ETF Evaluator:
Pacer WealthShield ETF ()
Follow This ETF
(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Tactical Allocation Over the Last Year
| 31.2% | Relative Sentiment Tactical Allc ETF (MOOD) |
| 27.5% | RH Tactical Rotation ETF (RHRX) |
| 25.2% | Cambria Global Momentum ETF (GMOM) |
| 24.3% | STF Tactical Growth ETF (TUG) |
| 23.1% | Alexis Practical Tactical ETF (LEXI) |
Risk
Index
Risk
Index
ETF Details
Pacer WealthShield ETF Overview
Pacer WealthShield ETF (PWS) is a passively managed Allocation Tactical Allocation exchange-traded fund (ETF). Pacer launched the ETF in 2017.
The investment seeks to track the total return performance, before fees and expenses, of the Pacer WealthShield Index.
The index utilizes a systematic risk management strategy that directs the index's exposure to U.S. equity securities, U.S. Treasury securities, or a mix of each. The Advisor attempts to invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in the component securities that make up (i) the component securities of the index or (ii) ETFs that seek to track the performance of some or all of the component securities of the index in the same approximate weight as such component securities.
About Pacer WealthShield ETF (PWS)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 6.39 years: Bruce Kavanaugh (2017) 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 500 (TR) (1970) index with a weighting of 100% and Pacer WealthShield TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Pacer WealthShield ETF has 339 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 38.5% 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.
Pacer WealthShield ETF is part of the Allocation global asset class and is within the Allocation ETF group. Pacer WealthShield ETF has 0.7% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 78.9% There is 0.7% 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 WealthShield ETF has 20.4% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $24 million in total assets, which is below the $144 million average for the Tactical Allocation 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.
PWS 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 WealthShield ETF expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Tactical Allocation category. Pacer WealthShield ETF has an expense ratio of 0.60%, which is 38% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a A. 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 WealthShield ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 664%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 261% for the Tactical Allocation category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Pacer WealthShield ETF returned -2.2%, which earned it a grade of D, as the Tactical Allocation category had an average return of -1.4%. 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 WealthShield ETF has a trailing yield of 1.32%, which is below the 2.15% 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.
Pacer WealthShield ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned -1.1%, 8.6 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 4.2% over the past year (grade of F), 5.9% over the past three years (grade of F) and 1.5% per year over the past five years (grade of F).
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PWS 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 |
|
| PWS Return (NAV) | -2.2% | 0.3% | 4.2% | 5.9% | 1.5% | na |
| PWS Return (Price) | -2.1% | 0.5% | 4.3% | 6.0% | 1.5% | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -0.133% | -0.212% | -0.119% | -0.084% | -0.029% | na |
| Tactical Allocation Avg | -1.4% | 1.6% | 15.9% | 10.6% | 5.4% | 7.4% |
| PWS Grade (NAV) | D | D | F | F | F | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | -0.8% | -1.3% | -11.7% | -4.7% | -4.0% | na |
| PWS Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.5% | 0.6% | 0.6% | na |
PWS Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| PWS Return (NAV) | -1.1% | 8.7% | 14.0% | -3.5% | -12.2% | 14.7% | 21.9% | 1.5% | -2.9% | na | na |
| PWS Return (Price) | -0.3% | 8.1% | 14.0% | -3.6% | -12.1% | 14.4% | 22.2% | 1.3% | -3.3% | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -0.686% | -0.070% | 0.003% | 0.005% | -0.009% | -0.017% | 0.013% | -12.4% | 14.1% | na | na |
| Tactical Allocation Avg | 7.5% | 12.7% | 11.7% | 10.7% | -13.3% | 16.9% | 7.5% | 14.0% | -6.3% | 19.2% | 7.1% |
| PWS Grade (NAV) | F | D | B | F | C | D | A | F | A | na | na |
| +/- Category | -8.6% | -4.1% | 2.3% | -14.3% | 1.1% | -2.2% | 14.4% | -12.5% | 3.4% | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 0.73 |
| R-Squared: | 35% |
| Standard Deviation: | 11.6% |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.98 |
| Category Risk Rating: | Average |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.94 |
| Total Risk Rating: | Below Average |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 1.3% |
| Total Assets: | $ 24 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 24 Mil |
| Turnover: | 664.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.60% |
| Index Fund: | Yes |
| Index Tracked: | S&P 500 (TR) (1970) |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Quarterly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 8.6 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 6.4 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Kavanaugh Bruce (2017), Wang Danke (2022) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 339 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 38.5% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.7% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 78.9% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.7% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | -0.0% |
| Cash: | 20.4% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Pacer |
| Phone Number: | 800-617-0004 |
| Website: | www.paceretfs.com |
| Inception Date: | December 11, 2017 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.60% (Rating: Above Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.97% |
