First Trust Merger Arbitrage Fund I (VARBX)
10.85
+0.01
(+0.09%)
USD |
Aug 25 2026
Returns Chart
Key Stats
| Net Expense Ratio | Total Assets Under Management | Weighted Average Dividend Yield | Turnover Ratio (Generic) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.75% | 1.638B | -- | 293.0% |
| 1 Year Fund Level Flows | 1 Year Total Returns (Daily) | Annualized Total Returns Since Inception (Daily) | Max Drawdown (Since Inception) |
| 63.20M | 5.09% |
Basic Info
| Investment Strategy | |
| The Fund seeks returns that are largely uncorrelated with the returns of the general stock market, and capital appreciation. The Fund primarily invests in equity securities (publicly-traded common stock and preferred stock) of companies that are involved in a significant corporate event, such as a merger or acquisition. |
| General | |
| Security Type | Mutual Fund |
| Equity Style | -- |
| Broad Asset Class | Alternative |
| Broad Category | Alternative Strategies |
| Global Peer Group | Alternative Event Driven |
| Peer Group | Alternative Event Driven Funds |
| Global Macro | Alternative Equity |
| US Macro | Alternative Equity Funds |
| YCharts Categorization | -- |
| YCharts Benchmark | -- |
| Prospectus Objective | Alternative Event Driven Funds |
| Fund Owner Firm Name | First Trust |
| Broad Asset Class Benchmark Index | |
| ^MSACWINTR | 100.0% |
Net Fund Flows Versus Peer Group
1 Month
% Rank:
91
-172.88M
Peer Group Low
25.05M
Peer Group High
1 Year
% Rank:
23
63.20M
-245.12M
Peer Group Low
541.91M
Peer Group High
3 Months
% Rank:
32
-117.92M
Peer Group Low
110.05M
Peer Group High
3 Years
% Rank:
85
-2.649B
Peer Group Low
388.69M
Peer Group High
6 Months
% Rank:
28
-120.72M
Peer Group Low
317.53M
Peer Group High
5 Years
% Rank:
13
-4.440B
Peer Group Low
1.079B
Peer Group High
YTD
% Rank:
28
-99.74M
Peer Group Low
317.53M
Peer Group High
10 Years
% Rank:
17
-2.384B
Peer Group Low
3.061B
Peer Group High
Date Unavailable
Risk
Performance Versus Peer Group
Annual Total Returns Versus Peers
As of August 26, 2026.
Asset Allocation
As of March 31, 2026.
| Type | % Net |
|---|---|
| Cash | 0.65% |
| Stock | 92.67% |
| Bond | 0.00% |
| Convertible | 0.00% |
| Preferred | 0.00% |
| Other | 6.68% |
Top 10 Holdings
| Name | % Weight | Price | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chart Industries, Inc. (DELISTED) | 7.06% | 209.90 | -0.00% |
|
Hologic Inc ORD
|
5.35% | -- | -- |
|
Sealed Air Corp ORD
|
5.32% | -- | -- |
|
Other Assets less Liabilities
|
4.92% | -- | -- |
|
Masimo Corp ORD
|
4.53% | -- | -- |
| Electronic Arts, Inc. (DELISTED) | 4.39% | 209.70 | 0.00% |
|
Tri Pointe Homes Inc (Delaware) ORD
|
3.98% | -- | -- |
| National Storage Affiliates Trust (DELISTED) | 3.70% | 43.41 | -1.74% |
|
Air Lease Corp ORD
|
3.36% | -- | -- |
|
Clearwater Analytics Holdings Inc ORD
|
2.69% | -- | -- |
Fees & Availability
| Fees | |
| Actual 12B-1 Fee | -- |
| Actual Management Fee | 1.25% |
| Administration Fee | 1.549M None |
| Maximum Front Load | -- |
| Maximum Deferred Load | -- |
| Maximum Redemption Fee | 1.00% |
| General Availability | |
| Available for Insurance Product | No |
| Available for RRSP | No |
| Purchase Details | |
| Open to New Investors |
|
| Minimum Initial Investment | 500000.0 None |
| Minimum Subsequent Investment | 0.00 None |
Projected Income
| Type | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Qualified Income
|
-- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
|
Normal
|
-- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
|
Qualified
|
-- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
|
LT Cap Gains
|
-- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
|
Ordinary Income
|
-- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
|
Non-Qual
|
-- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
|
ST Cap Gains
|
-- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
|
Interest
|
-- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
|
Tax-Exempt
|
-- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
|
ROC
|
-- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
|
Other
|
-- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
|
Total
|
-- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
As of July 31, 2026.
Basic Info
| Investment Strategy | |
| The Fund seeks returns that are largely uncorrelated with the returns of the general stock market, and capital appreciation. The Fund primarily invests in equity securities (publicly-traded common stock and preferred stock) of companies that are involved in a significant corporate event, such as a merger or acquisition. |
| General | |
| Security Type | Mutual Fund |
| Equity Style | -- |
| Broad Asset Class | Alternative |
| Broad Category | Alternative Strategies |
| Global Peer Group | Alternative Event Driven |
| Peer Group | Alternative Event Driven Funds |
| Global Macro | Alternative Equity |
| US Macro | Alternative Equity Funds |
| YCharts Categorization | -- |
| YCharts Benchmark | -- |
| Prospectus Objective | Alternative Event Driven Funds |
| Fund Owner Firm Name | First Trust |
| Broad Asset Class Benchmark Index | |
| ^MSACWINTR | 100.0% |
Fundamentals
| General | |
| Distribution Yield | -- |
| Dividend Yield TTM (8-25-26) | 3.48% |
| 30-Day SEC Yield | -- |
| 7-Day SEC Yield | -- |
| Number of Holdings | 206 |
| Stock | |
| Weighted Average PE Ratio | 36.16 |
| Weighted Average Price to Sales Ratio | 5.569 |
| Weighted Average Price to Book Ratio | 4.295 |
| Weighted Median ROE | 6.15% |
| Weighted Median ROA | 1.23% |
| Return on Investment (TTM) | 2.47% |
| Earning Yield | 0.0409 |
| LT Debt / Shareholders Equity | 1.073 |
| Number of Equity Holdings | 168 |
As of March 31, 2026
Growth Metrics
| EPS Growth (1Y) | 19.77% |
| EPS Growth (3Y) | -10.42% |
| EPS Growth (5Y) | 1.69% |
| Sales Growth (1Y) | 4.81% |
| Sales Growth (3Y) | 9.00% |
| Sales Growth (5Y) | 10.96% |
| Sales per Share Growth (1Y) | 3.73% |
| Sales per Share Growth (3Y) | 9.08% |
| Operating Cash Flow - Growth Rate (3Y) | 15.56% |
As of March 31, 2026
Fund Details
Top Portfolio Holders
| Name | % Weight |
|---|---|
| Portfolio A | 5.00% |
| Portfolio B | 3.50% |
| Portfolio C | 2.25% |
Excel Add-In Codes
| Name: =YCI("M:VARBX", "name") |
| Broad Asset Class: =YCI("M:VARBX", "broad_asset_class") |
| Broad Category: =YCI("M:VARBX", "broad_category_group") |
| Prospectus Objective: =YCI("M:VARBX", "prospectus_objective") |
| To find the codes for any of our securities and financial metrics, see our Complete Excel Reference. |