ETF Evaluator:
Virtus Biotech Clinical Trials ETF ()
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(as of Nov 13)
Best Performing in Health Over the Last Year
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ETF Details
Virtus Biotech Clinical Trials ETF Overview
Virtus Biotech Clinical Trials ETF (BBC) is a passively managed Sector Equity Health exchange-traded fund (ETF). Virtus launched the ETF in 2014.
The investment seeks investment results that correspond, before fees and expenses, to the price and yield performance of the LifeSci Biotechnology Clinical Trials Index.
Under normal market conditions, the fund will invest not less than 80% of its assets in component securities of the index. The index seeks to track the performance of the common stock of U.S. exchange-listed biotechnology companies with a primary product offering ("lead drug") that is typically in a Phase 1, Phase 2 or Phase 3 clinical trial stage of development, but prior to receiving marketing approval.
About Virtus Biotech Clinical Trials ETF (BBC)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 9.22 years: Matthew Brown (2017) and Seth Kadushin (2017). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: FT Wilshire 5000 TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Lifesci Biotchnlgy ClinicalTrials TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Virtus Biotech Clinical Trials ETF has 130 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 16.1% 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.
Virtus Biotech Clinical Trials ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Sector Equity ETF group. Virtus Biotech Clinical Trials ETF has 9.9% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 90.1% There is 9.9% 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). Virtus Biotech Clinical Trials ETF has 0.1% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $34 million in total assets, which is below the $2 billion average for the Health 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.
BBC 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 Virtus Biotech Clinical Trials ETF expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Health category. Virtus Biotech Clinical Trials ETF has an expense ratio of 0.65%, which is 25% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a D. 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. Virtus Biotech Clinical Trials ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 77%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 49% for the Health category.
Recently, in the month of October 2026, Virtus Biotech Clinical Trials ETF returned -6.8%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Health category had an average return of 3.6%. 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.
Virtus Biotech Clinical Trials ETF has a trailing yield of 1.52%, which is above the 1.14% 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.
Virtus Biotech Clinical Trials ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 11.2%, 9.1 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 35.4% over the past year (grade of B), 35.4% over the past three years (grade of A) and -0.0% per year over the past five years (grade of D) and 9.5% per year over the past 10 years (grade of F).
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BBC Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 10/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| BBC Return (NAV) | -6.8% | -11.9% | 35.4% | 35.4% | -0.0% | 9.5% |
| BBC Return (Price) | -7.0% | -11.7% | 35.6% | 35.4% | -0.0% | 9.5% |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 0.252% | -0.230% | -0.199% | -0.016% | -0.011% | 0.050% |
| Health Avg | 3.6% | 9.6% | 27.6% | 21.0% | 4.1% | 10.8% |
| BBC Grade (NAV) | F | F | B | A | D | F |
| +/- Category (NAV) | -10.3% | -21.5% | 7.8% | 14.4% | -4.1% | -1.3% |
| BBC Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.7% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
BBC Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 10/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| BBC Return (NAV) | 11.2% | 63.8% | -0.9% | -1.6% | -35.4% | -22.3% | 30.8% | 62.6% | -17.5% | 55.6% | -36.5% |
| BBC Return (Price) | 11.6% | 63.7% | -1.1% | -1.8% | -35.1% | -22.3% | 30.3% | 63.8% | -18.3% | 56.1% | -36.6% |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 0.037% | -0.002% | 0.234% | 0.092% | -0.007% | -0.002% | -0.016% | 1.9% | 4.5% | 1.0% | 0.2% |
| Health Avg | 20.3% | 21.8% | 0.1% | 2.2% | -16.3% | 4.3% | 30.5% | 25.4% | -1.5% | 26.5% | -10.2% |
| BBC Grade (NAV) | D | A | D | D | F | F | B | A | F | A | F |
| +/- Category | -9.1% | 42.0% | -1.0% | -3.9% | -19.1% | -26.6% | 0.3% | 37.2% | -16.0% | 29.1% | -26.4% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 1.18 |
| R-Squared: | 15% |
| Standard Deviation: | 35.6% |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.82 |
| Category Risk Rating: | High |
| Total Risk Index: | 2.94 |
| Total Risk Rating: | High |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 1.5% |
| Total Assets: | $ 34 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 34 Mil |
| Turnover: | 77.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.65% |
| Index Fund: | Yes |
| Index Tracked: | FT Wilshire 5000 TR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 9.2 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 9.2 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Brown Matthew (2017), Kadushin Seth (2017) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 10/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 130 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 16.1% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 9.9% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 90.1% |
| Foreign Stock: | 9.9% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.1% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Virtus |
| Phone Number: | 888-383-0553 |
| Website: | |
| Inception Date: | December 16, 2014 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.65% (Rating: Above Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.52% |
