ETF Evaluator:
PIMCO RAFI ESG US ETF ()
Follow This ETF
(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Large Value Over the Last Year
| 72.4% | iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF (VLUE) |
| 39.0% | SEI QiM U.S. Lrg Cap Value Actv ETF (SEIV) |
| 34.8% | LSV Disciplined Value ETF (LSVD) |
| 34.7% | iShares Core Dividend ETF (DIVB) |
| 34.4% | Avantis US Large Cap Value ETF (AVLV) |
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ETF Details
PIMCO RAFI ESG US ETF Overview
PIMCO RAFI ESG US ETF (RAFE) is a passively managed U.S. Equity Large Value exchange-traded fund (ETF). PIMCO launched the ETF in 2019.
The investment seeks to provide total return that closely corresponds, before fees and expenses, to the total return of the RAFI ESG U.S. Index.
The fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its total assets in the component securities of the RAFI ESG US Index. The underlying index is constructed by RAFI Indices, LLC using a rules-based approach within publicly traded U.S. equities to create an integrated ESG strategy which overweights companies that rate well across various ESG themes and excludes companies with a major involvement in industries such as tobacco, gaming, weapons and fossil fuels.
About PIMCO RAFI ESG US ETF (RAFE)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 3.97 years: Eden Simmer (2022) and Alexander Steiner (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 RAFI ESG US TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. PIMCO RAFI ESG US ETF has 297 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 28.6% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The ETF is considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
PIMCO RAFI ESG US ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity ETF group. PIMCO RAFI ESG US ETF has 0.6% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 98.8% There is 0.6% 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). PIMCO RAFI ESG US ETF has 0.6% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $164 million in total assets, which is below the $5 billion average for the Large 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.
RAFE 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 PIMCO RAFI ESG US ETF expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Large Value category. PIMCO RAFI ESG US ETF has an expense ratio of 0.29%, which is 22% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. 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. PIMCO RAFI ESG US ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 22%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 40% for the Large Value category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, PIMCO RAFI ESG US ETF returned 1.6%, which earned it a grade of D, as the Large Value category had an average return of 2.4%. 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.
PIMCO RAFI ESG US ETF has a trailing yield of 1.49%, which is below the 1.70% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income quarterly.
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.
PIMCO RAFI ESG US ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 16.5%, 2.1 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 30.2% over the past year (grade of A), 18.0% over the past three years (grade of B) and 11.5% per year over the past five years (grade of C).
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RAFE 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 |
|
| RAFE Return (NAV) | 1.6% | 9.3% | 30.2% | 18.0% | 11.5% | na |
| RAFE Return (Price) | 1.9% | 9.5% | 30.4% | 18.1% | 11.5% | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -0.283% | -0.240% | -0.175% | -0.140% | -0.044% | na |
| Large Value Avg | 2.4% | 5.9% | 24.1% | 16.3% | 11.3% | 12.1% |
| RAFE Grade (NAV) | D | A | A | B | C | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | -0.8% | 3.4% | 6.1% | 1.7% | 0.2% | na |
| RAFE Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | na |
RAFE Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| RAFE Return (NAV) | 16.5% | 17.6% | 13.7% | 18.7% | -13.8% | 30.2% | 5.4% | na | na | na | na |
| RAFE Return (Price) | 16.7% | 17.6% | 13.8% | 18.8% | -13.8% | 30.2% | 5.3% | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 0.011% | -0.002% | 0.009% | 0.004% | -0.004% | -0.003% | -0.014% | na | na | na | na |
| Large Value Avg | 14.4% | 14.8% | 15.5% | 13.1% | -6.5% | 26.7% | 5.4% | 27.4% | -6.6% | 17.7% | 15.7% |
| RAFE Grade (NAV) | B | B | D | A | F | B | C | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | 2.1% | 2.8% | -1.8% | 5.7% | -7.3% | 3.6% | 0.0% | na | na | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 0.86 |
| R-Squared: | 83% |
| Standard Deviation: | 12.4% |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.01 |
| Category Risk Rating: | Above Average |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.01 |
| Total Risk Rating: | Below Average |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 1.5% |
| Total Assets: | $ 165 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 165 Mil |
| Turnover: | 22.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.29% |
| Index Fund: | Yes |
| Index Tracked: | S&P 500 (TR) (1970) |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | Yes |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Quarterly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 4.0 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 4.0 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Simmer Eden (2022), Steiner Alexander (2022) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 297 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 28.6% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.6% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 98.8% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.6% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.6% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | PIMCO |
| Phone Number: | 888-400-4383 |
| Website: | www.pimco.com |
| Inception Date: | December 18, 2019 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.29% (Rating: Below Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.37% |
