ETF Evaluator:
ARS Focused Opportunities Strategy ETF ()
Follow This ETF
(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Large Blend Over the Last Year
| 62.5% | ARS Focused Opportunities Strategy ETF (AFOS) |
| 35.7% | Mohr Company Nav ETF (CNAV) |
| 33.9% | Impact Shares NAACP Minority Empwrmt ETF (NACP) |
| 31.8% | Astoria US Equal Weight Quality KingsETF (ROE) |
| 30.5% | FIS Bright Portfolios Focused Equity ETF (BRIF) |
Risk
Index
Risk
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ETF Details
ARS Focused Opportunities Strategy ETF Overview
ARS Focused Opportunities Strategy ETF (AFOS) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Large Blend exchange-traded fund (ETF). ARS Investment Partners, LLC launched the ETF in 2025.
The investment seeks to achieve long-term growth of capital and generate current income.
The fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”), sub-advised by ARS Investment Partners, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”). The fund invests either directly in the equity securities of companies the Sub-Adviser deems to be high-quality, defined by strong balance sheets, reasonable earnings growth, and above-average dividend yields with the prospect for dividend growth, or indirectly through one or more underlying ETFs, that have exposure to the same companies. The fund manager intends to invest across a variety of sectors. The fund is non-diversified.
About ARS Focused Opportunities Strategy ETF (AFOS)
There are 5 members of the management team with an average tenure of 0.86 years: Arnold Schmeidler (2025), Andrew Schmeidler (2025), P. Ross Taylor (2025), Sean Lawless (2025) and Anthony Young (2026). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
ARS Focused Opportunities Strategy ETF has 33 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 44.7% 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.
ARS Focused Opportunities Strategy ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity ETF group. ARS Focused Opportunities Strategy ETF has 2.1% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 91.6% There is 2.1% 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). ARS Focused Opportunities Strategy ETF has 6.4% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $285 million in total assets, which is below the $13 billion average for the Large 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.
AFOS 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 ARS Focused Opportunities Strategy ETF expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Large Blend category. ARS Focused Opportunities Strategy ETF has an expense ratio of 0.45%, which is 9% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a C. 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. ARS Focused Opportunities Strategy 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 158% for the Large Blend category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, ARS Focused Opportunities Strategy ETF returned -5.8%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Large Blend category had an average return of -0.8%. 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.
ARS Focused Opportunities Strategy ETF has a trailing yield of 0.23%, which is below the 1.16% 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.
ARS Focused Opportunities Strategy ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 27.7%, 18.2 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 62.5% over the past year (grade of A).
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AFOS 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 |
|
| AFOS Return (NAV) | -5.8% | 5.7% | 62.5% | na | na | na |
| AFOS Return (Price) | -5.8% | 5.8% | 62.7% | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -0.054% | -0.095% | -0.212% | na | na | na |
| Large Blend Avg | -0.8% | 3.7% | 17.5% | 17.4% | 11.2% | 13.6% |
| AFOS Grade (NAV) | F | A | A | na | na | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | -5.0% | 2.0% | 45.0% | na | na | na |
| AFOS Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.1% | na | na | na |
AFOS Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| AFOS Return (NAV) | 27.7% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| AFOS Return (Price) | 27.8% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 0.003% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Large Blend Avg | 9.5% | 15.3% | 21.9% | 22.9% | -17.1% | 26.9% | 18.3% | 29.6% | -5.1% | 21.5% | 11.4% |
| AFOS Grade (NAV) | A | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | 18.2% | 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: | $ 286 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 286 Mil |
| Turnover: | na |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.45% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | N/A |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 5 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 1.1 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 0.9 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Schmeidler Arnold (2025), Taylor P. Ross (2025), Lawless Sean (2025), Schmeidler Andrew (2025), Young Anthony (2026) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 33 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 44.7% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 2.1% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 91.6% |
| Foreign Stock: | 2.1% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | -0.0% |
| Cash: | 6.4% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | ARS Investment Partners, LLC |
| Phone Number: | 215-330-4476 |
| Website: | www.valueshares.com |
| Inception Date: | June 25, 2025 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.45% (Rating: Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.41% |
