ETF Evaluator:
Innovator Equity Autcll Inc Stgy ETF ()
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(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Derivative Income Over the Last Year
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ETF Details
Innovator Equity Autcll Inc Stgy ETF Overview
Innovator Equity Autcll Inc Stgy ETF (ACEI) is an actively managed Nontraditional Equity Derivative Income exchange-traded fund (ETF). Innovator ETFs launched the ETF in 2025.
The investment seeks to provide investors with a high level of income and the potential to limit downside losses.
The fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its investment objective by providing investors with the potential for income distributions and a downside investment exposure, as determined by the performance of a basket of the largest stocks by market capitalization selected from a broad-based large capitalization U.S. equity index (the “Equity Basket”). The fund is non-diversified.
About Innovator Equity Autcll Inc Stgy ETF (ACEI)
There are 5 members of the management team with an average tenure of 0.76 years: Jeff Greco (2025), Maria Schiopu (2025), Robert Cummings (2025), Nate Dorr (2026) and Rebekah Lipp (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
Innovator Equity Autcll Inc Stgy ETF has 11 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 122.8% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Innovator Equity Autcll Inc Stgy ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Nontraditional Equity ETF group. Innovator Equity Autcll Inc Stgy ETF has 0.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0% There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Innovator Equity Autcll Inc Stgy ETF has 110.9% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $42 million in total assets, which is below the $727 million average for the Derivative Income category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
ACEI Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Innovator Equity Autcll Inc Stgy ETF expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Derivative Income category. Innovator Equity Autcll Inc Stgy ETF has an expense ratio of 0.79%, which is 5% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Innovator Equity Autcll Inc Stgy ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 0%, which indicates that it holds its assets around /years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 69% for the Derivative Income category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Innovator Equity Autcll Inc Stgy ETF returned 0.1%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Derivative Income category had an average return of -1.5%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
Innovator Equity Autcll Inc Stgy ETF has a trailing yield of 0.00%, which is below the 19.96% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income monthly and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
Innovator Equity Autcll Inc Stgy ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 0.9%, 1.7 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D.
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ACEI Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| ACEI Return (NAV) | 0.1% | -1.7% | na | na | na | na |
| ACEI Return (Price) | -0.5% | -1.8% | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 0.567% | 0.149% | na | na | na | na |
| Derivative Income Avg | -1.5% | 0.6% | 11.2% | 13.7% | 8.8% | 7.5% |
| ACEI Grade (NAV) | C | D | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 1.6% | -2.3% | na | na | na | na |
| ACEI Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | na | na | na | na |
ACEI Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| ACEI Return (NAV) | 0.9% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| ACEI Return (Price) | -0.5% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -1.526% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Derivative Income Avg | 2.6% | 10.6% | 18.5% | 17.5% | -11.3% | 19.4% | 1.4% | 19.2% | -7.1% | 12.1% | 8.7% |
| ACEI Grade (NAV) | D | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | -1.7% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | na |
| R-Squared: | na |
| Standard Deviation: | na |
| Category Risk Index: | na |
| Category Risk Rating: | |
| Total Risk Index: | na |
| Total Risk Rating: | |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | -- |
| Total Assets: | $ 43 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 43 Mil |
| Turnover: | na |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.79% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | N/A |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Monthly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 5 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 0.9 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 0.8 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Greco Jeff (2025), Schiopu Maria (2025), Cummings Robert (2025), Lipp Rebekah (2025), Dorr Nate (2026) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 11 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 122.8% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | -10.9% |
| Cash: | 110.9% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Innovator ETFs |
| Phone Number: | 800-208-5212 |
| Website: | www.innovatorfunds.com |
| Inception Date: | September 24, 2025 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.79% (Rating: Above Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.83% |
