First Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF (MISL)


Market Price (8/23/2026): $45.505

First Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF (MISL)


Market Price (8/23/2026): $45.505

Key Takeaways

  • MISL has returned +6.4% YTD vs +12.6% for SPY; +17.5% over the past 12 months (SPY +19.7%). details →
  • Priced in gold, MISL has returned -17.1% over the past 3 years, vs +99.7% in dollars — its dollar gains have lagged gold. details →
  • Over the past month, MISL has seen net outflows of −$22M (−2.9% of assets). details →
  • MISL's portfolio trades at 34.2x forward earnings — a 305% premium to SPY (8.5x). details →
  • MISL's top 10 holdings represent 61% of the fund vs 37% for SPY — a more concentrated portfolio. details →
Last updated: 8/22/2026.

Price Chart

Asset Allocation with MISL

Risk Tolerance:
ConservativeModerateAggressive
Moderate — 55% equity / 25% bonds / 20% alternatives
10Y Return (ann.)
+8.0%
Volatility
7.9%
Sharpe
0.66
YTD
+6.0%
Modeled with monthly rebalancing to target weights; 10-year figures are annualized from monthly returns. Illustrative only — past performance is not indicative of future results.

Learn More →
Tailored Asset Allocation
[1] Personalized 5 Level Risk Tolerance Assessment
[2] Asset Allocation for My Risk Tolerance
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Protect Wealth
[1] Defensive Portfolios
[2] Tax-Efficient Strategies

Top 20 Holdings for MISL

Total Weights
Top 5: 41.3% | Top 10: 61.2% | Top 20: 86.8%

TickerHoldingETF WeightSales WeightEarnings WeightFwd P/SFwd P/EFwd Sales GrowthFwd Earnings Growth
Total99.73%100.00%100.00%3.034.2+11.3%+15.5%
Top 2086.76%80.05%86.91%3.235.3+12.0%+15.6%
PLTRPalantir Technologies10.13%0.49%3.02%39.898.8+49.4%+40.0%
RTXRTX8.42%9.41%9.81%2.827.1+7.4%+8.8%
GEGE Aerospace7.65%3.63%8.09%6.740.2+11.1%+12.8%
BABoeing7.57%14.24%4.64%1.696.4+14.8%
SPCXSpace Exploration Technologies7.49%0.65%9.6210.2+139.0%+260.6%
LMTLockheed Martin4.22%8.50%8.73%1.517.6+5.7%+6.9%
HWMHowmet Aerospace3.97%1.13%2.92%9.944.6+13.4%+20.3%
HEIHeico3.94%1.32%2.68%8.651.3+10.2%+13.2%
NOCNorthrop Grumman3.93%7.30%9.64%1.718.4+6.9%+4.1%
GDGeneral Dynamics3.88%6.95%7.16%1.821.0+4.9%+9.0%
RKLBRocket Lab3.77%0.22%36.6+46.0%
TDGTransDigm3.57%1.76%4.70%6.025.0+10.1%+17.5%
LHXL3Harris Technologies3.56%5.58%5.69%2.020.4+7.0%+15.0%
ASTSAST SpaceMobile2.77%0.05%38.6+351.0%
CWCurtiss-Wright2.58%1.36%2.54%5.938.1+8.2%+10.2%
FTAIFTAI Aviation2.34%1.15%2.30%3.922.1+65.6%+103.4%
WWDWoodward2.21%1.54%2.55%4.431.5+8.9%+12.3%
LDOSLeidos1.79%6.02%5.91%0.910.6+4.7%+4.6%
TXTTextron1.53%5.50%4.24%0.911.5+3.7%+12.4%
CACICACI International1.44%3.26%2.30%1.318.7+6.7%+12.3%
[1] Total and Top 20 rows are weighted aggregates across constituents.
[2] Forward P/S and P/E ratios use consensus sales and earnings for the 12 months ending 8/31/27. Individual constituent FY1 and FY2 consensus figures adjusted to align with 8/31/27.
[3] Forward Sales and Non-GAAP Earnings Growth are calculated as next fiscal year (FY2) consensus growth over current fiscal year (FY1) consensus. They are not derived from the forward P/S and P/E multiples shown.

Performance for MISL Top Holdings

TickerHoldingWeightMkt Price
8/22
1D Rtn1M RtnYTD Rtn1Y Rtn3Y Rtn5Y Rtn10Y Rtn
MISLFirst Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF100.00%45.530.0%4.8%6.4%17.5%99.7%  
PLTRPalantir Technologies10.13%179.940.0%45.9%1.2%13.4%1,076.1%625.0% 
RTXRTX8.42%209.910.0%0.7%15.7%36.3%159.0%175.1%316.8%
GEGE Aerospace7.65%348.370.0%-0.2%13.4%31.4%291.0%462.1%157.7%
BABoeing7.57%214.200.0%2.4%-1.3%-6.9%-6.3%-2.4%74.7%
SPCXSpace Exploration Technologies7.49%136.970.0%15.8%     
LMTLockheed Martin4.22%563.570.0%-0.9%17.9%29.7%34.4%80.5%195.9%
HWMHowmet Aerospace3.97%271.680.0%-5.3%32.7%59.2%457.4%756.0%1,134.0%
HEIHeico3.94%355.040.0%4.3%9.8%14.8%115.2%177.4%846.4%
NOCNorthrop Grumman3.93%551.030.0%3.3%-2.6%-5.5%33.3%64.6%202.3%
GDGeneral Dynamics3.88%384.290.0%0.7%15.7%22.4%81.4%115.5%213.4%
RKLBRocket Lab3.77%72.570.0%3.7%4.0%63.5%1,123.8%555.6% 
TDGTransDigm3.57%1,200.350.0%-1.1%-9.7%-8.9%62.2%139.5%575.6%
LHXL3Harris Technologies3.56%266.730.0%-11.0%-8.5%-1.7%58.8%26.7%253.6%
ASTSAST SpaceMobile2.77%68.650.0%16.0%-5.5%45.8%1,721.0%641.4% 
CWCurtiss-Wright2.58%634.990.0%-15.3%15.3%32.2%210.1%445.9%639.9%
FTAIFTAI Aviation2.34%209.700.0%-3.1%7.1%43.1%498.2%981.0%3,565.1%
WWDWoodward2.21%343.260.0%-16.6%13.8%38.9%174.7%196.5%494.8%
LDOSLeidos1.79%141.390.0%28.2%-21.2%-21.4%53.2%56.5%314.2%
TXTTextron1.53%82.950.0%-11.0%-4.8%1.8%9.8%16.6%105.1%
CACICACI International1.44%647.390.0%34.7%21.5%34.5%95.6%151.4%564.1%

Guidance Updates for MISL Top Holdings

 TickerCompanyEarnings DateGuidance MetricMidpoint Value% ChangeGuidance Change
CACI_8052026CACICACI International8/5/20262027 Revenue10.75 Bil12.6%Higher NewNew Guidance Higher than Prior Actual of 9.55 Bil for 2026
HWM_8062026HWMHowmet Aerospace8/6/2026Q3 2026 Revenue2.58 Bil7.3%Higher NewNew Guidance Higher than Prior Actual of 2.40 Bil for Q2 2026
PLTR_8032026PLTRPalantir Technologies8/3/20262026 Revenue8.15 Bil6.5%RaisedRaised Prior Guidance of 7.66 Bil for 2026
RKLB_8102026RKLBRocket Lab8/10/2026Q3 2026 Revenue257.50 Mil10.8%Higher NewNew Guidance Higher than Prior Actual of 232.50 Mil for Q2 2026

Return vs. Risk

Price Returns Compared

 202120222023202420252026Total [1]
Returns
MISL Return-8%15%20%41%6%123%
Peers Return15%-20%33%13%40%40%175%
S&P 500 Return27%-19%24%23%16%12%103%

Monthly Win Rates [3]
MISL Win Rate-100%58%58%83%50% 
Peers Win Rate58%45%62%58%67%70% 
S&P 500 Win Rate75%42%67%75%67%50% 

Max Drawdowns [4]
MISL Max Drawdown---10%-10%-16%-17% 
Peers Max Drawdown-20%-37%-19%-18%-26%-18% 
S&P 500 Max Drawdown-5%-25%-10%-8%-19%-9% 


[1] Cumulative total returns since the beginning of 2021
[2] Peers: SMH, SOXX, IBB, XBI, ITA.
[3] Win Rate = % of calendar months in which monthly returns were positive
[4] Max drawdown represents maximum peak-to-trough decline within a year
[5] 2026 data is for the year up to 8/21/2026 (YTD)

Sharpe Ratios Compared

One measure of reward vs. risk is a Sharpe ratio. A higher ratio indicates better risk-adjusted returns. Most funds have Sharpe ratios < 1.0.

Ticker1Y3Y5Y
MISL0.340.910.91
Equity Top Results (3Y)   
IALT2.112.112.11
SPMO0.891.380.82
VLUE2.491.260.69
CORO1.331.251.25
CGDV1.351.230.94

Results as of 7312026.

MISL Dip Buy History


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Current Dip Buy Opportunities Across ETFs

ETFs currently down 5% or more from trailing 6M peaks.

TickerNameDip %Mkt PricePrice DatePeak PricePeak Date# Days
MAGSRoundhill Magnificent Seven ETF-5.2%67.28822202670.945142026100
IEMGiShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF-5.2%81.57822202686.00622202661
EEMiShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF-5.7%67.12822202671.21622202661
ASHRXtrackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares ETF-7.5%34.49822202637.30622202661
EWYiShares MSCI South Korea ETF-18.6%178.348222026219.20621202662
EWZiShares MSCI Brazil ETF-16.0%35.06822202641.734142026130
FXIiShares China Large-Cap ETF-7.6%35.86822202638.812222026181
ILFiShares Latin America 40 ETF-9.0%34.68822202638.104142026130
KWEBKraneShares CSI China Internet ETF-18.5%26.66822202632.702222026181
MTUMiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF-11.6%305.178222026345.22622202661
SPMOInvesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF-8.0%148.738222026161.66622202661
URAGlobal X Uranium ETF-20.9%46.07822202658.265062026108
BOTZGlobal X Funds Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF-13.4%36.04822202641.635132026101
ROBOROBO Global Robotics & Automation Index ETF-10.2%81.17822202690.34602202681
LITGlobal X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF-16.4%76.61822202691.625112026103
ICLNiShares Global Clean Energy ETF-25.9%17.59822202623.75602202681
ARKQARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF-12.7%125.588222026143.82528202686
ARKXARK Space & Defense Innovation ETF-11.9%33.25822202637.74528202686
NASATema Space Innovators ETF-41.2%24.64822202641.89527202687
AGIXKraneShares Artificial Intelligence ETF-9.2%44.85822202649.40601202682
VGTVanguard Information Technology ETF-5.7%118.428222026125.62602202681
XLKState Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF-7.5%183.318222026198.21602202681
XLCState Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF-6.5%111.408222026119.104192026125
XLUState Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF-9.8%42.77822202647.403012026174
SMHVanEck Semiconductor ETF-16.2%560.428222026668.91622202661
SOXXiShares Semiconductor ETF-20.6%520.058222026655.01622202661
ITAiShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF-6.3%237.348222026253.2281620266
MISLFirst Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF-10.1%45.53822202650.663022026173
RINGiShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF-8.6%90.85822202699.423012026174
SOXQInvesco PHLX Semiconductor ETF-19.7%92.428222026115.11622202661
TLTiShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF-8.0%82.05822202689.153012026174
VGLTVanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF-6.7%52.75822202656.533012026174
SPTLState Street SPDR Portfolio Long Term Treasury ETF-7.1%25.09822202626.993012026174
TLHiShares 10-20 Year Treasury Bond ETF-6.2%96.698222026103.083012026174
EDVVanguard World Funds Extended Duration ETF-11.7%59.51822202667.423012026174
SPLBState Street SPDR Portfolio Long Term Corporate Bond ETF-5.3%21.33822202622.522262026177
GSGiShares GSCI Commodity-5.8%30.01822202631.853182026157
GLDSPDR Gold Trust-13.6%423.368222026490.003022026173
IAUiShares Gold Trust-13.5%86.798222026100.383022026173
GLDMSPDR Gold MiniShares Trust-13.5%91.328222026105.543022026173
SGOLETFS Physical Swiss Gold Shares-12.1%44.66822202650.813022026173
BARDirexion Daily Gold Bull 3X Shares-15.6%44.34822202652.533022026173
SLViShares Silver Trust-26.2%62.72822202684.993012026174
SIVRETFS Physical Silver Shares Trust ETF-6.6%83.39822202689.263012026174
PPLTETFS Physical Platinum Shares-20.7%17.02822202621.473012026174
CPERUnited States Copper Index Fund ETV-9.6%33.33822202636.883012026174
PALLETFS Physical Palladium Shares-24.9%24.45822202632.542242026179
USOUnited States Oil Fund LP-12.0%134.648222026152.96519202695
UNGUnited States Natural Gas Fund LP-23.4%9.99822202613.043122026163
BNOUnited States Brent Oil Fund LP ETV-7.1%55.85822202660.135042026110
IBITiShares Bitcoin Trust ETF-6.0%43.68822202646.475112026103
FBTCFidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund-6.1%67.02822202671.355112026103

ETF Fund Flows

Largest fund inflows and outflows across ETFs, with the asset-allocation rotation they imply.

Net fund flows · as of 2026-08-21

Asset allocation rotation · Past month

  • Equity ETFs drew the largest net inflows (+$50.4B), followed by Bond (+$16.7B), while Real Estate (−$122M) saw the largest outflows.
  • Within the mix, money rotated into US Nasdaq Growth (+$20.1B) and out of Industry Subsector (−$2.3B).
  • Relative to fund size, CNEQ drew the largest inflow (+88.2% of AUM) and FTXL the largest outflow (−69.2%).
Largest inflows
#TickerNameTypeNet flow% of AUM
1QQQInvesco QQQ Trust, Series 1Equity US Nasdaq Growth+$16.26B+3.4%
2VOOVanguard S&P 500 ETFEquity US Large Cap Core+$14.81B+1.4%
3SGOViShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETFCash+$5.65B+5.6%
4GLDSPDR Gold SharesCommodity Gold+$5.54B+3.9%
5SPYMState Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETFEquity US Large Cap Core+$5.23B+3.1%
6TLTiShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETFBond Long Treasury+$4.9B+11.2%
7VTIVanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETFEquity US Total Market+$3.96B+0.6%
8SCHDSchwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETFEquity Dividend Income+$3.92B+3.7%
9QQQMInvesco NASDAQ 100 ETFEquity US Nasdaq Growth+$3.87B+3.8%
10AVLVAvantis U.S. Large Cap Value ETFOther+$2.97B+16.2%
Largest outflows
#TickerNameTypeNet flow% of AUM
1IVViShares Core S&P 500 ETFEquity US Large Cap Core-$15.73B-1.8%
2IEFiShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETFBond Intermediate Treasury-$4.29B-9.5%
3XLFState Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETFEquity Broad Sector-$1.75B-3.0%
4LQDiShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETFBond Intermediate Corporate-$1.49B-4.5%
5SOXXiShares Semiconductor ETFEquity Industry Subsector-$1.34B-3.1%
6SMHVanEck Semiconductor ETFEquity Industry Subsector-$1.21B-1.8%
7IWMiShares Russell 2000 ETFEquity US Small Cap Core-$1.13B-1.4%
8FTXLFirst Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETFOther-$920M-69.2%
9EWZiShares MSCI Brazil ETFEquity Emerging Markets-$891M-9.9%
10MTUMiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETFEquity Factor Smart Beta-$821M-3.2%

Largest ETF fund flows across ~2622 funds (min AUM $100M). Net creations/redemptions; leveraged & inverse ETFs excluded. A ⚠ marks a day excluded as a suspected data error.

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About MISL

0Holdings Count: 49
Expense Ratio: 0.6%
Inception Date: 2022-10-25
First Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF
The First Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF aims to mirror the financial performance, specifically the capital appreciation and income generation, of the Indxx US Aerospace & Defense Index, before factoring in its operational costs. Typically, under ordinary market circumstances, the Fund allocates a minimum of 80% of its net assets, including any capital acquired through borrowing, to the equity securities composing that benchmark index.
Asset Class: Sector Equity | ETF Website

Recent Active Movers

Peer Comparisons

Peers to compare with:

Profile

MISLSMHSOXXIBBXBIITAMedian
NameFirst Trus.VanEck Sem.iShares Se.iShares Bi.State Stre.iShares U.. 
Asset ClassEquityEquityEquityEquityEquityEquity-
AUM ($ Bil)0.871.843.59.910.615.212.9
Expense Ratio0.60%0.35%0.33%0.44%0.35%0.37%0.36%
10-D Avg Volume (Mil)0.4210.719.371.508.610.795.05
Latest Day Volume (Mil)0.058.648.262.3914.05-8.26
Holdings Count4926302471554949
Inception Date10/25/202212/20/20117/10/20012/5/20011/31/20065/1/2006-

Fundamentals

MISLSMHSOXXIBBXBIITAMedian
NameFirst Trus.VanEck Sem.iShares Se.iShares Bi.State Stre.iShares U.. 
Net Asset Value47.78587.72550.67198.26156.83253.24-
Premium/Discount-4.7%-4.6%-5.6%7.7%5.7%-6.3%-4.7%
Distribution Yield0.4%0.2%0.3%0.2%0.3%0.0%0.2%
Sales Yield29.6%7.4%7.8%11.9%8.3%30.1%10.1%
Earnings Yield2.4%2.3%2.1%1.8%1.1%2.6%2.2%

Valuation

MISLSMHSOXXIBBXBIITAMedian
NameFirst Trus.VanEck Sem.iShares Se.iShares Bi.State Stre.iShares U.. 
P/S (TTM)3.4x13.5x12.9x8.4x12.0x3.3x10.2x
P/E (TTM)42.5x42.9x47.7x55.2x87.6x38.2x45.3x
P/FCF (TTM)60.5x49.0x53.9x--40.5x51.5x
Forward P/E34.2x---64.9x31.8x34.2x
Forward P/S3.0x---8.1x3.0x3.0x

Risk

MISLSMHSOXXIBBXBIITAMedian
NameFirst Trus.VanEck Sem.iShares Se.iShares Bi.State Stre.iShares U.. 
Volatility (1Y)25.4%39.0%45.1%21.7%27.8%23.1%26.6%
Volatility (3Y)20.8%36.8%39.4%20.9%27.8%20.1%24.3%
Volatility (5Y)19.9%36.6%38.4%22.3%32.4%20.3%27.3%
Beta (1Y)1.182.352.570.771.041.021.11
Beta (3Y)0.861.972.050.821.030.850.95
Beta (5Y)0.811.761.810.861.160.811.01
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.811.901.922.122.381.001.91
Sharpe Ratio (3Y)1.221.411.200.961.051.341.21
Sharpe Ratio (5Y)1.170.990.850.330.340.920.88
Max Drawdown (1Y)-17.1%-24.6%-29.0%-9.6%-10.5%-15.8%-16.5%
Max Drawdown (3Y)-17.9%-35.7%-41.4%-24.9%-33.0%-15.8%-28.9%
Max Drawdown (5Y)-17.9%-45.3%-45.8%-39.7%-54.0%-18.7%-42.5%

Returns

MISLSMHSOXXIBBXBIITAMedian
NameFirst Trus.VanEck Sem.iShares Se.iShares Bi.State Stre.iShares U.. 
1M Return4.8%-3.4%-5.7%13.0%8.9%-0.4%2.2%
3M Return-0.3%-1.3%-0.9%26.3%24.8%6.4%3.0%
6M Return-8.2%35.0%44.8%22.6%32.8%-2.5%27.7%
YTD Return6.4%55.6%72.8%26.6%35.9%10.6%31.3%
1Y Return19.0%94.5%114.3%54.7%86.4%22.7%70.5%
2Y Return50.2%128.9%127.5%48.2%70.2%66.9%68.5%
3Y Return101.0%287.8%229.5%70.7%113.4%111.2%112.3%

Short Interest

Short Interest: As Of Date7312026
Short Interest: Shares Quantity0.0 Mil
Short Interest: % Change Since 7152026-37.7%
Average Daily Volume0.1 Mil
Days-to-Cover Short Interest1