ETF Evaluator:
GMO U.S. Quality ETF ()
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(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Large Blend Over the Last Year
| 62.5% | ARS Focused Opportunities Strategy ETF (AFOS) |
| 35.7% | Mohr Company Nav ETF (CNAV) |
| 33.9% | Impact Shares NAACP Minority Empwrmt ETF (NACP) |
| 31.8% | Astoria US Equal Weight Quality KingsETF (ROE) |
| 30.5% | FIS Bright Portfolios Focused Equity ETF (BRIF) |
Risk
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Risk
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ETF Details
GMO U.S. Quality ETF Overview
GMO U.S. Quality ETF (QLTY) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Large Blend exchange-traded fund (ETF). GMO launched the ETF in 2023.
The investment seeks total return.
The fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund that seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in equities of U.S. companies that the fund’s adviser, Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co. LLC (“GMO” or the “Adviser”), believes to be of high quality. Equity securities primarily include common and preferred stocks and, to a lesser extent, other stock-related securities, such as convertible securities, depositary receipts, equity real estate investment trusts, income trusts, and securities of other investment companies that investment primarily in equity securities.
About GMO U.S. Quality ETF (QLTY)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 2.72 years: Anthony Hene (2023), Ty Cobb (2023) and Thomas Hancock (2023). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 1 primary benchmark: S&P 500 (TR) index with a weighting of 100%. GMO U.S. Quality ETF has 45 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 46.5% 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.
GMO U.S. Quality ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity ETF group. GMO U.S. Quality ETF has 0.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 99.8% 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 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). GMO U.S. Quality ETF has 0.3% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $4 billion in total assets, which is below the $13 billion average for the Large 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.
QLTY 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 GMO U.S. Quality ETF expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Large Blend category. GMO U.S. Quality ETF has an expense ratio of 0.50%, which is 21% 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. GMO U.S. Quality ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 4%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.3 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 158% for the Large Blend category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, GMO U.S. Quality ETF returned 0.4%, which earned it a grade of B, as the Large Blend category had an average return of -0.8%. 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.
GMO U.S. Quality ETF has a trailing yield of 0.72%, which is below the 1.16% 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.
GMO U.S. Quality ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 9.1%, 0.4 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 23.5% over the past year (grade of A).
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QLTY 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 |
|
| QLTY Return (NAV) | 0.4% | 5.2% | 23.5% | na | na | na |
| QLTY Return (Price) | 0.4% | 5.1% | 23.5% | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -0.013% | 0.101% | 0.034% | na | na | na |
| Large Blend Avg | -0.8% | 3.7% | 17.5% | 17.4% | 11.2% | 13.6% |
| QLTY Grade (NAV) | B | B | A | na | na | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 1.2% | 1.4% | 6.0% | na | na | na |
| QLTY Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.3% | na | na | na |
QLTY Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| QLTY Return (NAV) | 9.1% | 21.1% | 21.1% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| QLTY Return (Price) | 9.0% | 21.3% | 21.0% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -0.012% | 0.006% | -0.005% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Large Blend Avg | 9.5% | 15.3% | 21.9% | 22.9% | -17.1% | 26.9% | 18.3% | 29.6% | -5.1% | 21.5% | 11.4% |
| QLTY Grade (NAV) | D | A | D | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | -0.4% | 5.8% | -0.8% | 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: | 0.7% |
| Total Assets: | $ 4,873 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 4,873 Mil |
| Turnover: | 4.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.50% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | S&P 500 (TR) |
| 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: 2.7 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 2.7 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Hene Anthony (2023), Cobb Ty (2023), Hancock Thomas (2023) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 45 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 46.5% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 99.8% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.3% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | GMO |
| Phone Number: | 844-761-1102 |
| Website: | |
| Inception Date: | November 13, 2023 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.50% (Rating: Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.41% |
