Which has more room to gain, KMAR or SFEB?

From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, KMAR can gain about 11.0% before its cap and SFEB about 10.9%, so KMAR has more room left this period.

Which resets first, KMAR or SFEB?

KMAR ends its outcome period on Feb 28, 2027 and SFEB on Feb 19, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.

Which is cheaper, KMAR or SFEB?

KMAR charges 0.79% a year and SFEB charges 0.90%, so KMAR is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Share on X Download as PDF Open live

KMAR vs SFEB: which one stands where?

As of Oct 1, 2026 KMAR can fall 6.1% before its buffer engages and SFEB 5.6%, and SFEB resets 9 days sooner. Innovator U.S. Small Cap Power Buffer ETF - Mar and FT Vest U.S. Small Cap Moderate Buffer ETF - February.

6.1%

KMAR can fall this far before its buffer

5.6%

SFEB can fall this far before its buffer

11.0%

KMAR can still gain

10.9%

SFEB can still gain

KMARBetween buffer and cap

KMAR: reference +6.3% since period start, fund +5.9%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +18.1%; Between buffer and cap.

SFEBBetween buffer and cap

SFEB: reference +5.0% since period start, fund +5.0%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +17.4%; Between buffer and cap.

ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · SFEB scores higherIf the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?

KMAR 69.1

SFEB 71.5

0.2, the lowest in this set99.8, the highest

A percentile among the 293 buffer ETFs with a live outcome period. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All buffer ETFs ranked by it → How it is computed →

Where each one stands today

SFEB resets first, on Feb 19, 2027, 142 days from now; KMAR runs to Feb 28, 2027, 151 days. KMAR can still gain 11.0% before its cap, SFEB 10.9%. A fall from here reaches KMAR’s buffer after 6.1% and SFEB’s after 5.6%. Both track IWM, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Every figure is ETFIQ’s own, from the issuer’s published outcome-period terms. A buffer ETF holds FLEX options on its reference index rather than shares, so there is no holdings overlap between two of them to report.

Performance, window by window

	Total return		Gap to the reference
Window	KMAR	SFEB	KMAR	SFEB
3 months	−1.9%	−2.0%	+5.1 pts	+4.9 pts
6 months	+8.2%	+7.8%	−3.8 pts	−4.2 pts
1 year	+13.5%	+12.8%	−2.5 pts	−3.3 pts

KMAR and SFEB over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →

On the same fields

KMAR

Innovator U.S. Small Cap Power Buffer ETF - Mar · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on IWM and caps the gain at 18.1%, over a period ending Feb 28, 2027

SFEB

FT Vest U.S. Small Cap Moderate Buffer ETF - February · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on IWM and caps the gain at 17.4%, over a period ending Feb 19, 2027

Issuer Innovator First Trust

Reference index IWM IWM

Buffer 15% 15%

Outcome period Feb 28, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027 Feb 23, 2026 to Feb 19, 2027

Days left 151 142

Starting cap +18.1% +17.4%

Can still gain 11.0% 10.9%

Fall before buffer 6.1% 5.6%

Protection left, index points 15.0% of 15.0% 15.0% of 15.0%

Index return this period +6.3% +5.0%

Fund return this period +5.9% +5.0%

State today Open Open

Expense ratio 0.79% 0.90%

Net assets $32m $127m

KMAR and SFEB on the same fields, as of Oct 1, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

KMAR in plain words

From its price on Oct 1, 2026, the fund can gain about 11.0% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 6.1% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, IWM can fall 5.9% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 15.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's IWM level. 151 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Feb 28, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

SFEB in plain words

From its price on Oct 1, 2026, the fund can gain about 10.9% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 5.6% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, IWM can fall 4.8% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. 142 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Feb 19, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, KMAR or SFEB?: From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, KMAR can gain about 11.0% before its cap and SFEB about 10.9%, so KMAR has more room left this period.
Which resets first, KMAR or SFEB?: KMAR ends its outcome period on Feb 28, 2027 and SFEB on Feb 19, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, KMAR or SFEB?: KMAR charges 0.79% a year and SFEB charges 0.90%, so KMAR is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

IWM →KMAR on its own →SFEB on its own →How every figure is computed →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

KMAR filings on SEC EDGAR ↗Innovator page for KMAR ↗SFEB filings on SEC EDGAR ↗First Trust page for SFEB ↗

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page

ETFIQ, KMAR against SFEB, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/kmar-vs-sfeb

Open data

Free to use with attribution. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology.