ETF Evaluator:
Avantis Emerging Markets Equity ETF ()
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(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Diversified Emerging Mkts Over the Last Year
| 114.0% | Nomura Focused Emerging Mrkts Eq ETF (EMEQ) |
| 81.0% | FT EM Human Flourishing ETF (FTHF) |
| 68.7% | First Trust Bloomberg Emr Mkt Dem ETF (EMDM) |
| 67.8% | Freedom 100 Emerging Markets ETF (FRDM) |
| 59.4% | Pacific NoS Global EM Equity Active ETF (GEME) |
Risk
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Risk
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ETF Details
Avantis Emerging Markets Equity ETF Overview
Avantis Emerging Markets Equity ETF (AVEM) is an actively managed International Equity Diversified Emerging Mkts 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 companies related to emerging markets across market sectors, industry groups and countries. The fund may invest in companies of all market capitalizations. Under normal market conditions, the fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of companies related to emerging market countries.
About Avantis Emerging Markets Equity ETF (AVEM)
There are 5 members of the management team with an average tenure of 6.01 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 1 primary benchmark: MSCI EM IMI NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Avantis Emerging Markets Equity ETF has 3973 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 28.5% 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 Emerging Markets Equity ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity ETF group. Avantis Emerging Markets Equity ETF has 98.4% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 1.1% There is 98.4% 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 Emerging Markets Equity ETF has 0.5% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $25 billion in total assets, which is above the $3 billion average for the Diversified Emerging Mkts 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.
AVEM 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 Emerging Markets Equity ETF expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Diversified Emerging Mkts category. Avantis Emerging Markets Equity ETF has an expense ratio of 0.33%, which is 36% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. 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 Emerging Markets Equity 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 44% for the Diversified Emerging Mkts category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Avantis Emerging Markets Equity ETF returned -6.8%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Diversified Emerging Mkts category had an average return of -3.0%. 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 Emerging Markets Equity ETF has a trailing yield of 1.95%, which is below the 2.41% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income semi-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 Emerging Markets Equity ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 17.4%, 0.2 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 32.6% over the past year (grade of C), 19.6% over the past three years (grade of B) and 9.5% per year over the past five years (grade of B).
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AVEM 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 |
|
| AVEM Return (NAV) | -6.8% | 0.7% | 32.6% | 19.6% | 9.5% | na |
| AVEM Return (Price) | -7.2% | -0.4% | 32.3% | 19.3% | 9.3% | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 0.462% | 1.059% | 0.330% | 0.256% | 0.180% | na |
| Diversified Emerging Mkts Avg | -3.0% | 3.0% | 31.9% | 16.6% | 7.1% | 7.8% |
| AVEM Grade (NAV) | F | D | C | B | B | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | -3.8% | -2.3% | 0.7% | 3.0% | 2.4% | na |
| AVEM Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.8% | 1.1% | 1.1% | na |
AVEM Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| AVEM Return (NAV) | 17.4% | 34.5% | 7.5% | 15.1% | -17.9% | 4.9% | 15.2% | na | na | na | na |
| AVEM Return (Price) | 17.0% | 34.5% | 7.5% | 15.3% | -18.1% | 5.2% | 14.4% | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -0.023% | -0.001% | -0.005% | 0.012% | 0.012% | 0.056% | -0.056% | na | na | na | na |
| Diversified Emerging Mkts Avg | 17.1% | 29.2% | 6.7% | 12.8% | -18.8% | 2.3% | 12.7% | 18.2% | -14.6% | 33.7% | 10.9% |
| AVEM Grade (NAV) | C | A | B | B | C | C | B | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | 0.2% | 5.3% | 0.9% | 2.4% | 0.9% | 2.6% | 2.5% | na | na | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 1.04 |
| R-Squared: | 78% |
| Standard Deviation: | 16.3% |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.00 |
| Category Risk Rating: | Average |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.33 |
| Total Risk Rating: | Above Average |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 2.0% |
| Total Assets: | $ 25,757 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 25,757 Mil |
| Turnover: | 0.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.33% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | MSCI EM IMI NR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Semi-Annually |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 5 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 6.9 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 6.0 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Ong Daniel (2019), Firestein Mitchell (2019), Repetto Eduardo (2019), Randall Ted (2019), Dubin Matthew (2024) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 3973 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 28.5% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 98.4% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 1.1% |
| Foreign Stock: | 98.4% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.5% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Avantis Investors |
| Phone Number: | |
| Website: | americancenturyetfs.com |
| Inception Date: | September 17, 2019 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.33% (Rating: Below Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.52% |
