VARCX
First Trust Merger Arbitrage Fund
INVESTMENT MANAGERS SERIES TRUST II
Expense ratio1
2.80%
Net assets2
$1.58B
Holdings2
186
Category
US Equity
2025 return3
5.02%

Investment objective & strategy

As of Jan. 27, 2026 · prospectus

Objective. The First Trust Merger Arbitrage Fund (the Fund) seeks returns that are largely uncorrelated with the returns of the general stock market, and capital appreciation.

Strategy. 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 Funds advisor believes that the risks and returns of merger -arbitrage investing are largely isolated from … 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 Funds 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 Funds 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 targets 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 Funds 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 Moodys Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys), Standard & Poors, 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).

Top holdings

As of March 31, 2026 · N-PORT
SecurityTickerValue% of fund
CHART INDUSTRIES INC $111.62M 7.06%
HOLOGIC INC $84.56M 5.35%
SEALED AIR CORP $84.13M 5.32%
MASIMO CORP $71.52M 4.53%
ELECTRONIC ARTS INC $69.36M 4.39%
TRI POINTE HOMES INC $62.90M 3.98%
NATIONAL STORAGE AFFILIATES TRUST $58.51M 3.70%
AIR LEASE CORP CL A $53.14M 3.36%
CLEARWATER ANALYTICS HOLDINGS INC $42.47M 2.69%
TERNS PHARMACEUTICALS INC $40.71M 2.58%
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Allocation by sector

As of March 31, 2026 · N-PORT
View portfolio breakdown →

Portfolio moves

Dec 31, 2025 → Mar 31, 2026
Opened
88
Exited
65
Increased
11
Decreased
35
Unchanged
57

How many positions this fund opened, exited, grew, trimmed, or left unchanged between its two most recent N-PORT snapshots — net changes between point-in-time reports, not a trade log.

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Similar funds

Funds whose portfolios most overlap this one, by weight
FundOverlapNet exp.
Comstock Capital Value Fund · DRCVX, CPCCX, CPCRX, COMVX 37% 0.01%
Nexpoint Merger Arbitrage Fund · HMEAX, HMECX, HMEZX 36% 1.90%
GDL Fund 31%
View all similar funds →

Footnotes

  1. Expense ratio as of January 27, 2026, from the fund's prospectus.
  2. Net assets and holdings count as of March 31, 2026, from the fund's N-PORT filing.
  3. Total return for calendar year 2025, before tax and after fund expenses. Computed by compounding the twelve monthly total returns the fund reported in its SEC N-PORT filings for 2025 (the latest prospectus does not yet chart this year).

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