ETF Evaluator:
Pacer Trendpilot™ US Mid Cap ETF ()
Follow This ETF
(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Mid-Cap Blend Over the Last Year
| 58.8% | Castellan Targeted Equity ETF (CTEF) |
| 53.8% | Invesco S&P Spin-Off ETF (CSD) |
| 43.0% | Counterpoint Quantitative Equity ETF (CPAI) |
| 40.8% | Optimize Strategy Index ETF (OPTZ) |
| 37.3% | Tema U.S. Manufacturing & Reshoring ETF (WELD) |
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ETF Details
Pacer Trendpilot™ US Mid Cap ETF Overview
Pacer Trendpilot™ US Mid Cap ETF (PTMC) is a passively managed U.S. Equity Mid-Cap Blend exchange-traded fund (ETF). Pacer launched the ETF in 2015.
The investment seeks to track the total return performance, before fees and expenses, of the Pacer Trendpilot US Mid Cap Index.
The fund invests at least 80% of its total assets (exclusive of collateral held from securities lending) in the component securities of the index. The index implements a systematic trend-following strategy that directs exposure (i) 100% to the S&P MidCap 400® Index, (ii) 50% to the S&P MidCap 400 and 50% to 3-Month U.S. Treasury bills, or (iii) 100% to 3-Month U.S. Treasury bills, depending on the relative performance of the S&P MidCap 400 and its 200-business day historical simple moving average.
About Pacer Trendpilot™ US Mid Cap ETF (PTMC)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 7.65 years: Bruce Kavanaugh (2015) and Danke Wang (2022). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: S&P Composite 1500 TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and S&P MidCap 400 TR index with a weighting of 100%. Pacer Trendpilot™ US Mid Cap ETF has 402 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 7.4% 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.
Pacer Trendpilot™ US Mid Cap ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity ETF group. Pacer Trendpilot™ US Mid Cap ETF has 1.7% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 98.3% There is 1.7% 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). Pacer Trendpilot™ US Mid Cap ETF has 0.1% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $391 million in total assets, which is below the $4 billion average for the Mid-Cap Blend 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.
PTMC 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 Pacer Trendpilot™ US Mid Cap ETF expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Mid-Cap Blend category. Pacer Trendpilot™ US Mid Cap ETF has an expense ratio of 0.60%, which is 33% 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. Pacer Trendpilot™ US Mid Cap ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 23%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 84% for the Mid-Cap Blend category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Pacer Trendpilot™ US Mid Cap ETF returned -2.5%, which earned it a grade of D, as the Mid-Cap Blend category had an average return of -1.6%. 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.
Pacer Trendpilot™ US Mid Cap ETF has a trailing yield of 1.61%, which is above the 0.85% 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.
Pacer Trendpilot™ US Mid Cap ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 14.2%, 0.2 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 20.4% over the past year (grade of C), 7.6% over the past three years (grade of F) and 3.9% per year over the past five years (grade of F) and 5.8% per year over the past 10 years (grade of F).
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PTMC 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 |
|
| PTMC Return (NAV) | -2.5% | 3.4% | 20.4% | 7.6% | 3.9% | 5.8% |
| PTMC Return (Price) | -2.5% | 3.5% | 20.5% | 7.6% | 3.9% | 5.8% |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -0.018% | -0.161% | -0.131% | 0.005% | -0.004% | 0.004% |
| Mid-Cap Blend Avg | -1.6% | 4.4% | 20.8% | 14.8% | 8.8% | 11.6% |
| PTMC Grade (NAV) | D | D | C | F | F | F |
| +/- Category (NAV) | -0.9% | -1.0% | -0.4% | -7.2% | -4.9% | -5.8% |
| PTMC Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.4% |
PTMC Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| PTMC Return (NAV) | 14.2% | -1.5% | 13.3% | 7.3% | -13.9% | 12.1% | 6.8% | 1.0% | 0.1% | 17.6% | 15.6% |
| PTMC Return (Price) | 14.4% | -1.5% | 13.2% | 7.3% | -14.0% | 12.4% | 6.6% | 1.0% | 0.0% | 17.8% | 15.5% |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 0.010% | 0.018% | -0.007% | 0.003% | 0.006% | 0.027% | -0.035% | 3.4% | -76.4% | 1.2% | -0.5% |
| Mid-Cap Blend Avg | 14.0% | 10.6% | 16.1% | 16.9% | -14.4% | 23.3% | 15.6% | 27.4% | -9.1% | 19.1% | 14.8% |
| PTMC Grade (NAV) | C | F | D | F | C | F | F | F | A | D | C |
| +/- Category | 0.2% | -12.1% | -2.8% | -9.7% | 0.5% | -11.2% | -8.8% | -26.4% | 9.2% | -1.5% | 0.8% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 0.77 |
| R-Squared: | 48% |
| Standard Deviation: | 14.6% |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.93 |
| Category Risk Rating: | Below Average |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.19 |
| Total Risk Rating: | Average |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 1.6% |
| Total Assets: | $ 391 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 391 Mil |
| Turnover: | 23.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.60% |
| Index Fund: | Yes |
| Index Tracked: | S&P Composite 1500 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: 11.2 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 7.6 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Kavanaugh Bruce (2015), Wang Danke (2022) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 402 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 7.4% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 1.7% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 98.3% |
| Foreign Stock: | 1.7% |
| 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: | Pacer |
| Phone Number: | 800-617-0004 |
| Website: | www.paceretfs.com |
| Inception Date: | June 11, 2015 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.60% (Rating: Above Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.45% |