AIRR: FIRST TRUST RBA AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL RENAISSANCE ETF
What this ETF is trying to do
The First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF (AIRR) focuses on companies within the industrial sector. It holds a variety of businesses, with a partial list of top holdings including IES Holdings Inc (3.82%), Forgent Power Solutions Inc (3.45%), and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc (3.35%). As of October 7, 2026, the fund holds a total of 59 different assets.
What the numbers show
As of October 2, 2026, the share price was $106.72. To understand how the fund has performed, we look at two different types of returns:
• Price Return: This measures only the change in the share price. The one-year price return was approximately 9.88%. The three-year price return was approximately 110.74%.
• Total Return: This reflects the overall return, including distributions. The one-year total return was approximately 9.98%, and the three-year total return was approximately 111.92%.
For a simple example, if you had invested $10,000 exactly one year ago at the estimated price of $97.12, the price-only growth would have increased that amount to approximately $10,988.
Income and distribution explanation
This ETF provides cash distributions to investors, but it does so on an irregular or less frequent basis. Over the last 12 months, it made two payouts. The distribution yield is approximately 0.08%.
It is important for beginners to remember that a distribution yield is not the same as a total return. While distributions provide cash income, they do not guarantee that the original money invested (the principal) will stay the same or grow.
NAV erosion explanation
"NAV erosion" happens when the net asset value of a fund declines over time, which can eat away at an investor's principal. StockValueFinder uses an erosion-risk score to measure this.
AIRR has an erosion score of 100, and the erosion label states "No price erosion detected." Additionally, the severe erosion-risk flag is false, meaning the fund's price trend did not trigger a warning for substantial price deterioration.
Pros
• Strong three-year and five-year total returns.
• No price erosion detected based on the erosion-risk score.
• Diversified across 59 holdings.
Cons
• Very low distribution yield.
• Distributions are irregular and less frequent.
Beginner takeaway
AIRR is an industrial-focused ETF that has seen significant price growth over the last three to five years. While it does pay out some cash, the yield is very low and the timing is irregular. Investors typically look for principal stability in income funds; in this case, the erosion-risk measurements suggest the fund has maintained its value well.
Top Holdings
Structured portfolio holdings supplied by the ETF data provider. These figures are not generated by the AI article.
| # | Holding | Ticker | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IES HOLDINGS INC | IESC | 3.82% |
| 2 | FORGENT POWER SOLUTIONS INC ORDINARY SHARES CLASS A | FPS | 3.45% |
| 3 | KRATOS DEFENSE & SECURITY SOLUTIONS INC | KTOS | 3.35% |
| 4 | OWENS-CORNING INC | OC | 2.98% |
| 5 | POWELL INDUSTRIES INC | POWL | 2.96% |
| 6 | BWX TECHNOLOGIES INC | BWXT | 2.91% |
| 7 | NEXTPOWER INC | NXT | 2.91% |
| 8 | SPX TECHNOLOGIES INC | SPXC | 2.87% |
| 9 | STERLING INFRASTRUCTURE INC | STRL | 2.84% |
| 10 | RBC BEARINGS INC | RBC | 2.83% |