Name
As of 06/02/2026Price
Aum/Mkt Cap
YIELD
Exp Ratio
Watchlist
Vitals
YTD Return
1.1%
1 yr return
3.2%
3 Yr Avg Return
N/A
5 Yr Avg Return
N/A
Net Assets
$1.61 B
Holdings in Top 10
43.0%
52 WEEK LOW AND HIGH
Expenses
OPERATING FEES
Expense Ratio 2.80%
SALES FEES
Front Load N/A
Deferred Load N/A
TRADING FEES
Turnover N/A
Redemption Fee N/A
Min Investment
Standard (Taxable)
N/A
IRA
N/A
Fund Classification
Fund Type
Open End Mutual Fund
Name
As of 06/02/2026Price
Aum/Mkt Cap
YIELD
Exp Ratio
Watchlist
VARCX - Profile
Distributions
- YTD Total Return 1.1%
- 3 Yr Annualized Total Return N/A
- 5 Yr Annualized Total Return N/A
- Capital Gain Distribution Frequency N/A
- Net Income Ratio N/A
- Dividend Yield 2.8%
- Dividend Distribution Frequency Annual
Fund Details
-
Legal NameFirst Trust Merger Arbitrage Fund
-
Fund Family NameINVESTMENT MANAGERS SERIES TRUST II
-
Inception DateMar 06, 2024
-
Shares OutstandingN/A
-
Share ClassC
-
CurrencyUSD
-
Domiciled CountryUS
Fund Description
Under normal market conditions, the Fund intends to invest in equity securities (publicly-traded common stock and preferred stock) and derivatives thereof (primarily options) of companies that are involved in a significant corporate event, such as a merger or acquisition. Investments in companies undergoing a merger or acquisition have both risk and return characteristics that are different from the risks of investing in the general stock market. While the risks and returns of traditional stock investing depend on company-specific factors such as profitability and prospects for growth, and on broader economic factors such as interest rates, inflation, global trade and political risks, the Fund’s advisor believes that the risks and returns of merger-arbitrage investing are largely isolated from the daily movements of the stock market, and instead primarily depend on the successful or unsuccessful completion of a merger or acquisition, which creates returns that are largely uncorrelated with the returns of the stock market. During periods of low merger and acquisition activity, the Fund may hold a substantial amount in cash and cash equivalents.
The typical merger-arbitrage strategies employed by the Fund’s advisor seek to generate returns by purchasing the stock of the company being acquired, which is commonly known as the target company (the “target”), while shorting the stock of the company acquiring the target’s stock. The profit which may be realized is the “spread,” or difference in price between (a) the current trading price of the target company following the announcement of the merger, and (b) the contractual price to be paid for the target company in the future when the transaction closes. This spread, or the return that can be earned, may offer a modest nominal total return. However, given that a merger transaction generally is completed in three to four months, a modest return may translate into higher annualized returns.
The Fund may invest in equity securities of any market capitalization. The Fund may invest in event-driven transactions as small as $100 million in transaction value, without limitation as to industries and sectors. The Fund may also invest in stock, warrants, and other securities of special purpose acquisition companies or similar special purpose entities (collectively, “SPACs”), which are collective investment structures that pool funds in order to seek potential acquisition opportunities. In selecting SPACs for investment, FTCM analyzes the attractiveness of the SPAC through the life of the SPAC from IPO to liquidation. FTCM evaluates pre- and post-merger announcements, the potential rate of return, the length of time until the proposed transaction closes or SPAC liquidates, and the potential risk to the Fund in the event
the proposed acquisition/liquidation does not close on time and is extended. SPACs provide the opportunity for public shareholders to have some or all of their shares redeemed by the SPAC in connection with certain corporate events, such as an amendment to its charter or an acquisition. The Fund may sell its investments in SPACs at any time, but generally looks to sell/redeem prior to the completion of the acquisition or liquidation. While the Fund may invest in both U.S. and non-U.S. securities, the Fund invests primarily in equity securities of U.S. and Canadian issuers, which may include American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). ADRs are receipts that represent interests in foreign securities held on deposit by U.S. banks. The Fund may also invest directly in other foreign markets. In executing the Fund’s strategy, the advisor generally expects to employ leverage and to utilize a variety of hedging techniques including those involving short sales, options, index futures, forwards, swaps, and other financial instruments. The Fund may also invest in other types of securities such as debt securities, convertible securities and options using merger arbitrage strategies. The debt securities in which the Fund invests may be of any maturity and credit quality including high yield securities, commonly referred to as “junk bonds”, that are rated below investment grade by at least one of Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), Standard & Poor’s, a division of McGraw Hill Companies Inc. (“S&P”) or Fitch Ratings Ltd. (“Fitch”) (or if unrated, are determined by the advisor to be of comparable credit quality).
VARCX - Performance
Return Ranking - Trailing
| Period | VARCX Return | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YTD | 1.1% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 1 Yr | 3.2% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 3 Yr | N/A* | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 5 Yr | N/A* | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 10 Yr | N/A* | N/A | N/A | N/A |
* Annualized
Return Ranking - Calendar
| Period | VARCX Return | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | -0.3% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2024 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2023 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2022 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2021 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Total Return Ranking - Trailing
| Period | VARCX Return | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YTD | 1.1% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 1 Yr | 3.2% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 3 Yr | N/A* | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 5 Yr | N/A* | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 10 Yr | N/A* | N/A | N/A | N/A |
* Annualized
Total Return Ranking - Calendar
| Period | VARCX Return | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5.0% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2024 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2023 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2022 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2021 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
NAV & Total Return History
VARCX - Holdings
Concentration Analysis
| VARCX | Category Low | Category High | VARCX % Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Assets | 1.61 B | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Number of Holdings | 207 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Net Assets in Top 10 | 679 M | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Weighting of Top 10 | 42.95% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Top 10 Holdings
- Chart Industries, Inc. 7.06%
- Hologic, Inc. 5.35%
- Sealed Air Corp. 5.32%
- Masimo Corp. 4.53%
- Electronic Arts, Inc. 4.39%
- Tri Pointe Homes, Inc. 3.98%
- National Storage Affiliates Trust - REIT 3.70%
- Air Lease Corp. 3.36%
- Clearwater Analytics Holdings, Inc. - Class A 2.69%
- Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2.58%
Asset Allocation
| Weighting | Return Low | Return High | VARCX % Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stocks | 90.08% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Cash | 5.57% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Other | 0.06% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Preferred Stocks | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Convertible Bonds | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Bonds | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Stock Sector Breakdown
| Weighting | Return Low | Return High | VARCX % Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utilities | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Technology | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Real Estate | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Industrials | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Healthcare | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Financial Services | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Energy | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Communication Services | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Consumer Defense | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Consumer Cyclical | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Basic Materials | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Stock Geographic Breakdown
| Weighting | Return Low | Return High | VARCX % Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | 90.08% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Non US | 0.00% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
VARCX - Expenses
Operational Fees
| VARCX Fees (% of AUM) | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expense Ratio | 2.80% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Management Fee | 1.25% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 12b-1 Fee | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Administrative Fee | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Sales Fees
| VARCX Fees (% of AUM) | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front Load | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Deferred Load | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Trading Fees
| VARCX Fees (% of AUM) | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max Redemption Fee | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Related Fees
Turnover provides investors a proxy for the trading fees incurred by mutual fund managers who frequently adjust position allocations. Higher turnover means higher trading fees.
| VARCX Fees (% of AUM) | Category Return Low | Category Return High | Rank in Category (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
VARCX - Distributions
Dividend Yield Analysis
| VARCX | Category Low | Category High | VARCX % Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield | 2.78% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Dividend Distribution Analysis
| VARCX | Category Low | Category High | Category Mod | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Distribution Frequency | Annual |
Net Income Ratio Analysis
| VARCX | Category Low | Category High | VARCX % Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Income Ratio | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Capital Gain Distribution Analysis
| VARCX | Category Low | Category High | Capital Mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Gain Distribution Frequency |
Distributions History
| Date | Amount | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 05, 2025 | $0.294 | OrdinaryDividend |
| Dec 05, 2025 | $0.256 | CapitalGainShortTerm |
| Dec 05, 2025 | $0.004 | CapitalGainLongTerm |
| Dec 05, 2024 | $0.242 | OrdinaryDividend |
| Dec 05, 2024 | $0.352 | CapitalGainShortTerm |
| Dec 05, 2024 | $0.033 | CapitalGainLongTerm |
| Dec 05, 2024 | $0.627 | OrdinaryDividend |