Innovator S&P 500 Ultra Buffer (UJUN) Performance
UJUN total return
Distributions reinvested · as of Oct 23, 2026- YTD
- +4.4% since Dec 31, 2025
- 1 year
- +6.0% total return
- 5 years
- +6.0% a year
- Since first price
- +6.5% a year since 2019
UJUN trailing returns vs SPY, QQQ, AGG
| Period | UJUN total return | Price only | S&P 500 (SPY) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | U.S. bonds (AGG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | −0.4% | −0.4% | −1.0% | −5.0% | +0.9% |
| 3 months | +1.9% | +1.9% | +3.2% | +1.9% | −0.4% |
| 6 months | +2.0% | +2.0% | +7.8% | +8.4% | −1.5% |
| YTD | +4.4% | +4.4% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 1 year | +6.0% | +6.0% | +14.4% | +15.9% | −1.1% |
| 3 years | +39.1%+11.6%/yr | +39.1% | +87.4%+23.3%/yr | +101.4%+26.3%/yr | +16.6%+5.2%/yr |
| 5 years | +34.1%+6.0%/yr | +34.1% | +79.3%+12.4%/yr | +94.0%+14.2%/yr | −0.8%−0.2%/yr |
| Since inceptionJun 3, 2019 | +59.7%+6.5%/yr | +53.7% | — | — | — |
Total return from adjusted closes (distributions reinvested, before tax). Periods of 3 years or more are also shown annualized. Price only excludes distributions.
Growth of $10,000: UJUN vs SPY
From Jun 3, 2019: UJUN grew to $15,973, SPY to $30,881.
Year-end values with distributions reinvested, no taxes or trading costs. Start: first common trading day of both funds.
UJUN returns by calendar year
5 of 6 full years positive. Best 2024 (+12.5%), worst 2022 (−8.9%). 2026 is year to date.
UJUN annual returns table
| Year | UJUN | Largest drop | SPY | QQQ | AGG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026YTD | +4.4% | −2.8% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 2025 | +10.6% | −11.2% | +17.7% | +20.8% | +7.2% |
| 2024 | +12.5% | −3.9% | +24.9% | +25.6% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | +12.2% | −4.8% | +26.2% | +54.9% | +5.7% |
| 2022 | −8.9% | −12.0% | −18.2% | −32.6% | −13.0% |
| 2021 | +5.1% | −1.5% | +28.7% | +27.4% | −1.8% |
| 2020 | +7.1% | −13.7% | +18.3% | +48.6% | +7.5% |
Largest drop = deepest fall from a high within that calendar year.
Calendar-year return vs largest drop within the year
Most years include a sizable fall at some point even when the year ends higher.
UJUN largest drawdowns
Now 1.4% below the high| Peak | Decline | Bottom | Recovered | Fall | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 19, 2020 | −13.7% | Mar 23, 2020 | May 27, 2020 | 33 days | 3 months |
| Mar 29, 2022 | −12.0% | Oct 11, 2022 | Dec 1, 2023 | 6 months | 1.7 years |
| Feb 19, 2025 | −11.2% | Apr 8, 2025 | May 15, 2025 | 48 days | 3 months |
Declines from a closing high (distributions reinvested) of 10% or more. Underwater = time from the peak until the old high was regained.
UJUN risk statistics
| Statistic | 3 years | 5 years | Since 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annualized return | +11.4% | +6.4% | +6.3% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 5.8% | 7.1% | 7.0% |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.16 | 0.41 | 0.53 |
| Sortino ratio | 2.51 | 0.63 | 0.82 |
| Best month | +5.9% | +5.9% | +6.2% |
| Worst month | −3.2% | −4.3% | −5.1% |
| Best 12 months | +18.5% | +18.5% | +18.5% |
| Worst 12 months | +5.7% | −9.4% | −9.4% |
| Positive months | 75% | 65% | 67% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.39 | 0.42 | — |
| Correlation with S&P 500 | 0.85 | 0.92 | — |
From monthly total returns. Sharpe and Sortino use 1–3 month T-bills (BIL) as the risk-free rate, so they need history from 2007 on.
UJUN rolling returns
| Holding period | Periods | Worst | Median | Best | Positive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year | 77 | −9.4% | +7.4% | +18.5% | 83% |
| 3-year (a year) | 53 | +0.8% | +4.2% | +12.1% | 100% |
| 5-year (a year) | 29 | +4.9% | +5.9% | +6.6% | 100% |
Every holding period starting at a month-end since 2019. Returns for 3 years and longer are annualized.
UJUN performance overview
Innovator S&P 500 Ultra Buffer (UJUN) returned +6.0% over the past year and +6.0% a year over five years, with distributions reinvested. Since its first recorded price in 2019 it has returned +6.5% a year, turning $10,000 into about $15,973. Over the same year S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.4%.
The deepest decline was −13.7%, from Feb 19, 2020 to Mar 23, 2020, and it took 2 months to get back to the old high. UJUN finished 5 of its 6 full calendar years with a gain; the best year was 2024 (+12.5%) and the worst 2022 (−8.9%). Volatility has been 7.0% a year.
Related: UJUN chart. See the UJUN overview for the latest quote and fund facts.
UJUN performance FAQ
What is the UJUN return over the past year?
UJUN returned +6.0% over the 12 months to October 23, 2026, including reinvested distributions. On price alone it rose 6.0%.
What is the average annual return of UJUN?
UJUN has returned +6.0% a year over 5 years, +6.5% a year since June 3, 2019 (total return, distributions reinvested).
How much would $10,000 invested in UJUN be worth?
$10,000 invested in UJUN at its first recorded close on June 3, 2019 would be worth about $15,973 on October 23, 2026 with distributions reinvested.
What was the worst year for UJUN?
The worst calendar year was 2022, with a total return of −8.9%. The best was 2024 at +12.5%.
What is the biggest drawdown of UJUN?
The largest peak-to-trough decline was −13.7% between February 19, 2020 and March 23, 2020. It recovered to the old high on May 27, 2020, 2 months after the bottom.
How volatile is UJUN?
Over the past 3 years UJUN had an annualized volatility of 5.8% and a Sharpe ratio of 1.16 (excess return over 1–3 month T-bills per unit of risk).