First Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF (MISL)


Market Price (8/24/2026): $44.99

First Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF (MISL)


Market Price (8/24/2026): $44.99

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 -15.9% over the past 3 years, vs +102.6% in dollars — its dollar gains have lagged gold. details →
  • Over the past month, MISL has seen net outflows of −$22M (−2.8% 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: 8/23/2026.

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.

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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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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
8/23
1D Rtn1M RtnYTD Rtn1Y Rtn3Y Rtn5Y Rtn10Y Rtn
MISLFirst Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF100.00%45.530.0%4.7%6.4%17.5%102.6%  
PLTRPalantir Technologies10.13%179.940.0%46.4%1.2%13.4%1,172.6%616.9% 
RTXRTX8.42%209.910.0%-1.0%15.7%36.3%161.7%173.6%317.8%
GEGE Aerospace7.65%348.370.0%-1.5%13.4%31.4%299.6%449.6%157.7%
BABoeing7.57%214.200.0%2.2%-1.3%-6.9%-1.4%-3.3%75.1%
SPCXSpace Exploration Technologies7.49%136.970.0%19.0%     
LMTLockheed Martin4.22%563.570.0%-3.3%17.9%29.7%35.0%79.6%195.4%
HWMHowmet Aerospace3.97%271.680.0%-6.0%32.7%59.2%469.3%747.6%1,129.1%
HEIHeico3.94%355.040.0%1.6%9.8%14.8%115.6%174.3%879.6%
NOCNorthrop Grumman3.93%551.030.0%1.6%-2.6%-5.5%34.0%64.7%201.8%
GDGeneral Dynamics3.88%384.290.0%-0.6%15.7%22.4%82.2%114.6%212.6%
RKLBRocket Lab3.77%72.570.0%13.6%4.0%63.5%1,184.4%527.2% 
TDGTransDigm3.57%1,200.350.0%-2.9%-9.7%-8.9%63.5%137.4%575.3%
LHXL3Harris Technologies3.56%266.730.0%-11.2%-8.5%-1.7%59.1%26.7%252.6%
ASTSAST SpaceMobile2.77%68.650.0%22.2%-5.5%45.8%1,760.4%627.2% 
CWCurtiss-Wright2.58%634.990.0%-15.4%15.3%32.2%213.4%444.4%637.8%
FTAIFTAI Aviation2.34%209.700.0%-2.7%7.1%43.1%516.3%967.7%3,543.9%
WWDWoodward2.21%343.260.0%-18.0%13.8%38.9%180.5%191.1%490.9%
LDOSLeidos1.79%141.390.0%26.1%-21.2%-21.4%51.7%55.9%317.5%
TXTTextron1.53%82.950.0%-13.2%-4.8%1.8%10.6%14.8%105.7%
CACICACI International1.44%647.390.0%33.0%21.5%34.5%97.5%152.4%556.8%

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%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%67.28823202670.945142026101
IEMGiShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF-5.2%81.57823202686.00622202662
EEMiShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF-5.7%67.12823202671.21622202662
ASHRXtrackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares ETF-7.5%34.49823202637.30622202662
EWYiShares MSCI South Korea ETF-18.6%178.348232026219.20621202663
EWZiShares MSCI Brazil ETF-16.0%35.06823202641.734142026131
FXIiShares China Large-Cap ETF-7.6%35.86823202638.812222026182
ILFiShares Latin America 40 ETF-9.0%34.68823202638.104142026131
KWEBKraneShares CSI China Internet ETF-18.5%26.66823202632.702222026182
MTUMiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF-11.6%305.178232026345.22622202662
SPMOInvesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF-8.0%148.738232026161.66622202662
URAGlobal X Uranium ETF-20.9%46.07823202658.265062026109
BOTZGlobal X Funds Global X Robotics & Artificial Intelligence ETF-13.4%36.04823202641.635132026102
ROBOROBO Global Robotics & Automation Index ETF-10.2%81.17823202690.34602202682
LITGlobal X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF-16.4%76.61823202691.625112026104
ICLNiShares Global Clean Energy ETF-25.9%17.59823202623.75602202682
ARKQARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF-12.7%125.588232026143.82528202687
ARKXARK Space & Defense Innovation ETF-11.9%33.25823202637.74528202687
NASATema Space Innovators ETF-41.2%24.64823202641.89527202688
AGIXKraneShares Artificial Intelligence ETF-9.2%44.85823202649.40601202683
VGTVanguard Information Technology ETF-5.7%118.428232026125.62602202682
XLKState Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF-7.5%183.318232026198.21602202682
XLCState Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF-6.5%111.408232026119.104192026126
XLUState Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF-9.8%42.77823202647.403012026175
SMHVanEck Semiconductor ETF-16.2%560.428232026668.91622202662
SOXXiShares Semiconductor ETF-20.6%520.058232026655.01622202662
ITAiShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF-6.3%237.348232026253.2281620267
MISLFirst Trust Indxx Aerospace & Defense ETF-10.1%45.53823202650.663022026174
RINGiShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF-8.6%90.85823202699.423012026175
SOXQInvesco PHLX Semiconductor ETF-19.7%92.428232026115.11622202662
TLTiShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF-8.0%82.05823202689.153012026175
VGLTVanguard Long-Term Treasury ETF-6.7%52.75823202656.533012026175
SPTLState Street SPDR Portfolio Long Term Treasury ETF-7.1%25.09823202626.993012026175
TLHiShares 10-20 Year Treasury Bond ETF-6.2%96.698232026103.083012026175
EDVVanguard World Funds Extended Duration ETF-11.7%59.51823202667.423012026175
SPLBState Street SPDR Portfolio Long Term Corporate Bond ETF-5.3%21.33823202622.522262026178
GSGiShares GSCI Commodity-5.8%30.01823202631.853182026158
GLDSPDR Gold Trust-13.6%423.368232026490.003022026174
IAUiShares Gold Trust-13.5%86.798232026100.383022026174
GLDMSPDR Gold MiniShares Trust-13.5%91.328232026105.543022026174
SGOLETFS Physical Swiss Gold Shares-12.1%44.66823202650.813022026174
BARDirexion Daily Gold Bull 3X Shares-15.6%44.34823202652.533022026174
SLViShares Silver Trust-26.2%62.72823202684.993012026175
SIVRETFS Physical Silver Shares Trust ETF-6.6%83.39823202689.263012026175
PPLTETFS Physical Platinum Shares-20.7%17.02823202621.473012026175
CPERUnited States Copper Index Fund ETV-9.6%33.33823202636.883012026175
PALLETFS Physical Palladium Shares-24.9%24.45823202632.542242026180
USOUnited States Oil Fund LP-12.0%134.648232026152.96519202696
UNGUnited States Natural Gas Fund LP-23.4%9.99823202613.043122026164
BNOUnited States Brent Oil Fund LP ETV-7.1%55.85823202660.135042026111
IBITiShares Bitcoin Trust ETF-6.0%43.68823202646.475112026104
FBTCFidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund-6.1%67.02823202671.355112026104

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 (+$48.2B), followed by Bond (+$16.9B), while Real Estate (−$119M) saw the largest outflows.
  • Within the mix, money rotated into US Nasdaq Growth (+$17.8B) and out of Broad Sector (−$2.8B).
  • Relative to fund size, CNEQ drew the largest inflow (+87.7% of AUM) and FTXL the largest outflow (−67.4%).
Largest inflows
#TickerNameTypeNet flow% of AUM
1VOOVanguard S&P 500 ETFEquity US Large Cap Core+$14.77B+1.4%
2QQQInvesco QQQ Trust, Series 1Equity US Nasdaq Growth+$14.22B+2.9%
3SGOViShares 0-3 Month Treasury Bond ETFCash+$5.36B+5.3%
4GLDSPDR Gold SharesCommodity Gold+$5.35B+3.8%
5SPYMState Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETFEquity US Large Cap Core+$5.01B+3.0%
6TLTiShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETFBond Long Treasury+$4.89B+11.0%
7VTIVanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETFEquity US Total Market+$3.74B+0.5%
8SCHDSchwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETFEquity Dividend Income+$3.69B+3.5%
9QQQMInvesco NASDAQ 100 ETFEquity US Nasdaq Growth+$3.63B+3.5%
10AVLVAvantis U.S. Large Cap Value ETFOther+$3.31B+18.1%
Largest outflows
#TickerNameTypeNet flow% of AUM
1IVViShares Core S&P 500 ETFEquity US Large Cap Core-$13.36B-1.5%
2IEFiShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETFBond Intermediate Treasury-$4.25B-9.8%
3XLFState Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETFEquity Broad Sector-$1.6B-2.7%
4LQDiShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETFBond Intermediate Corporate-$1.27B-3.8%
5XLVState Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETFEquity Broad Sector-$983M-2.3%
6FTXLFirst Trust Nasdaq Semiconductor ETFOther-$896M-67.4%
7EWZiShares MSCI Brazil ETFEquity Emerging Markets-$891M-10.0%
8VUGVanguard Morningstar Growth ETFEquity US Large Growth-$818M-0.4%
9MTUMiShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETFEquity Factor Smart Beta-$805M-3.2%
10SOXXiShares Semiconductor ETFEquity Industry Subsector-$703M-1.6%

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)0.866.841.810.711.414.312.8
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)0.058.648.262.3914.05-8.26
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 Value47.78560.29520213.62163.31237.31520.00
Premium/Discount-4.7%0.0%0.0%-0.0%1.5%0.0%0.0%
Distribution Yield0.4%0.2%0.3%0.2%0.3%0.0%0.2%
Sales Yield29.6%7.4%7.8%11.7%8.3%30.1%10.0%
Earnings Yield2.4%2.4%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)3.4x13.5x12.9x8.5x12.1x3.3x10.3x
P/E (TTM)42.5x42.5x47.0x56.0x88.6x38.0x44.8x
P/FCF (TTM)60.5x48.8x53.7x--40.0x51.3x
Forward P/E34.2x---65.3x31.7x34.2x
Forward P/S3.0x---8.2x3.0x3.0x

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