ETF Evaluator:
Congress Intermediate Bond ETF ()
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(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Intermediate Core Bond Over the Last Year
| 7.3% | Aptus Enhanced Yield ETF (JUCY) |
| 6.6% | SGI Enhanced Core ETF (USDX) |
| 5.9% | Hartford Schroders Tax-Aware Bond ETF (HTAB) |
| 5.1% | Overlay Shares Core Bond ETF (OVB) |
| 4.8% | NEOS Enhanced Income Aggregate Bond ETF (BNDI) |
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ETF Details
Congress Intermediate Bond ETF Overview
Congress Intermediate Bond ETF (CAFX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Intermediate Core Bond exchange-traded fund (ETF). Congress launched the ETF in 2024.
The investment seeks to maximize total return.
The fund principally invests in U.S.-dollar denominated, investment-grade securities and seeks to typically maintain a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of zero to ten years and are rated at time of issuance in the top four rating categories of a Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization, or unrated and deemed to be of comparable quality by the Advisor.
About Congress Intermediate Bond ETF (CAFX)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 1.73 years: Jeffrey Porter (2024), John Beaver (2024) and Christopher Lagan (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: S&P 500 US AGG BOND TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Bloomberg Interm US Govt/Crt Bd TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Congress Intermediate Bond ETF has 52 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 36.2% 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.
Congress Intermediate Bond ETF is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond ETF group. Congress Intermediate Bond ETF has 17.4% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0% There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 98.0% (80.6% domestic bond, 17.4% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Congress Intermediate Bond ETF has 1.0% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $319 million in total assets, which is below the $6 billion average for the Intermediate Core Bond 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.
CAFX 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 Congress Intermediate Bond ETF expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Intermediate Core Bond category. Congress Intermediate Bond ETF has an expense ratio of 0.35%, which is 9% 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. Congress Intermediate Bond ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 50%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 95% for the Intermediate Core Bond category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Congress Intermediate Bond ETF returned -0.5%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Intermediate Core Bond 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.
Congress Intermediate Bond ETF has a trailing yield of 4.07%, which is below the 4.44% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income monthly 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.
Congress Intermediate Bond ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned -0.0%, 0.4 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 2.6% over the past year (grade of D).
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CAFX 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 |
|
| CAFX Return (NAV) | -0.5% | -0.3% | 2.6% | na | na | na |
| CAFX Return (Price) | -0.5% | -0.4% | 2.5% | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -0.081% | 0.028% | 0.045% | na | na | na |
| Intermediate Core Bond Avg | -1.2% | -0.7% | 3.0% | 4.0% | -0.3% | 1.5% |
| CAFX Grade (NAV) | A | A | D | na | na | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 0.7% | 0.3% | -0.5% | na | na | na |
| CAFX Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.6% | na | na | na |
CAFX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| CAFX Return (NAV) | -0.0% | 6.5% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| CAFX Return (Price) | -0.1% | 6.5% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 2.837% | -0.008% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Intermediate Core Bond Avg | -0.4% | 7.1% | 1.9% | 6.0% | -13.2% | -1.5% | 7.6% | 9.1% | -0.5% | 3.7% | 3.0% |
| CAFX Grade (NAV) | A | F | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | 0.4% | -0.6% | 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: | 4.1% |
| Total Assets: | $ 319 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 319 Mil |
| Turnover: | 50.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.35% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | S&P 500 US AGG BOND TR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Monthly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 1.9 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 1.7 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Porter Jeffrey (2024), Beaver John (2024), Lagan Christopher (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 52 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 36.2% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 17.4% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 80.6% |
| Foreign Bond: | 17.4% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 1.0% |
| Cash: | 1.0% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Congress |
| Phone Number: | 888-688-1299 |
| Website: | |
| Inception Date: | September 9, 2024 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.35% (Rating: Below Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.32% |
