ETF Evaluator: Avantis International Small Cap Val ETF () Follow This ETF

Avantis International Small Cap Val ETF Overview

Avantis International Small Cap Val ETF (AVDV) is an actively managed International Equity Foreign Small/Mid Value exchange-traded fund (ETF). Avantis Investors launched the ETF in 2019.

The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation. The fund invests primarily in a diverse group of non-U.S. small cap value companies across market sectors, industry groups, and countries. Under normal market conditions, it will invest at least 80% of its assets in securities of small capitalization companies. The fund also may invest in derivative instruments such as futures contracts, currency forwards, and swap agreements.

About Avantis International Small Cap Val ETF (AVDV)

There are 5 members of the management team with an average tenure of 6.00 years: Daniel Ong (2019), Mitchell Firestein (2019), Eduardo Repetto (2019), Ted Randall (2019) and Matthew Dubin (2024). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.

The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI World ex USA NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and MSCI World Ex USA Small Cap NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Avantis International Small Cap Val ETF has 1687 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 6.5% 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 International Small Cap Val ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity ETF group. Avantis International Small Cap Val ETF has 98.1% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 1.7% There is 98.1% 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). Avantis International Small Cap Val ETF has 0.1% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $18 billion in total assets, which is above the $2 billion average for the Foreign Small/Mid 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.

AVDV 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 International Small Cap Val ETF expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Foreign Small/Mid Value category. Avantis International Small Cap Val ETF has an expense ratio of 0.36%, which is 34% 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 International Small Cap Val ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 4%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.3 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 49% for the Foreign Small/Mid Value category.

Recently, in the month of July 2026, Avantis International Small Cap Val ETF returned 0.9%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Foreign Small/Mid Value category had an average return of 2.7%. 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 International Small Cap Val ETF has a trailing yield of 2.80%, which is below the 3.23% category average. The fund normally distributes its income 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 International Small Cap Val ETF Grades

Year to date, the ETF has returned 13.1%, 1.4 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 35.3% over the past year (grade of A), 24.1% over the past three years (grade of A) and 13.8% per year over the past five years (grade of A).

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