# First Trust Core Investment Grade ETF (FTCB): ETF Facts & Distributions > Markdown mirror of https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/ftcb for AI agents. Same live data as the HTML page, regenerated on the same refresh cycle. Not investment advice. - Issuer: First Trust · Asset class: Core Investment Grade Bond - Strategy: Thematic · Inception: 2023-11-07 The First Trust Core Investment Grade ETF (the "Fund") aims to maximize its long-term total return. Under typical market conditions, the Fund endeavors to invest its entire "Investment Portfolio" in high-quality, investment-grade securities. To qualify as investment-grade, a security must, at the time of purchase, carry a credit rating of at least Baa3/BBB- from a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO). Alternatively, if unrated, it must be determined by the Fund's investment advisor to possess equivalent credit quality. This "Investment Portfolio" exclusively consist... ## Key Facts | Metric | Value | |---|---| | Price | $20.07 | | Expense Ratio | 0.56% | | Assets Under Management | $2.74B | | NAV | $20.05 | | Holdings Count | 787 | | Distribution Yield (TTM) | 5.53% | | Annual Distribution (TTM) | $1.11 /share | | Distribution Frequency | Monthly | | 52-Week Range | $19.65 – $21.54 | | Beta | 0.16 | ## Latest Distribution - Amount: $0.0775 /share - Ex-date: 2026-10-21 - Pay date: 2026-10-30 ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What does FTCB invest in? The First Trust Core Investment Grade ETF (the "Fund") aims to maximize its long-term total return. Under typical market conditions, the Fund endeavors to invest its entire "Investment Portfolio" in high-quality, investment-grade securities. To qualify as investment-grade, a security must, at the time of purchase, carry a credit rating of at least Baa3/BBB- from a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO). Alternatively, if unrated, it must be determined by the Fund's investment advisor to possess equivalent credit quality. This "Investment Portfolio" exclusively consists of such investment-grade securities hand-picked by the Fund's portfolio managers. It specifically excludes any uninvested cash or other fund assets not directly tied to its core investment strategy, including, but not limited to, outstanding receivables or assets acquired through an issuer's financial restructuring. ### What is the expense ratio of FTCB? First Trust Core Investment Grade ETF (FTCB) charges an expense ratio of 0.56%. This is the annual fee deducted from fund assets to cover management and operations. ### What is FTCB's dividend yield? FTCB's trailing-twelve-month yield is 5.53%, calculated from the sum of dividends over the past year divided by the current price. ### What is the duration of FTCB? Effective duration measures FTCB's sensitivity to interest-rate changes: a duration of 6 means a 1% rate move shifts NAV by roughly 6% in the opposite direction. FTCB's current duration is published on the fund's factsheet on the issuer's website. ### What is the credit quality of FTCB? FTCB's credit quality breakdown (the share of holdings rated AAA through CCC and below) is published on the fund's factsheet. Higher-quality (investment-grade) funds yield less but carry less default risk than high-yield / junk bond funds. ### What is the yield to maturity of FTCB? Yield to maturity (YTM) is the total return you'd earn from FTCB if every bond in the portfolio is held to maturity at the current price. FTCB's YTM is published on the fund's factsheet on the issuer's website. It differs from the trailing-12-month yield because YTM reflects current bond prices rather than historical income paid. ### Does FTCB pay a dividend? Yes, First Trust Core Investment Grade ETF (FTCB) distributes dividends to shareholders. The trailing-twelve-month yield is 5.53%. Full dividend history is on this page. ### How often does FTCB pay dividends? First Trust Core Investment Grade ETF pays dividends Monthly. Each ex-dividend date, record date, and payment date is listed in the dividend history table on this page. ### When is FTCB's next ex-dividend date? The most recently announced ex-dividend date for FTCB was 2026-10-21. The next ex-date typically follows Monthly; once announced it appears at the top of the dividend history table on this page. ### How much will FTCB's expense ratio cost me over 30 years? On a $10,000 investment compounding at 7% gross return, a 0.56% expense ratio quietly compounds against your balance every year. The Fee Compounding Forecast card above projects the dollar drag for any holding period and assumption you pick. The typical result for a 1.0% expense ratio on a 30-year hold is roughly 25% of the final balance lost to fees. ### How does FTCB charge its expense ratio? The expense ratio is deducted in tiny daily slices from FTCB's net asset value (NAV). You never see a bill. The price quoted on every exchange is already net of fees. There's no "fee day" to avoid; the cost is continuous and built into the trading price. ### Why does FTCB cost more than a fund like VOO? FTCB's strategy (current expense ratio 0.56%) is different from a broad-market index tracker like VOO, so its fee belongs to a different cohort. The Cost Verdict card above shows you where FTCB sits within its own category, which is the comparison that actually matters. ### Are there cheaper alternatives to FTCB? The Lower-Fee Alternatives card above lists ETFs following the same investment strategy as FTCB (0.56%) but at a lower expense ratio. Each row shows the fee gap, the peer's AUM as a liquidity sanity-check, and a direct link to that fund's analysis page. Cheaper price doesn't automatically mean better. Verify the peer holds what you actually want. ## More on Dividend Data - Overview (HTML): https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/ftcb - Distribution history: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/ftcb/dividend - Holdings & diversification: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/ftcb/diversification - Fees & cheaper alternatives: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/ftcb/expenses - Peer comparison: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/ftcb/peers Data sourced from primary filings and market data providers; see https://www.dividenddata.com/methodology.