ETF Evaluator:
Avantis US Small Cap Equity ETF (AVSC)
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(as of Aug 14)
Best Performing in Small Value Over the Last Year
| 44.0% | EA Bridgeway Omni Small-Cap Value ETF (BSVO) |
| 43.5% | Cambria Micro and Smcp Shld Yld ETF (MYLD) |
| 42.4% | First Trust Small Cap Val AlphaDEX® ETF (FYT) |
| 42.0% | Invesco S&P SmallCap 600® Pure Value ETF (RZV) |
| 41.7% | EA Bridgeway Ultra-Small Company Mkt ETF (BUSM) |
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ETF Details
Avantis US Small Cap Equity ETF Overview
Avantis US Small Cap Equity ETF (AVSC) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Small Value exchange-traded fund (ETF). Avantis Investors launched the ETF in 2022.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation.
Under normal market conditions, the fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of small capitalization companies located in the United States. The fund may also engage in securities lending and invest its collateral in eligible securities, such as a government money market fund. The fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (ETF) that does not seek to replicate the performance of a specified index. The portfolio managers continually analyze market and financial data to make buy, sell, and hold decisions.
About Avantis US Small Cap Equity ETF (AVSC)
There are 5 members of the management team with an average tenure of 4.55 years: Daniel Ong (2022), Mitchell Firestein (2022), Eduardo Repetto (2022), Ted Randall (2022) and Matthew Dubin (2022). 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%. Avantis US Small Cap Equity ETF has 1524 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 3.5% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Avantis US Small Cap Equity ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity ETF group. Avantis US Small Cap Equity ETF has 2.3% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 97.5% There is 2.3% 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). Avantis US Small Cap Equity ETF has 0.2% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $3 billion in total assets, which is above the $2 billion average for the Small Value 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.
AVSC 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 Avantis US Small Cap Equity ETF expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Small Value category. Avantis US Small Cap Equity ETF has an expense ratio of 0.25%, which is 48% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a A. 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. Avantis US Small Cap Equity ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 5%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.2 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 60% for the Small Value category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Avantis US Small Cap Equity ETF returned -1.2%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Small Value category had an average return of 1.2%. 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.
Avantis US Small Cap Equity ETF has a trailing yield of 0.93%, which is below the 1.71% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income quarterly 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.
Avantis US Small Cap Equity ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 23.9%, 4.2 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 39.5% over the past year (grade of A) and 15.1% over the past three years (grade of B).
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AVSC 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 |
|
| AVSC Return (NAV) | -1.2% | 6.7% | 39.5% | 15.1% | na | na |
| AVSC Return (Price) | -1.4% | 6.6% | 39.5% | 15.0% | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 0.157% | 0.160% | 0.044% | 0.062% | na | na |
| Small Value Avg | 1.2% | 6.4% | 31.1% | 13.1% | 8.6% | 10.2% |
| AVSC Grade (NAV) | F | B | A | B | na | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | -2.4% | 0.4% | 8.4% | 2.0% | na | na |
| AVSC Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.3% | 0.4% | na | na |
AVSC Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| AVSC Return (NAV) | 23.9% | 9.4% | 7.8% | 19.4% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| AVSC Return (Price) | 23.7% | 9.4% | 7.8% | 19.3% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -0.009% | 0.001% | -0.001% | -0.003% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Small Value Avg | 19.7% | 7.0% | 7.8% | 17.1% | -10.9% | 33.0% | 4.1% | 21.2% | -12.2% | 9.8% | 29.4% |
| AVSC Grade (NAV) | A | B | C | B | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | 4.2% | 2.4% | -0.1% | 2.3% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 1.08 |
| R-Squared: | 49% |
| Standard Deviation: | 20.1% |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.09 |
| Category Risk Rating: | High |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.64 |
| Total Risk Rating: | Above Average |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 0.9% |
| Total Assets: | $ 3,047 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 3,047 Mil |
| Turnover: | 5.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.25% |
| 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: | Quarterly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 5 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 4.6 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 4.6 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Ong Daniel (2022), Firestein Mitchell (2022), Repetto Eduardo (2022), Randall Ted (2022), Dubin Matthew (2022) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 1524 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 3.5% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 2.3% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 97.5% |
| Foreign Stock: | 2.3% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.2% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Avantis Investors |
| Phone Number: | 833-928-2684 |
| Website: | americancenturyetfs.com |
| Inception Date: | January 11, 2022 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.25% (Rating: Below Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.48% |
