First Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF (MISL)


Market Price (8/6/2026): $45.33

First Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF (MISL)


Market Price (8/6/2026): $45.33

Key Takeaways

  • MISL has returned +7.3% YTD vs +13.2% for SPY; +19.1% over the past 12 months (SPY +23.6%). details →
  • Priced in gold, MISL has returned -6.6% over the past 3 years, vs +99.1% in dollars — its dollar gains have lagged gold. details →
  • Over the past month, MISL has seen net outflows of −$17M (−2.3% of assets). details →
  • MISL's portfolio trades at 33.9x forward earnings — a 315% premium to SPY (8.2x). details →
  • MISL's top 10 holdings represent 61% of the fund vs 38% for SPY — a more concentrated portfolio. details →
Last updated: 8/5/2026.

Price Chart

Asset Allocation with MISL

Risk Tolerance:
ConservativeModerateAggressive
Moderate — 55% equity / 25% bonds / 20% alternatives
10Y Return (ann.)
+7.9%
Volatility
7.9%
Sharpe
0.66
YTD
+5.2%
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.

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Tailored Asset Allocation
[1] Personalized 5 Level Risk Tolerance Assessment
[2] Asset Allocation for My Risk Tolerance
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Top 20 Holdings for MISL

Total Weights
Top 5: 39.6% | Top 10: 61.1% | Top 20: 87.3%

TickerHoldingETF WeightSales WeightEarnings WeightFwd P/SFwd P/EFwd Sales GrowthFwd Earnings Growth
Total98.34%100.00%100.00%3.033.9+10.1%+14.5%
Top 2087.32%82.94%89.10%3.235.0+10.5%+13.9%
RTXRTX9.08%9.58%9.97%3.028.9+7.4%+8.7%
GEGE Aerospace8.29%3.59%7.99%7.343.9+11.1%+12.8%
BABoeing8.04%13.48%4.39%1.895.6+14.4%
PLTRPalantir Technologies8.02%0.44%2.71%36.987.0+47.1%+40.0%
SPCXSpace Exploration Technologies6.17%0.68%10.2496.9+90.6%
LMTLockheed Martin4.60%9.04%9.28%1.618.0+5.7%+7.1%
HWMHowmet Aerospace4.31%1.08%2.74%11.050.8+13.2%+19.1%
GDGeneral Dynamics4.23%7.57%7.79%1.821.1+4.8%+8.9%
HEIHeico4.20%1.36%2.76%8.953.2+10.2%+13.2%
NOCNorthrop Grumman4.16%7.62%10.05%1.718.7+6.9%+4.0%
TDGTransDigm4.02%1.89%5.06%6.426.8+9.4%+17.6%
LHXL3Harris Technologies3.94%5.75%5.86%2.221.7+7.6%+15.0%
RKLBRocket Lab3.31%0.17%38.3+43.3%
CWCurtiss-Wright2.98%1.32%2.35%6.945.2+8.1%+9.8%
ASTSAST SpaceMobile2.55%0.04%39.0+330.7%
WWDWoodward2.39%1.53%2.54%4.734.2+8.9%+13.4%
FTAIFTAI Aviation2.35%1.08%2.17%4.522.7+59.6%+101.8%
TXTTextron1.65%5.57%4.29%1.012.2+3.7%+12.8%
LDOSLeidos1.62%6.05%5.94%0.99.5+4.6%+6.6%
HIIHuntington Ingalls Industries1.43%5.10%3.21%0.916.2+6.1%+11.6%
[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
8/5
1D Rtn1M RtnYTD Rtn1Y Rtn3Y Rtn5Y Rtn10Y Rtn
MISLFirst Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF100.00%45.92-1.2%-2.2%7.3%19.1%99.1%  
RTXRTX9.08%222.312.0%10.4%22.1%44.5%180.2%183.4%343.6%
GEGE Aerospace8.29%381.221.0%0.7%24.1%40.8%329.4%494.3%181.4%
BABoeing8.04%240.191.3%2.4%10.6%6.8%3.8%3.8%99.8%
PLTRPalantir Technologies8.02%158.43-2.6%19.5%-10.9%-8.6%770.5%626.1% 
SPCXSpace Exploration Technologies6.17%108.27-13.6%-32.5%     
LMTLockheed Martin4.60%577.60-2.0%7.4%20.8%38.5%40.4%82.6%189.1%
HWMHowmet Aerospace4.31%291.421.1%4.9%42.3%62.9%498.8%831.0%1,165.0%
GDGeneral Dynamics4.23%384.08-0.4%1.9%15.6%24.6%82.0%114.3%220.4%
HEIHeico4.20%366.80-0.2%0.4%13.4%17.2%108.7%178.4%932.2%
NOCNorthrop Grumman4.16%557.471.1%1.8%-1.5%-4.0%33.6%66.9%198.9%
TDGTransDigm4.02%1,254.71-1.6%-6.8%-5.7%-5.4%63.8%140.0%615.5%
LHXL3Harris Technologies3.94%286.120.3%-5.0%-1.8%4.5%62.8%36.6%289.1%
RKLBRocket Lab3.31%74.820.5%-19.6%7.3%67.2%995.5%639.3% 
CWCurtiss-Wright2.98%748.41-1.2%-5.6%35.9%46.5%272.6%531.3%771.5%
ASTSAST SpaceMobile2.55%68.38-2.7%-15.2%-5.9%30.1%1,512.7%543.3% 
WWDWoodward2.39%373.28-0.1%-11.9%23.7%48.0%201.6%239.4%576.0%
FTAIFTAI Aviation2.35%223.730.8%-7.4%14.0%62.2%591.2%1,016.9%4,001.2%
TXTTextron1.65%88.46-0.7%-5.7%1.5%13.2%12.8%22.5%129.8%
LDOSLeidos1.62%126.85-2.9%16.7%-29.3%-25.9%35.2%43.4%319.6%
HIIHuntington Ingalls Industries1.43%317.70-1.7%8.0%-5.9%19.2%49.1%72.3%126.2%

Guidance Updates for MISL Top Holdings

 TickerCompanyEarnings DateGuidance MetricMidpoint Value% ChangeGuidance Change
HII_7302026HIIHuntington Ingalls Industries7/30/20262026 Shipbuilding Revenue10.30 Bil5.1%RaisedRaised Prior Guidance of 9.80 Bil for 2026
HWM_5072026HWMHowmet Aerospace5/7/20262026 Revenue9.65 Bil6.0%RaisedRaised Prior Guidance of 9.10 Bil for 2026
PLTR_8032026PLTRPalantir Technologies8/3/20262026 Revenue8.15 Bil6.5%RaisedRaised Prior Guidance of 7.66 Bil for 2026
RKLB_5072026RKLBRocket Lab5/7/2026Q2 2026 Revenue232.50 Mil20.8%Higher NewNew Guidance Higher than Prior Actual of 192.50 Mil for Q1 2026

Return vs. Risk

Price Returns Compared

 202120222023202420252026Total [1]
Returns
MISL Return-8%15%20%41%9%130%
Peers Return15%-20%33%13%40%39%173%
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%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 8/5/2026 (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-7.0%79.96805202686.00622202644
EEMiShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF-7.7%65.72805202671.21622202644
ASHRXtrackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares ETF-7.5%34.52805202637.30622202644
EWYiShares MSCI South Korea ETF-22.8%169.148052026219.20621202645
EWZiShares MSCI Brazil ETF-13.5%36.11805202641.734142026113
FXIiShares China Large-Cap ETF-8.7%36.08805202639.532102026176
ILFiShares Latin America 40 ETF-7.9%35.09805202638.104142026113
KWEBKraneShares CSI China Internet ETF-16.9%28.54805202634.342092026177
MTUMiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF-10.2%309.988052026345.22622202644
SPMOInvesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF-7.0%150.278052026161.66622202644
ARKKARK Innovation ETF-8.9%76.18805202683.61706202630
URAGlobal X Uranium ETF-26.4%42.89805202658.26506202691
BOTZGlobal X Funds Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF-10.4%37.30805202641.63513202684
ROBOROBO Global Robotics & Automation Index ETF-6.6%84.37805202690.34602202664
LITGlobal X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF-20.7%72.65805202691.62511202686
ICLNiShares Global Clean Energy ETF-23.8%18.10805202623.75602202664
ARKQARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF-14.9%122.408052026143.82528202669
ARKWARK Next Generation Internet ETF-5.8%145.308052026154.18601202665
ARKXARK Space & Defense Innovation ETF-13.7%32.58805202637.74528202669
NASATema Space Innovators ETF-43.5%23.65805202641.89527202670
XOVREntrepreneurShares Series Trust ERShares Private-Public Crossover ETF-9.1%19.39805202621.34706202630
AGIXKraneShares Artificial Intelligence ETF-9.8%44.57805202649.40601202665
GDEWisdomTree Efficient Gold Plus Equity Strategy Fund-7.1%65.40805202670.39511202686
RAAXVanEck Real Assets ETF-6.3%40.03805202642.70511202686
XLKState Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF-6.2%185.918052026198.21602202664
XLEState Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF-8.4%57.31805202662.563292026129
XLCState Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF-6.9%110.878052026119.104192026108
XLUState Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF-7.9%43.66805202647.403012026157
FXNFirst Trust Energy AlphaDEX Fund-8.7%21.16805202623.183292026129
SMHVanEck Semiconductor ETF-14.8%569.708052026668.91622202644
SOXXiShares Semiconductor ETF-19.0%530.708052026655.01622202644
XBIState Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF-6.9%153.018052026164.28709202627
XOPState Street SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF-12.2%165.198052026188.183292026129
IGViShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF-5.9%101.318052026107.70601202665
MISLFirst Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF-9.4%45.92805202650.663022026156
RINGiShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF-27.4%72.19805202699.423012026157
SOXQInvesco PHLX Semiconductor ETF-17.9%94.538052026115.11622202644
TLTiShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF-6.9%83.00805202689.153012026157
VGLTVanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF-5.8%53.25805202656.533012026157
SPTLState Street SPDR Portfolio Long Term Treasury ETF-6.2%25.33805202626.993012026157
TLHiShares 10-20 Year Treasury Bond ETF-5.5%97.368052026103.083012026157
EDVVanguard World Funds Extended Duration ETF-10.0%60.65805202667.423012026157
PDBCInvesco Optimum Yield Diversified Commodity Strategy No K-1 ETF-10.2%16.98805202618.91512202685
DBCInvesco DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund-10.1%28.48805202631.69512202685
COMTiShares GSCI Commodity Dynamic Roll Strategy ETF-11.8%32.24805202636.53519202678
GSGiShares GSCI Commodity-5.8%30.01805202631.853182026140
BCIabrdn Bloomberg All Commodity Strategy K-1 Free ETF-9.1%23.54805202625.91512202685
FTGCFirst Trust Global Tactical Commodity Strategy Fund-6.2%28.63805202630.53512202685
GLDSPDR Gold Trust-20.5%389.648052026490.003022026156
IAUiShares Gold Trust-20.5%79.858052026100.383022026156
GLDMSPDR Gold MiniShares Trust-20.4%84.038052026105.543022026156
SGOLETFS Physical Swiss Gold Shares-12.1%44.66805202650.813022026156
BARDirexion Daily Gold Bull 3X Shares-15.6%44.34805202652.533022026156
SLViShares Silver Trust-34.0%56.07805202684.993012026157
SIVRETFS Physical Silver Shares Trust ETF-6.6%83.39805202689.263012026157
PPLTETFS Physical Platinum Shares-26.7%15.73805202621.473012026157
CPERUnited States Copper Index Fund ETV-9.6%33.33805202636.883012026157
PALLETFS Physical Palladium Shares-23.7%24.82805202632.542242026162
USOUnited States Oil Fund LP-24.9%114.888052026152.96519202678
UNGUnited States Natural Gas Fund LP-28.0%9.74805202613.522052026181
BNOUnited States Brent Oil Fund LP ETV-7.1%55.85805202660.13504202693
IBITiShares Bitcoin Trust ETF-20.9%36.74805202646.47511202686
FBTCFidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund-20.9%56.42805202671.35511202686
ETHAiShares Ethereum Trust ETF-21.2%14.48805202618.384192026108

ETF Fund Flows

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

Net fund flows · as of 2026-08-04

Asset allocation rotation · Past month

  • Equity ETFs drew the largest net inflows (+$65.1B), followed by Bond (+$17.3B), with every major asset class in net inflows.
  • Within the mix, money rotated into US Large Cap Core (+$17.2B) and out of US Nasdaq Growth (−$4.5B).
  • Relative to fund size, BFLX drew the largest inflow (+56.6% of AUM) and FTXL the largest outflow (−39.2%).
Largest inflows
#TickerNameTypeNet flow% of AUM
1VOOVanguard S&P 500 ETFEquity US Large Cap Core+$11.98B+1.2%
2VTIVanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETFEquity US Total Market+$10.93B+1.6%
3SPYState Street SPDR S&P 500 ETFEquity US Large Cap Core+$10.43B+1.3%
4SOXXiShares Semiconductor ETFEquity Industry Subsector+$6.68B+14.6%
5SPYMState Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETFEquity US Large Cap Core+$6.2B+3.9%
6DRAMRoundhill Memory ETFOther+$6.13B+25.4%
7EWYiShares MSCI South Korea ETFEquity Emerging Markets+$5.95B+26.4%
8SGOViShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETFCash+$3.85B+3.9%
9EFViShares MSCI EAFE Value ETFEquity International Developed Broad+$3.64B+13.1%
10XLFState Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETFEquity Broad Sector+$3.53B+6.3%
Largest outflows
#TickerNameTypeNet flow% of AUM
1IVViShares Core S&P 500 ETFEquity US Large Cap Core-$12.17B-1.4%
2QQQInvesco QQQ Trust, Series 1Equity US Nasdaq Growth-$7.07B-1.5%
3IQMMProShares - GENIUS Money Market ETFOther-$3.14B-17.3%
4LQDiShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETFBond Intermediate Corporate-$1.49B-4.3%
5IWDiShares Russell 1000 Value ETFEquity US Large Value-$1.13B-1.4%
6SCZiShares MSCI EAFE Small-Cap ETFEquity International Small Cap-$1.05B-7.9%
7XLCState Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETFEquity Broad Sector-$908M-4.0%
8FTXLFirst Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETFOther-$885M-39.2%
9IWFiShares Russell 1000 Growth ETFEquity US Large Growth-$855M-0.7%
10IWMiShares Russell 2000 ETFEquity US Small Cap Core-$854M-1.0%

Largest ETF fund flows across ~2589 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)0.768.144.79.29.914.112.0
Expense Ratio0.60%0.35%0.33%0.44%0.35%0.37%0.36%
10-D Avg Volume (Mil)0.4211.9310.221.559.040.785.29
Latest Day Volume (Mil)0.155.869.481.148.64-5.86
Holdings Count4926302481554949
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 Value44.32540.29504.09186.49151.59239.52-
Premium/Discount3.6%5.4%5.3%2.8%0.9%5.3%4.4%
Distribution Yield0.4%0.2%0.3%0.2%0.4%0.0%0.2%
Sales Yield30.0%7.1%7.4%12.9%8.8%28.4%10.8%
Earnings Yield2.4%2.2%2.0%2.4%1.0%2.5%2.3%

Valuation

MISLSMHSOXXIBBXBIITAMedian
NameFirst Trus.VanEck Sem.iShares Se.iShares Bi.State Stre.iShares U.. 
P/S (TTM)3.3x14.0x13.5x7.8x11.3x3.5x9.6x
P/E (TTM)41.9x44.9x50.4x41.5x95.3x40.2x43.4x
P/FCF (TTM)56.1x49.7x54.8x199.4x-41.8x54.8x
Forward P/E33.9x---60.2x33.4x33.9x
Forward P/S3.0x---8.8x3.2x3.2x

Risk

MISLSMHSOXXIBBXBIITAMedian
NameFirst Trus.VanEck Sem.iShares Se.iShares Bi.State Stre.iShares U.. 
Volatility (1Y)25.1%38.8%44.8%20.5%27.1%22.7%26.1%
Volatility (3Y)20.6%36.8%39.4%20.4%27.6%20.0%24.1%
Volatility (5Y)19.8%36.5%38.3%22.1%32.3%20.3%27.2%
Beta (1Y)1.172.362.580.771.041.011.11
Beta (3Y)0.861.972.060.811.020.850.94
Beta (5Y)0.811.751.810.861.160.811.01
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.771.942.001.812.241.201.88
Sharpe Ratio (3Y)1.201.341.130.760.861.411.17
Sharpe Ratio (5Y)1.201.010.880.250.280.970.92
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 Return0.6%-2.0%-3.8%-3.2%-6.6%2.9%-2.6%
3M Return6.4%9.0%9.9%12.6%14.4%17.1%11.3%
6M Return-7.0%43.3%53.6%10.4%19.9%7.7%15.2%
YTD Return7.3%58.2%76.3%13.7%25.5%17.6%21.5%
1Y Return17.7%96.9%121.7%42.0%76.9%28.0%59.4%
2Y Return52.4%132.4%128.1%30.3%55.1%78.2%66.6%
3Y Return97.8%259.5%203.3%49.6%82.5%118.9%108.3%

Short Interest

Short Interest: As Of Date7152026
Short Interest: Shares Quantity0.0 Mil
Short Interest: % Change Since 6302026422.4%
Average Daily Volume0.1 Mil
Days-to-Cover Short Interest1