ETF Evaluator:
FT Vest Growth Stren & Trgt Inc ETF ()
Follow This ETF
(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Derivative Income Over the Last Year
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ETF Details
FT Vest Growth Stren & Trgt Inc ETF Overview
FT Vest Growth Stren & Trgt Inc ETF (FGSI) is an actively managed Nontraditional Equity Derivative Income exchange-traded fund (ETF). First Trust launched the ETF in 2025.
The investment seeks to provide investors with current income with a secondary objective of providing capital appreciation.
Under normal market conditions, the fund will pursue its investment objectives by investing primarily in U.S. exchange-traded equity securities intended to track index and by utilizing an “option strategy” consisting of writing (selling) U.S. exchange-traded call options on the S&P 500® Index, or exchange-traded funds that track the S&P 500® Index (the "Underlying ETFs"). It is non-diversified.
About FT Vest Growth Stren & Trgt Inc ETF (FGSI)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 1.10 years: Karan Sood (2025) and Trevor Lack (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
FT Vest Growth Stren & Trgt Inc ETF has 53 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 21.4% 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.
FT Vest Growth Stren & Trgt Inc ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Nontraditional Equity ETF group. FT Vest Growth Stren & Trgt Inc ETF has 4.3% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 94.4% There is 4.3% 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). FT Vest Growth Stren & Trgt Inc ETF has 1.3% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $2 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.
FGSI 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 FT Vest Growth Stren & Trgt Inc ETF expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Derivative Income category. FT Vest Growth Stren & Trgt Inc ETF has an expense ratio of 0.85%, which is 2% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a C. 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. FT Vest Growth Stren & Trgt Inc ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 60%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 69% for the Derivative Income category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, FT Vest Growth Stren & Trgt Inc ETF returned 3.5%, which earned it a grade of A, 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.
FT Vest Growth Stren & Trgt Inc ETF has a trailing yield of 6.64%, 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.
FT Vest Growth Stren & Trgt Inc ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 8.3%, 5.7 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 9.9% over the past year (grade of D).
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FGSI 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 |
|
| FGSI Return (NAV) | 3.5% | 6.0% | 9.9% | na | na | na |
| FGSI Return (Price) | 2.7% | 4.6% | 6.2% | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 0.812% | 1.447% | 3.685% | na | na | na |
| Derivative Income Avg | -1.5% | 0.6% | 11.2% | 13.7% | 8.8% | 7.5% |
| FGSI Grade (NAV) | A | A | D | na | na | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 5.0% | 5.4% | -1.3% | na | na | na |
| FGSI Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 3.4% | na | na | na |
FGSI Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| FGSI Return (NAV) | 8.3% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| FGSI Return (Price) | 5.6% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -0.317% | 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% |
| FGSI Grade (NAV) | C | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | 5.7% | 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: | 6.6% |
| Total Assets: | $ 2 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 2 Mil |
| Turnover: | 60.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.85% |
| 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: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 1.1 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 1.1 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Sood Karan (2025), Lack Trevor (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 53 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 21.4% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 4.3% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 94.4% |
| Foreign Stock: | 4.3% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 1.3% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | First Trust |
| Phone Number: | 800-621-1675 |
| Website: | www.ftportfolios.com |
| Inception Date: | June 25, 2025 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.85% (Rating: High) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.83% |
