First Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF (MISL)


Market Price (8/30/2026): $44.62

First Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF (MISL)


Market Price (8/30/2026): $44.62

Key Takeaways

  • MISL has returned +4.3% YTD vs +13.1% for SPY; +14.2% over the past 12 months (SPY +20.3%). details →
  • Priced in gold, MISL has returned -15.3% over the past 3 years, vs +94.2% in dollars — its dollar gains have lagged gold. details →
  • Over the past month, MISL has seen net outflows of −$9M (−1.2% of assets). details →
  • MISL's portfolio trades at 33.2x forward earnings — a 287% premium to SPY (8.6x). details →
  • MISL's top 10 holdings represent 63% of the fund vs 37% for SPY — a more concentrated portfolio. details →
Last updated: 8/29/2026.

Price Chart

Asset Allocation with MISL

Risk Tolerance:
ConservativeModerateAggressive
Moderate — 55% equity / 25% bonds / 20% alternatives
10Y Return (ann.)
+7.8%
Volatility
7.9%
Sharpe
0.65
YTD
+4.5%
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
Learn More →
Protect Wealth
[1] Defensive Portfolios
[2] Tax-Efficient Strategies

Top 20 Holdings for MISL

Total Weights
Top 5: 42.2% | Top 10: 62.5% | Top 20: 87.5%

TickerHoldingETF WeightSales WeightEarnings WeightFwd P/SFwd P/EFwd Sales GrowthFwd Earnings Growth
Total99.70%100.00%100.00%2.933.2+11.2%+16.3%
Top 2087.48%80.09%87.07%3.234.4+11.9%+16.5%
PLTRPalantir Technologies11.08%0.50%3.10%41.1102.3+49.5%+40.0%
RTXRTX8.53%9.19%9.56%2.827.3+7.4%+8.8%
GEGE Aerospace7.60%3.56%7.93%6.639.5+11.1%+12.8%
BABoeing7.56%14.13%4.60%1.594.4+14.8%
SPCXSpace Exploration Technologies7.42%0.61%9.9217.2+139.0%+260.6%
LMTLockheed Martin4.30%8.42%8.64%1.517.6+5.7%+6.9%
GDGeneral Dynamics4.09%7.21%7.41%1.820.8+4.9%+9.0%
NOCNorthrop Grumman4.06%7.41%9.77%1.718.2+6.9%+4.1%
HEIHeico4.01%1.46%3.00%8.047.4+11.0%+12.4%
HWMHowmet Aerospace3.88%1.10%2.84%9.643.4+13.3%+20.6%
TDGTransDigm3.71%1.80%4.81%5.924.7+10.1%+17.5%
LHXL3Harris Technologies3.61%5.58%5.69%2.020.1+7.0%+15.0%
RKLBRocket Lab3.36%0.21%32.5+46.0%
ASTSAST SpaceMobile2.60%0.06%32.6+351.0%
CWCurtiss-Wright2.44%1.34%2.49%5.535.8+8.2%+10.2%
FTAIFTAI Aviation2.19%1.12%2.25%3.618.0+65.6%+140.5%
WWDWoodward2.13%1.45%2.40%4.331.4+8.9%+12.3%
LDOSLeidos1.87%6.14%6.02%0.910.5+4.7%+4.6%
TXTTextron1.53%5.37%4.14%0.911.5+3.7%+12.4%
CACICACI International1.51%3.43%2.42%1.318.1+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
8/29
1D Rtn1M RtnYTD Rtn1Y Rtn3Y Rtn5Y Rtn10Y Rtn
MISLFirst Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF100.00%44.640.0%4.2%4.3%14.2%94.2%  
PLTRPalantir Technologies11.08%186.290.0%52.4%4.8%18.9%1,040.8%623.2% 
RTXRTX8.53%211.710.0%-0.9%16.7%35.5%160.0%178.0%326.5%
GEGE Aerospace7.60%342.580.0%-3.5%11.5%25.1%281.7%430.6%153.2%
BABoeing7.56%209.820.0%-5.0%-3.4%-10.6%-8.3%-3.6%76.2%
SPCXSpace Exploration Technologies7.42%141.500.0%26.1%     
LMTLockheed Martin4.30%563.850.0%-1.8%18.0%27.1%35.1%78.2%200.3%
GDGeneral Dynamics4.09%379.320.0%-0.8%14.2%18.9%77.2%111.5%209.5%
NOCNorthrop Grumman4.06%545.570.0%2.0%-3.6%-6.1%31.3%60.2%200.7%
HEIHeico4.01%336.530.0%-5.0%4.1%7.9%99.8%169.0%879.9%
HWMHowmet Aerospace3.88%264.850.0%-4.4%29.4%52.4%437.1%745.5%1,098.2%
TDGTransDigm3.71%1,185.970.0%-5.1%-10.8%-15.2%53.7%136.4%565.4%
LHXL3Harris Technologies3.61%262.820.0%-3.3%-9.8%-3.8%56.8%24.8%241.1%
RKLBRocket Lab3.36%64.390.0%-0.4%-7.7%32.5%909.2%542.0% 
ASTSAST SpaceMobile2.60%58.050.0%-0.7%-20.1%18.6%1,365.9%369.7% 
CWCurtiss-Wright2.44%596.370.0%-16.8%8.3%24.9%188.7%396.5%594.5%
FTAIFTAI Aviation2.19%194.980.0%-1.1%-0.4%27.7%445.4%894.2%3,293.7%
WWDWoodward2.13%341.810.0%-4.0%13.4%39.0%169.5%188.4%481.1%
LDOSLeidos1.87%140.660.0%25.1%-21.6%-21.4%48.6%53.0%307.0%
TXTTextron1.53%83.040.0%-4.7%-4.7%3.7%7.4%16.0%106.0%
CACICACI International1.51%628.200.0%31.6%17.9%31.0%91.1%144.7%532.2%

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%5%122%
Peers Return15%-20%33%13%40%42%178%
S&P 500 Return27%-19%24%23%16%13%106%

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 8/28/2026 (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


Get Notified
Alerts when dip buy opportunities arise.
Notify Me →

Current Dip Buy Opportunities Across ETFs

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

TickerNameDip %Mkt PricePrice DatePeak PricePeak Date# Days
SCHASchwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF-5.2%34.24829202636.13630202660
EEMiShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF-5.7%67.14829202671.21622202668
ASHRXtrackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares ETF-8.1%34.29829202637.30622202668
EWYiShares MSCI South Korea ETF-17.8%180.208292026219.20621202669
EWZiShares MSCI Brazil ETF-14.8%35.55829202641.734142026137
FXIiShares China Large-Cap ETF-7.2%35.51829202638.265132026108
ILFiShares Latin America 40 ETF-9.1%34.65829202638.104142026137
KWEBKraneShares CSI China Internet ETF-15.3%26.32829202631.063012026181
MTUMiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF-13.2%299.718292026345.22622202668
SPMOInvesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF-9.2%146.788292026161.66622202668
URAGlobal X Uranium ETF-21.8%45.57829202658.265062026115
BOTZGlobal X Funds Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF-14.1%35.75829202641.635132026108
ROBOROBO Global Robotics & Automation Index ETF-10.7%80.64829202690.34602202688
LITGlobal X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF-17.0%76.07829202691.625112026110
ICLNiShares Global Clean Energy ETF-26.4%17.48829202623.75602202688
ARKQARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF-14.9%122.328292026143.82528202693
ARKXARK Space & Defense Innovation ETF-14.3%32.35829202637.74528202693
NASATema Space Innovators ETF-44.1%23.41829202641.89527202694
AGIXKraneShares Artificial Intelligence ETF-8.8%45.03829202649.40601202689
XLKState Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF-6.3%185.698292026198.21602202688
XLIState Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF-5.0%177.148292026186.51816202613
XLCState Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF-5.1%112.998292026119.104192026132
XLUState Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF-9.8%42.73829202647.403012026181
SMHVanEck Semiconductor ETF-17.3%553.118292026668.91622202668
SOXXiShares Semiconductor ETF-22.3%508.628292026655.01622202668
ITAiShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF-8.1%232.828292026253.22816202613
MISLFirst Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF-11.9%44.64829202650.663022026180
RINGiShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF-12.0%87.46829202699.423012026181
SOXQInvesco PHLX Semiconductor ETF-21.6%90.288292026115.11622202668
TLTiShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF-7.0%82.88829202689.153012026181
VGLTVanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF-5.9%53.18829202656.533012026181
SPTLState Street SPDR Portfolio Long Term Treasury ETF-6.3%25.29829202626.993012026181
TLHiShares 10-20 Year Treasury Bond ETF-5.6%97.298292026103.083012026181
EDVVanguard World Funds Extended Duration ETF-10.0%60.66829202667.423012026181
COMTiShares GSCI Commodity Dynamic Roll Strategy ETF-5.6%34.48829202636.535192026102
GSGiShares GSCI Commodity-5.8%30.01829202631.853182026164
GLDSPDR Gold Trust-16.6%408.898292026490.003022026180
IAUiShares Gold Trust-16.5%83.828292026100.383022026180
GLDMSPDR Gold MiniShares Trust-16.4%88.208292026105.543022026180
SGOLETFS Physical Swiss Gold Shares-12.1%44.66829202650.813022026180
BARDirexion Daily Gold Bull 3X Shares-15.6%44.34829202652.533022026180
SLViShares Silver Trust-29.4%60.02829202684.993012026181
SIVRETFS Physical Silver Shares Trust ETF-6.6%83.39829202689.263012026181
PPLTETFS Physical Platinum Shares-23.2%16.49829202621.473012026181
CPERUnited States Copper Index Fund ETV-9.6%33.33829202636.883012026181
PALLETFS Physical Palladium Shares-20.6%25.79829202632.483012026181
USOUnited States Oil Fund LP-15.2%129.708292026152.965192026102
UNGUnited States Natural Gas Fund LP-20.8%10.33829202613.043122026170
BNOUnited States Brent Oil Fund LP ETV-7.1%55.85829202660.135042026117
USRTiShares Core U.S. REIT ETF-5.3%66.13829202669.82726202634
IBITiShares Bitcoin Trust ETF-5.5%43.90829202646.475112026110
FBTCFidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund-5.5%67.44829202671.355112026110

ETF Fund Flows

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

Net fund flows · as of 2026-08-28

Asset allocation rotation · Past month

  • Equity ETFs drew the largest net inflows (+$43.5B), followed by Bond (+$19.3B), while Real Estate (−$226M) saw the largest outflows.
  • Within the mix, money rotated into US Nasdaq Growth (+$12.0B) and out of Intermediate Treasury (−$7.9B).
  • Relative to fund size, CNEQ drew the largest inflow (+109.2% of AUM) and PKW the largest outflow (−30.5%).
Largest inflows
#TickerNameTypeNet flow% of AUM
1VOOVanguard S&P 500 ETFEquity US Large Cap Core+$20.96B+2.0%
2QQQInvesco QQQ Trust, Series 1Equity US Nasdaq Growth+$8.96B+1.8%
3SGOViShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETFCash+$5.75B+5.6%
4TLTiShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETFBond Long Treasury+$5.5B+12.0%
5SPYMState Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETFEquity US Large Cap Core+$4.93B+2.9%
6VTIVanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETFEquity US Total Market+$4.73B+0.7%
7GLDSPDR Gold SharesCommodity Gold+$4.64B+3.2%
8SCHDSchwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETFEquity Dividend Income+$3.91B+3.6%
9AVLVAvantis U.S. Large Cap Value ETFOther+$3.45B+18.5%
10VGSHVanguard Short-Term Treasury ETFBond Short Treasury+$3.28B+10.8%
Largest outflows
#TickerNameTypeNet flow% of AUM
1IVViShares Core S&P 500 ETFEquity US Large Cap Core-$11.01B-1.2%
2IEFiShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETFBond Intermediate Treasury-$5.24B-12.2%
3SOXXiShares Semiconductor ETFEquity Industry Subsector-$4.03B-9.3%
4SPYState Street SPDR S&P 500 ETFEquity US Large Cap Core-$3.98B-0.5%
5XLFState Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETFEquity Broad Sector-$3.75B-6.5%
6SMHVanEck Semiconductor ETFEquity Industry Subsector-$2.28B-3.3%
7SDYState Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETFEquity Dividend Income-$1.86B-8.4%
8GOVTiShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETFBond Intermediate Treasury-$1.7B-3.9%
9VGITVanguard Intermediate-Term Treasury ETFBond Intermediate Treasury-$1.33B-3.1%
10MTUMiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETFEquity Factor Smart Beta-$1.24B-4.9%

Largest ETF fund flows across ~2627 funds (min AUM $100M). Net creations/redemptions; leveraged & inverse ETFs excluded. A ⚠ marks a day excluded as a suspected data error.

Set Alerts and Notifications

Stay Informed

Trade & Investment Ideas

Wealth

Alert Me Periodically

Inform Me Once

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)0.766.841.810.711.414.312.8
Expense Ratio0.60%0.35%0.33%0.44%0.35%0.37%0.36%
10-D Avg Volume (Mil)0.4210.759.441.558.720.785.13
Latest Day Volume (Mil)0.012.033.340.291.16-1.16
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 Value44.54560.29520213.62163.31237.31520.00
Premium/Discount0.2%-1.3%-2.2%-2.2%-0.6%-1.9%-1.6%
Distribution Yield0.4%0.2%0.3%0.2%0.4%0.0%0.2%
Sales Yield30.4%7.7%8.1%11.9%8.2%30.5%10.1%
Earnings Yield2.4%2.6%2.2%1.8%1.2%2.7%2.3%

Valuation

MISLSMHSOXXIBBXBIITAMedian
NameFirst Trus.VanEck Sem.iShares Se.iShares Bi.State Stre.iShares U.. 
P/S (TTM)3.3x12.9x12.4x8.4x12.1x3.3x10.3x
P/E (TTM)41.3x39.1x44.5x54.8x81.3x37.5x42.9x
P/FCF (TTM)58.0x47.5x52.1x--39.8x49.8x
Forward P/E33.2x---64.8x31.2x33.2x
Forward P/S2.9x---8.1x3.0x3.0x

Risk

MISLSMHSOXXIBBXBIITAMedian
NameFirst Trus.VanEck Sem.iShares Se.iShares Bi.State Stre.iShares U.. 
Volatility (1Y)25.4%39.3%45.3%21.8%28.0%23.0%26.7%
Volatility (3Y)20.8%36.8%39.4%20.9%27.9%20.1%24.4%
Volatility (5Y)19.9%36.7%38.5%22.2%32.4%20.3%27.3%
Beta (1Y)1.192.392.600.781.051.031.12
Beta (3Y)0.861.972.050.821.030.850.95
Beta (5Y)0.811.761.820.861.160.811.01
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.621.781.792.002.250.811.79
Sharpe Ratio (3Y)1.181.361.160.901.011.301.17
Sharpe Ratio (5Y)1.141.000.850.320.340.930.89
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 Return4.2%2.6%0.8%10.0%7.2%-2.2%3.4%
3M Return-8.7%-7.7%-10.6%21.4%18.8%-1.1%-4.4%
6M Return-9.4%36.1%44.5%19.2%27.5%-4.4%23.4%
YTD Return4.3%53.6%69.0%23.9%33.2%8.5%28.5%
1Y Return13.5%86.4%103.2%51.1%80.5%17.4%65.8%
2Y Return45.2%124.4%120.5%42.0%60.6%62.6%61.6%
3Y Return95.8%267.0%211.1%64.6%107.0%105.8%106.4%

Short Interest

Short Interest: As Of Date8142026
Short Interest: Shares Quantity0.0 Mil
Short Interest: % Change Since 731202685.9%
Average Daily Volume0.1 Mil
Days-to-Cover Short Interest1