ETF Evaluator:
Brandes U.S. Small-Mid Cap Value ETF ()
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(as of Aug 26)
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
Brandes U.S. Small-Mid Cap Value ETF Overview
Brandes U.S. Small-Mid Cap Value ETF (BSMC) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Small Value exchange-traded fund (ETF). Brandes launched the ETF in 2023.
The investment seeks long term capital appreciation.
The fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that seeks to attain its investment objective by investing primarily in equity securities of U.S. companies with small- and mid-market capitalizations (market value of publicly traded equity securities).
About Brandes U.S. Small-Mid Cap Value ETF (BSMC)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 2.83 years: Gregory Rippel (2023), Michael Hutchens (2023) and Chris Duncan (2023). 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 2500 Value TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Brandes U.S. Small-Mid Cap Value ETF has 74 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 27.8% 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.
Brandes U.S. Small-Mid Cap Value ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity ETF group. Brandes U.S. Small-Mid Cap Value ETF has 8.3% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 87.7% There is 8.3% 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). Brandes U.S. Small-Mid Cap Value ETF has 4.0% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $172 million in total assets, which is below 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.
BSMC 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 Brandes U.S. Small-Mid Cap Value ETF expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Small Value category. Brandes U.S. Small-Mid Cap Value ETF has an expense ratio of 0.71%, which is 48% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a F. 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. Brandes U.S. Small-Mid Cap Value ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 7%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 60% for the Small Value category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Brandes U.S. Small-Mid Cap Value ETF returned 3.3%, which earned it a grade of A, 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.
Brandes U.S. Small-Mid Cap Value ETF has a trailing yield of 0.90%, 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.
Brandes U.S. Small-Mid Cap Value ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 16.4%, 3.4 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 30.1% over the past year (grade of D).
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BSMC 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 |
|
| BSMC Return (NAV) | 3.3% | 5.2% | 30.1% | na | na | na |
| BSMC Return (Price) | 3.1% | 5.1% | 29.9% | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 0.121% | 0.105% | 0.281% | na | na | na |
| Small Value Avg | 1.2% | 6.4% | 31.1% | 13.1% | 8.6% | 10.2% |
| BSMC Grade (NAV) | A | D | D | na | na | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 2.1% | -1.1% | -1.0% | na | na | na |
| BSMC Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.4% | na | na | na |
BSMC Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| BSMC Return (NAV) | 16.4% | 15.7% | 10.0% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| BSMC Return (Price) | 16.2% | 15.5% | 10.0% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -0.008% | -0.008% | -0.000% | na | 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% |
| BSMC Grade (NAV) | D | A | B | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | -3.4% | 8.7% | 2.1% | 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: | 0.9% |
| Total Assets: | $ 173 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 173 Mil |
| Turnover: | 7.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.71% |
| 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: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 2.8 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 2.8 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Rippel Gregory (2023), Hutchens Michael (2023), Duncan Chris (2023) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 74 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 27.8% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 8.3% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 87.7% |
| Foreign Stock: | 8.3% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 4.0% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Brandes |
| Phone Number: | 866-307-0477 |
| Website: | |
| Inception Date: | October 3, 2023 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.71% (Rating: Above Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.48% |