

	LGOV	MGOV	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-30.86%	-6.11%	-24.75%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-5.01%	-3.57%	-1.44%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-28.14%	—	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-14.98%	-2.36%	-12.62%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-13.04%	-1.59%	-11.45%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.03%	1.25%	+0.78%

Volatility

LGOV vs. MGOV - Volatility Comparison

First Trust Long Duration Opportunities ETF (LGOV) has a higher volatility of 2.76% compared to First Trust Intermediate Government Opportunities ETF (MGOV) at 1.77%. This indicates that LGOV's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than MGOV based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	LGOV	MGOV	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	2.76%	1.77%	+0.99%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	4.68%	3.03%	+1.65%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	7.83%	5.22%	+2.61%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	9.01%	6.01%	+3.00%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	9.26%	6.01%	+3.25%