First Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF (MISL)


Market Price (8/17/2026): $48.18

First Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF (MISL)


Market Price (8/17/2026): $48.18

Key Takeaways

  • MISL has returned +12.2% YTD vs +14.2% for SPY; +24.8% over the past 12 months (SPY +21.7%). details →
  • Priced in gold, MISL has returned -7.7% over the past 3 years, vs +114.2% in dollars — its dollar gains have lagged gold. details →
  • Over the past month, MISL has seen net outflows of −$20M (−2.6% of assets). details →
  • MISL's portfolio trades at 36.4x forward earnings — a 362% premium to SPY (7.9x). details →
  • 83% of MISL's portfolio (by weight) is currently profitable, vs 98% for SPY. details →
Last updated: 8/16/2026.

Price Chart

Asset Allocation with MISL

Risk Tolerance:
ConservativeModerateAggressive
Moderate — 55% equity / 25% bonds / 20% alternatives
10Y Return (ann.)
+8.2%
Volatility
8.1%
Sharpe
0.68
YTD
+8.3%
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: 41.6% | Top 10: 61.7% | Top 20: 87.1%

TickerHoldingETF WeightSales WeightEarnings WeightFwd P/SFwd P/EFwd Sales GrowthFwd Earnings Growth
Total98.46%100.00%100.00%3.236.4+10.3%+14.7%
Top 2087.11%81.55%88.64%3.437.4+10.9%+14.2%
PLTRPalantir Technologies10.36%0.55%3.40%38.695.6+49.3%+40.0%
RTXRTX8.58%9.60%10.02%3.029.0+7.4%+8.7%
BABoeing7.85%14.53%4.75%1.796.5+14.8%
GEGE Aerospace7.65%3.65%8.15%7.142.5+11.1%+12.8%
SPCXSpace Exploration Technologies7.16%0.65%12.9614.4+84.7%
LMTLockheed Martin4.32%8.57%8.82%1.719.0+5.7%+7.1%
NOCNorthrop Grumman4.01%7.46%9.86%1.819.7+6.9%+4.0%
GDGeneral Dynamics3.96%7.32%7.55%1.921.7+4.8%+8.9%
HWMHowmet Aerospace3.93%1.12%2.89%10.950.2+13.2%+19.1%
HEIHeico3.89%1.32%2.67%9.154.4+10.2%+13.2%
LHXL3Harris Technologies3.73%5.69%5.81%2.222.2+7.6%+15.0%
RKLBRocket Lab3.70%0.20%42.7+43.3%
TDGTransDigm3.55%1.78%4.77%6.326.4+10.1%+17.3%
ASTSAST SpaceMobile2.69%0.05%41.7+330.7%
CWCurtiss-Wright2.59%1.32%2.47%6.542.3+8.1%+9.8%
FTAIFTAI Aviation2.23%1.12%2.25%4.322.0+59.6%+101.8%
WWDWoodward2.14%1.47%2.44%4.734.0+8.9%+13.4%
LDOSLeidos1.77%6.20%6.10%1.010.8+4.6%+5.3%
TXTTextron1.57%5.59%4.32%1.012.4+3.8%+12.4%
CACICACI International1.44%3.37%2.38%1.421.1+6.3%+13.9%
[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
8/16
1D Rtn1M RtnYTD Rtn1Y Rtn3Y Rtn5Y Rtn10Y Rtn
MISLFirst Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF100.00%48.030.0%12.9%12.2%24.8%114.2%  
PLTRPalantir Technologies10.36%174.040.0%31.5%-2.1%-1.8%1,130.0%626.1% 
RTXRTX8.58%222.970.0%15.6%22.9%46.8%178.0%188.3%337.2%
BABoeing7.85%231.670.0%8.2%6.7%-1.5%3.2%4.3%86.5%
GEGE Aerospace7.65%368.380.0%5.6%19.9%38.2%322.8%490.6%170.6%
SPCXSpace Exploration Technologies7.16%140.000.0%12.9%     
LMTLockheed Martin4.32%608.680.0%19.6%27.3%42.9%47.7%92.6%210.5%
NOCNorthrop Grumman4.01%585.870.0%12.3%3.5%1.9%43.5%72.3%215.3%
GDGeneral Dynamics3.96%395.780.0%7.4%19.1%28.4%88.9%120.5%222.5%
HWMHowmet Aerospace3.93%289.180.0%6.2%41.3%69.2%499.8%832.0%1,161.9%
HEIHeico3.89%374.670.0%9.3%15.9%21.8%128.9%194.5%906.2%
LHXL3Harris Technologies3.73%291.820.0%3.5%0.2%9.6%70.4%37.8%288.5%
RKLBRocket Lab3.70%80.250.0%18.7%15.0%81.3%1,343.3%700.1% 
TDGTransDigm3.55%1,256.900.0%3.5%-5.5%-3.2%74.3%150.6%605.3%
ASTSAST SpaceMobile2.69%70.980.0%22.8%-2.3%47.6%1,720.0%758.3% 
CWCurtiss-Wright2.59%699.310.0%-1.2%26.9%43.7%251.4%496.5%714.1%
FTAIFTAI Aviation2.23%217.130.0%4.9%10.9%51.2%562.3%1,014.0%3,782.2%
WWDWoodward2.14%370.560.0%-5.7%22.8%51.7%202.6%226.4%544.7%
LDOSLeidos1.77%143.830.0%35.1%-19.8%-18.2%54.5%55.2%327.4%
TXTTextron1.57%89.000.0%-2.7%2.1%12.9%19.4%24.0%122.5%
CACICACI International1.44%670.540.0%45.3%25.8%37.2%104.5%157.9%593.8%

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%11%135%
Peers Return15%-20%33%13%40%42%179%
S&P 500 Return27%-19%24%23%16%14%108%

Monthly Win Rates [3]
MISL Win Rate-100%58%58%83%50% 
Peers Win Rate58%45%62%58%67%72% 
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 8/14/2026 (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
IEMGiShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF-5.6%81.19816202686.00622202655
EEMiShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF-6.5%66.61816202671.21622202655
ASHRXtrackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares ETF-6.9%34.73816202637.30622202655
EWYiShares MSCI South Korea ETF-18.0%179.748162026219.20621202656
EWZiShares MSCI Brazil ETF-18.7%33.93816202641.734142026124
FXIiShares China Large-Cap ETF-10.1%34.89816202638.812222026175
ILFiShares Latin America 40 ETF-11.8%33.60816202638.104142026124
KWEBKraneShares CSI China Internet ETF-17.9%27.01816202632.892182026179
MTUMiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF-8.1%317.218162026345.22622202655
SPMOInvesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF-5.2%153.318162026161.66622202655
URAGlobal X Uranium ETF-22.9%44.93816202658.265062026102
BOTZGlobal X Funds Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF-9.3%37.74816202641.63513202695
ROBOROBO Global Robotics & Automation Index ETF-6.1%84.83816202690.34602202675
LITGlobal X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF-17.9%75.23816202691.62511202697
ICLNiShares Global Clean Energy ETF-23.3%18.21816202623.75602202675
ARKQARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF-9.3%130.398162026143.82528202680
ARKXARK Space & Defense Innovation ETF-7.6%34.86816202637.74528202680
NASATema Space Innovators ETF-37.0%26.38816202641.89527202681
AGIXKraneShares Artificial Intelligence ETF-5.5%46.68816202649.40601202676
XLCState Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF-5.2%112.958162026119.104192026119
XLUState Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF-6.5%44.31816202647.403012026168
SMHVanEck Semiconductor ETF-12.1%587.828162026668.91622202655
SOXXiShares Semiconductor ETF-16.0%550.428162026655.01622202655
MISLFirst Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF-5.2%48.03816202650.663022026167
RINGiShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF-21.1%78.46816202699.423012026168
SOXQInvesco PHLX Semiconductor ETF-15.1%97.748162026115.11622202655
TLTiShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF-8.0%82.04816202689.153012026168
VGLTVanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF-6.7%52.72816202656.533012026168
SPTLState Street SPDR Portfolio Long Term Treasury ETF-7.1%25.07816202626.993012026168
TLHiShares 10-20 Year Treasury Bond ETF-6.3%96.608162026103.083012026168
EDVVanguard World Funds Extended Duration ETF-11.8%59.43816202667.423012026168
SPLBState Street SPDR Portfolio Long Term Corporate Bond ETF-5.3%21.36816202622.552192026178
PDBCInvesco Optimum Yield Diversified Commodity Strategy No K-1 ETF-5.3%17.91816202618.91512202696
DBCInvesco DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund-5.3%30.00816202631.69512202696
COMTiShares GSCI Commodity Dynamic Roll Strategy ETF-8.1%33.59816202636.53519202689
GSGiShares GSCI Commodity-5.8%30.01816202631.853182026151
BCIabrdn Bloomberg All Commodity Strategy K-1 Free ETF-5.2%24.55816202625.91512202696
GLDSPDR Gold Trust-18.1%401.488162026490.003022026167
IAUiShares Gold Trust-18.0%82.288162026100.383022026167
GLDMSPDR Gold MiniShares Trust-18.0%86.588162026105.543022026167
SGOLETFS Physical Swiss Gold Shares-12.1%44.66816202650.813022026167
BARDirexion Daily Gold Bull 3X Shares-15.6%44.34816202652.533022026167
SLViShares Silver Trust-31.2%58.48816202684.993012026168
SIVRETFS Physical Silver Shares Trust ETF-6.6%83.39816202689.263012026168
PPLTETFS Physical Platinum Shares-26.1%15.87816202621.473012026168
CPERUnited States Copper Index Fund ETV-9.6%33.33816202636.883012026168
PALLETFS Physical Palladium Shares-26.5%23.93816202632.542242026173
USOUnited States Oil Fund LP-17.2%126.608162026152.96519202689
UNGUnited States Natural Gas Fund LP-23.9%9.92816202613.043122026157
BNOUnited States Brent Oil Fund LP ETV-7.1%55.85816202660.135042026104
IBITiShares Bitcoin Trust ETF-23.3%35.63816202646.47511202697
FBTCFidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund-23.3%54.74816202671.35511202697
ETHAiShares Ethereum Trust ETF-22.9%14.18816202618.384192026119

ETF Fund Flows

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

Net fund flows · as of 2026-08-14

Asset allocation rotation · Past month

  • Equity ETFs drew the largest net inflows (+$36.2B), followed by Bond (+$15.4B), with every major asset class in net inflows.
  • Within the mix, money rotated into US Nasdaq Growth (+$9.7B) and out of Industry Subsector (−$5.4B).
  • Relative to fund size, FINA drew the largest inflow (+46.8% of AUM) and FTXL the largest outflow (−66.7%).
Largest inflows
#TickerNameTypeNet flow% of AUM
1VOOVanguard S&P 500 ETFEquity US Large Cap Core+$12.17B+1.2%
2QQQInvesco QQQ Trust, Series 1Equity US Nasdaq Growth+$6.57B+1.4%
3SPYMState Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETFEquity US Large Cap Core+$5.51B+3.4%
4SGOViShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETFCash+$4.66B+4.7%
5TLTiShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETFBond Long Treasury+$4.23B+10.0%
6VTIVanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETFEquity US Total Market+$3.77B+0.6%
7SCHDSchwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETFEquity Dividend Income+$3.54B+3.4%
8QQQMInvesco NASDAQ 100 ETFEquity US Nasdaq Growth+$3.17B+3.2%
9EWYiShares MSCI South Korea ETFEquity Emerging Markets+$3.16B+12.6%
10GLDSPDR Gold SharesCommodity Gold+$2.94B+2.2%
Largest outflows
#TickerNameTypeNet flow% of AUM
1IVViShares Core S&P 500 ETFEquity US Large Cap Core-$13.57B-1.5%
2IEFiShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETFBond Intermediate Treasury-$4.12B-8.7%
3SOXXiShares Semiconductor ETFEquity Industry Subsector-$4.1B-9.2%
4IWMiShares Russell 2000 ETFEquity US Small Cap Core-$1.64B-2.0%
5IWFiShares Russell 1000 Growth ETFEquity US Large Growth-$1.33B-1.1%
6LQDiShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETFBond Intermediate Corporate-$1.27B-3.8%
7IWRiShares Russell Mid-Cap ETFEquity US Mid Cap Core-$1.18B-2.1%
8VOVanguard Morningstar Mid-Cap ETFEquity US Mid Cap Core-$1.09B-1.0%
9FTXLFirst Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETFOther-$909M-66.7%
10VUGVanguard Morningstar Growth ETFEquity US Large Growth-$817M-0.4%

Largest ETF fund flows across ~2616 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)0.066.786.901.765.98-5.98
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 Value47.45587.72550.67198.26156.83253.24-
Premium/Discount1.2%0.0%-0.0%0.0%0.4%-0.0%0.0%
Distribution Yield0.3%0.2%0.3%0.2%0.4%0.0%0.2%
Sales Yield28.2%7.0%7.2%12.6%8.8%28.1%10.7%
Earnings Yield2.2%2.2%2.0%1.9%1.2%2.5%2.1%

Valuation

MISLSMHSOXXIBBXBIITAMedian
NameFirst Trus.VanEck Sem.iShares Se.iShares Bi.State Stre.iShares U.. 
P/S (TTM)3.5x14.4x13.8x7.9x11.4x3.6x9.7x
P/E (TTM)44.7x45.4x50.7x52.3x82.9x40.7x48.1x
P/FCF (TTM)62.5x51.7x57.3x--43.0x54.5x
Forward P/E36.4x---58.7x34.0x36.4x
Forward P/S3.2x---7.7x3.2x3.2x

Risk

MISLSMHSOXXIBBXBIITAMedian
NameFirst Trus.VanEck Sem.iShares Se.iShares Bi.State Stre.iShares U.. 
Volatility (1Y)25.2%38.8%44.9%20.4%27.0%22.7%26.1%
Volatility (3Y)20.7%36.8%39.3%20.4%27.6%19.9%24.1%
Volatility (5Y)19.8%36.5%38.3%22.1%32.3%20.2%27.2%
Beta (1Y)1.172.382.600.761.031.021.10
Beta (3Y)0.861.972.050.811.030.850.94
Beta (5Y)0.811.761.810.861.160.811.01
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.961.921.961.922.241.241.92
Sharpe Ratio (3Y)1.281.431.220.830.971.421.25
Sharpe Ratio (5Y)1.251.010.870.250.300.980.92
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%-39.8%-54.0%-18.7%-42.6%

Returns

MISLSMHSOXXIBBXBIITAMedian
NameFirst Trus.VanEck Sem.iShares Se.iShares Bi.State Stre.iShares U.. 
1M Return12.4%3.3%3.8%4.6%3.6%9.7%4.2%
3M Return4.8%1.6%3.8%15.7%16.7%12.8%8.8%
6M Return1.0%44.7%56.7%16.3%27.8%9.0%22.0%
YTD Return12.2%63.2%82.9%17.6%29.1%18.0%23.6%
1Y Return23.5%95.7%117.7%45.0%76.5%29.2%60.7%
2Y Return63.8%163.4%162.9%40.2%65.4%82.7%74.0%
3Y Return107.3%296.4%236.2%56.5%99.7%120.1%113.7%

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