ETF Evaluator:
AB Conservative Buffer ETF ()
Follow This ETF
(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Defined Outcome Over the Last Year
| 23.7% | Innovator U.S. Small Cp Pwr Buf ETF -Nov (KNOV) |
| 23.2% | Innovator U.S. Small Cp Pwr Buf ETF -Feb (KFEB) |
| 21.9% | Innovator U.S. Small Cp Pwr Buf ETF -Mar (KMAR) |
| 21.9% | Innovator US Small Cap Pwr Buff ETF™ Oct (KOCT) |
| 21.1% | FT Vest U.S. Small Cap Mod Buf ETF-Feb (SFEB) |
Risk
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Risk
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ETF Details
AB Conservative Buffer ETF Overview
AB Conservative Buffer ETF (BUFC) is an actively managed Nontraditional Equity Defined Outcome exchange-traded fund (ETF). AllianceBernstein launched the ETF in 2023.
The investment seeks a conservative level of capital appreciation while providing the potential for some downside protection against market declines.
The fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal conditions, substantially all of its assets in a combination of exchange-traded options contracts on an underlying ETF. The underlying ETF (initially expected to be the SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust) is an ETF that seeks to track the investment results of the S&P 500 Index, which measures the performance of the large-capitalization sector of the U.S. equity market, as determined by S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC. The fund is non-diversified.
About AB Conservative Buffer ETF (BUFC)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 2.64 years: Joshua Lisser (2023), Alexander Barenboym (2023) and Benjamin Sklar (2023). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 1 primary benchmark: S&P 500 (TR) (1970) index with a weighting of 100%. AB Conservative Buffer ETF has 6 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 101.8% 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.
AB Conservative Buffer ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Nontraditional Equity ETF group. AB Conservative Buffer ETF has 0.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 99.5% 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). AB Conservative Buffer ETF has 0.5% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $1 billion in total assets, which is above the $183 million average for the Defined Outcome 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.
BUFC 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 AB Conservative Buffer ETF expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Defined Outcome category. AB Conservative Buffer ETF has an expense ratio of 0.69%, which is 4% 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. AB Conservative Buffer 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 3% for the Defined Outcome category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, AB Conservative Buffer ETF returned 0.5%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Defined Outcome category had an average return of 0.2%. 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.
AB Conservative Buffer ETF has a trailing yield of 0.00%, which is below the 0.48% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income annually 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.
AB Conservative Buffer ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 3.5%, 2.3 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 7.4% over the past year (grade of D).
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BUFC 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 |
|
| BUFC Return (NAV) | 0.5% | 2.1% | 7.4% | na | na | na |
| BUFC Return (Price) | 0.4% | 1.9% | 7.2% | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 0.086% | 0.233% | 0.238% | na | na | na |
| Defined Outcome Avg | 0.2% | 2.2% | 11.3% | 11.8% | 8.6% | na |
| BUFC Grade (NAV) | C | D | D | na | na | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 0.3% | -0.0% | -3.9% | na | na | na |
| BUFC Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.0% | na | na | na |
BUFC Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| BUFC Return (NAV) | 3.5% | 5.5% | 10.7% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| BUFC Return (Price) | 3.4% | 5.5% | 10.8% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -0.038% | -0.003% | 0.009% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Defined Outcome Avg | 5.8% | 11.3% | 12.4% | 18.5% | -8.8% | 9.7% | 7.7% | 16.4% | -6.7% | 15.8% | na |
| BUFC Grade (NAV) | D | F | D | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | -2.3% | -5.8% | -1.7% | 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: | 0.0% |
| Total Assets: | $ 1,047 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 1,047 Mil |
| Turnover: | 0.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.69% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | S&P 500 (TR) (1970) |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 2.6 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 2.6 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Lisser Joshua (2023), Barenboym Alexander (2023), Sklar Benjamin (2023) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 6 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 101.8% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 99.5% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.5% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | AllianceBernstein |
| Phone Number: | 800-243-5994 |
| Website: | |
| Inception Date: | December 12, 2023 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.69% (Rating: Above Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.72% |
