MFLX Performance — First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF
Data updated: 2026-09-18
MFLX returned +2.54% year to date and +8.92% over one year to May 2026. Annualised returns are +5.51% over 3 years and −0.10% over 5 years. The fund beat its Long-Term Municipal Bond category average: $100 invested three years ago grew to $117, against $112 for the category, and to $109 over one year, against $107. Volatility over the past three years was 6.47% a year. In the 12 months to May 2026 the fund took in a net $4.1M, and assets reached $18.90M.
MFLX Growth of $100
What $100 invested in First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF grew to, compounded from monthly returns reported on SEC Form N-PORT, against the Long-Term Municipal Bond category average over the same months.
| Period | MFLX | Category average |
|---|---|---|
| 1 year (Jun 2025 – May 2026) | $109 | $107 |
| 3 years (Jun 2023 – May 2026) | $117 | $112 |
| 5 years (Jun 2021 – May 2026) | $99 | $103 |
| Since data start (Sep 2019 – May 2026) | $113 | $109 |
MFLX Trailing Returns
Total returns to May 2026, from SEC N-PORT.
| Period | Total return |
|---|---|
| YTD | +2.54% |
| 1 year | +8.92% |
| 3 years (annualised) | +5.51% |
| 5 years (annualised) | −0.10% |
MFLX Annual Returns
Calendar-year total returns of First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF, compounded from monthly SEC N-PORT returns. Partial years show the months covered.
| Year | Total return |
|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–May) | +2.54% |
| 2025 | +4.01% |
| 2024 | +4.63% |
| 2023 | +8.00% |
| 2022 | −19.52% |
| 2021 | +8.28% |
| 2020 | +7.07% |
| 2019 (Sep–Dec) | +0.62% |
MFLX Monthly Returns
Monthly total returns as reported on SEC Form N-PORT.
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | +0.8% | +1.8% | −2.5% | +1.6% | +0.9% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025 | +0.6% | +1.4% | −2.2% | −1.3% | −0.5% | +0.7% | −0.7% | +0.7% | +3.3% | +1.6% | +0.3% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | +0.4% | +0.4% | +0.6% | −1.3% | +0.4% | +2.2% | +1.1% | +1.1% | +1.4% | −1.6% | +1.8% | −2.0% |
| 2023 | +3.8% | −2.6% | +1.7% | +0.4% | −0.6% | +1.3% | +0.4% | −1.1% | −3.0% | −2.0% | +6.7% | +3.2% |
| 2022 | −7.7% | −2.1% | −4.2% | −5.7% | +2.1% | −2.9% | +3.8% | −2.6% | −5.4% | −1.5% | +5.9% | −0.3% |
| 2021 | +1.1% | −1.7% | +2.0% | +2.1% | +1.9% | +1.8% | +1.3% | +0.4% | −3.4% | −0.4% | +1.8% | +1.3% |
| 2020 | +2.6% | −1.1% | −8.6% | −3.2% | +5.7% | +1.8% | +5.0% | −1.0% | −0.1% | −0.5% | +4.8% | +2.4% |
| 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | −0.6% | −0.3% | +0.4% | +1.1% |
MFLX Risk
Risk measures from monthly returns over Jun 2023 – May 2026.
- 3-year volatility (annualised): 6.47%
- 3-year Sharpe ratio: 0.16 (vs 4.5% risk-free rate)
- Best month: +6.66% (Nov 2023)
- Worst month: −2.99% (Sep 2023)
MFLX Fund Flows
Monthly money in and out of First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF, from SEC Form N-PORT.
- 12-month net flow: $4.1M
- 12-month gross sales (incl. reinvestments): $4.1M
| Month | Sales | Redemptions | Net flow |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Apr 2026 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Mar 2026 | $842K | $0 | $842K |
| Feb 2026 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Jan 2026 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Dec 2025 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Nov 2025 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Oct 2025 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Sep 2025 | $846K | $0 | $846K |
| Aug 2025 | $819K | $0 | $819K |
| Jul 2025 | $812K | $0 | $812K |
| Jun 2025 | $821K | $0 | $821K |
MFLX Assets Under Management
Net assets of First Trust Flexible Municipal High Income ETF by report date, from SEC N-PORT filings.
| Report date | Net assets |
|---|---|
| 2026-05-31 | $18.90M |
| 2026-02-28 | $18.24M |
| 2025-11-30 | $17.94M |
| 2025-08-31 | $16.38M |
| 2025-05-31 | $13.97M |
| 2025-02-28 | $14.70M |
| 2024-11-30 | $15.73M |
| 2024-08-31 | $15.64M |
| 2024-05-31 | $15.95M |
| 2024-02-29 | $16.99M |
| 2023-11-30 | $14.00M |
| 2023-08-31 | $12.29M |
For information only. Not investment advice: figures are as reported in SEC filings and may contain errors or be out of date. Past performance does not guarantee future results.