GCAD: GABELLI COMMERCIAL AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE ETF
What this ETF is trying to do
GCAD, the Gabelli Commercial Aerospace and Defense ETF, is designed to invest in companies within the aerospace and defense industries. This means the fund focuses on businesses that create aircraft, defense technology, and related equipment.
What the numbers show
As of October 9, 2026, the current price of GCAD is $48.11. The ETF has shown growth in both its share price and its total return over several timeframes.
• Year-to-Date (YTD): The YTD price return is 3.64%, and the YTD total return is also 3.64%.
• One Year: The one-year price return was 5.26%. The one-year total return was 7.40%. This shows that the total return is higher than the share-price change alone because it includes the value of distributions. For example, if you had $10,000 invested in the share price one year ago (when the estimated price was $45.71), your investment would have grown to approximately $10,526 based on the price return.
• Three Years: The three-year price return was 96.52%, while the three-year total return was 115.37%.
Top Holdings
The fund holds a total of 51 investments. Some of its largest holdings include:
• Albany International Corp (6.84%)
• Moog Inc Class A (6.20%)
• Boeing Co (5.20%)
• Ducommun Inc (4.74%)
• Hexcel Corp (4.58%)
• RTX Corp (4.14%)
• L3Harris Technologies Inc (4.01%)
• Lockheed Martin Corp (3.98%)
• Mercury Systems Inc (3.93%)
• Textron Inc (3.87%)
Please note that holdings can change over time.
Income and distribution explanation
GCAD has a distribution yield of approximately 1.99%. This number describes the cash distributions paid out relative to the ETF's price. However, these payments are described as "irregular" or "less frequent." In the last 12 months, there was only one distribution payout.
NAV erosion explanation
The supplied data is sufficient to evaluate price erosion, but it does not include enough historical NAV-per-share data to confirm or rule out NAV erosion. Regarding price-based evidence, the ETF has an erosion-risk score of 100, and the label indicates "No price erosion detected." There is no severe erosion-risk flag for this fund.
Pros
• The ETF has shown significant total returns over a three-year period.
• The data shows no detected price erosion.
Cons
• Distributions are not frequent or regular, which may be a factor for those seeking steady income.
Beginner takeaway
GCAD provides exposure to the aerospace and defense sectors. While it pays a distribution yield of about 1.99%, these payments do not happen on a regular schedule. Investors should look at both the price return (how much the share price moves) and the total return (which includes distributions) to see the full picture of how the fund has performed.
Top Holdings
Structured portfolio holdings supplied by the ETF data provider. These figures are not generated by the AI article.
| # | Holding | Ticker | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALBANY INTERNATIONAL CORP | AIN | 6.84% |
| 2 | MOOG INC CLASS A | MOG-A | 6.20% |
| 3 | BOEING CO | BA | 5.20% |
| 4 | DUCOMMUN INC | DCO | 4.74% |
| 5 | HEXCEL CORP | HXL | 4.58% |
| 6 | RTX CORP | RTX | 4.14% |
| 7 | L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES INC | LHX | 4.01% |
| 8 | LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP | LMT | 3.98% |
| 9 | MERCURY SYSTEMS INC | MRCY | 3.93% |
| 10 | TEXTRON INC | TXT | 3.87% |