ETF Evaluator:
Argent Focused Small Cap ETF (ALIL)
Follow This ETF
(as of Aug 06)
Best Performing in Small Blend Over the Last Year
| 55.4% | Invesco NASDAQ Future Gen 200 ETF (QQQS) |
| 45.8% | iShares Micro-Cap ETF (IWC) |
| 45.6% | First Trust Small Cap Core AlphaDEX® ETF (FYX) |
| 43.8% | Fidelity Enhanced Small Cap Core ETF (FESM) |
| 38.9% | Inspire Small/Mid Cap ETF (ISMD) |
Risk
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ETF Details
Argent Focused Small Cap ETF Overview
Argent Focused Small Cap ETF (ALIL) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Small Blend exchange-traded fund (ETF). Argent launched the ETF in 2025.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation.
The fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in the equity securities of small-capitalization companies that Argent Capital Management LLC, the fund’s sub-adviser (the “Sub-Adviser”), believes are high quality, enduring businesses. The fund is non-diversified.
About Argent Focused Small Cap ETF (ALIL)
There are 1 members of the management team with an average tenure of 0.08 years: Kirk McDonald (2026). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: Russell 3000 TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Russell 2000 TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Argent Focused Small Cap ETF has 43 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 36.8% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Argent Focused Small Cap ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity ETF group. Argent Focused Small Cap ETF has 3.9% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 95.0% There is 3.9% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Argent Focused Small Cap ETF has 1.1% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $25 million in total assets, which is below the $4 billion average for the Small Blend category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
ALIL Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Argent Focused Small Cap ETF expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Small Blend category. Argent Focused Small Cap ETF has an expense ratio of 0.74%, which is 75% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a F. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Argent Focused Small Cap ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 0%, which indicates that it holds its assets around /years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 50% for the Small Blend category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Argent Focused Small Cap ETF returned -6.4%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Small Blend category had an average return of -2.1%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
Argent Focused Small Cap ETF has a trailing yield of 0.22%, which is below the 1.17% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income annually and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
Argent Focused Small Cap ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 7.9%, 10.1 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 9.8% over the past year (grade of F).
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ALIL Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| ALIL Return (NAV) | -6.4% | 2.1% | 9.8% | na | na | na |
| ALIL Return (Price) | -7.7% | 0.7% | 8.3% | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 1.243% | 1.332% | 1.413% | na | na | na |
| Small Blend Avg | -2.1% | 5.7% | 28.5% | 14.0% | 8.0% | 10.8% |
| ALIL Grade (NAV) | F | F | F | na | na | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | -4.3% | -3.6% | -18.7% | na | na | na |
| ALIL Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.1% | na | na | na |
ALIL Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| ALIL Return (NAV) | 7.9% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| ALIL Return (Price) | 6.3% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -0.197% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Small Blend Avg | 18.0% | 8.7% | 11.7% | 16.3% | -15.9% | 24.0% | 12.7% | 24.8% | -9.2% | 14.4% | 19.6% |
| ALIL Grade (NAV) | F | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | -10.1% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | na |
| R-Squared: | na |
| Standard Deviation: | na |
| Category Risk Index: | na |
| Category Risk Rating: | |
| Total Risk Index: | na |
| Total Risk Rating: | |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 0.2% |
| Total Assets: | $ 25 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 25 Mil |
| Turnover: | 0.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.74% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | Russell 3000 TR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 1 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 0.1 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 0.1 years | |||
| Managers (Year): McDonald Kirk (2026) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 43 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 36.8% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 3.9% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 95.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 3.9% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | -0.1% |
| Cash: | 1.1% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Argent |
| Phone Number: | 215-330-4476 |
| Website: | www.valueshares.com |
| Inception Date: | April 8, 2025 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.74% (Rating: Above Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.42% |
