ETF Evaluator:
Columbia Research Enhanced Core ETF ()
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(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Large Blend Over the Last Year
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| 31.8% | Astoria US Equal Weight Quality KingsETF (ROE) |
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ETF Details
Columbia Research Enhanced Core ETF Overview
Columbia Research Enhanced Core ETF (RECS) is a passively managed U.S. Equity Large Blend exchange-traded fund (ETF). Columbia Threadneedle launched the ETF in 2019.
The investment seeks investment results that, before fees and expenses, closely correspond to the performance of the Beta Advantage® Research Enhanced U.S. Equity Index.
The fund invests at least 80% of its assets in the securities of the index. The index is comprised of a subset of the companies within the Russell 1000® Index. The index was designed to reflect the performance of U.S. large- and mid-cap growth and value companies through the application of a rules-based methodology, which typically results in approximately 325-400 Index holdings, but this range can fluctuate because the index has no constraints on number of holdings.
About Columbia Research Enhanced Core ETF (RECS)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 5.58 years: Christopher Lo (2019), Jason Wang (2019) and Henry Hom (2023). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: Russell 1000 TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Beta Adv Rsrch Enhanced US Equity TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Columbia Research Enhanced Core ETF has 361 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 40.4% 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.
Columbia Research Enhanced Core ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity ETF group. Columbia Research Enhanced Core ETF has 0.4% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 98.9% There is 0.4% 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). Columbia Research Enhanced Core ETF has 0.8% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $5 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.
RECS 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 Columbia Research Enhanced Core ETF expense ratio is low compared to funds in the Large Blend category. Columbia Research Enhanced Core ETF has an expense ratio of 0.15%, which is 64% 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. Columbia Research Enhanced Core ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 32%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 158% for the Large Blend category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Columbia Research Enhanced Core ETF returned 1.1%, 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.
Columbia Research Enhanced Core ETF has a trailing yield of 0.74%, which is below the 1.16% 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.
Columbia Research Enhanced Core ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 7.1%, 2.4 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 17.3% over the past year (grade of D), 19.1% over the past three years (grade of B) and 13.2% per year over the past five years (grade of A).
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RECS 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 |
|
| RECS Return (NAV) | 1.1% | 3.9% | 17.3% | 19.1% | 13.2% | na |
| RECS Return (Price) | 1.1% | 3.8% | 17.3% | 19.2% | 13.2% | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 0.001% | 0.027% | -0.049% | -0.089% | -0.028% | na |
| Large Blend Avg | -0.8% | 3.7% | 17.5% | 17.4% | 11.2% | 13.6% |
| RECS Grade (NAV) | B | D | D | B | A | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 1.9% | 0.1% | -0.3% | 1.6% | 2.0% | na |
| RECS Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1.9% | na |
RECS Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| RECS Return (NAV) | 7.1% | 19.3% | 26.5% | 22.9% | -14.3% | 33.1% | 15.2% | na | na | na | na |
| RECS Return (Price) | 7.1% | 19.3% | 26.3% | 23.2% | -14.4% | 33.2% | 15.4% | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 0.007% | -0.002% | -0.006% | 0.012% | 0.005% | 0.001% | 0.009% | 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% |
| RECS Grade (NAV) | F | A | A | C | B | A | D | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | -2.4% | 4.0% | 4.6% | 0.0% | 2.8% | 6.2% | -3.1% | na | na | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 0.93 |
| R-Squared: | 97% |
| Standard Deviation: | 12.3% |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.91 |
| Category Risk Rating: | Low |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.00 |
| Total Risk Rating: | Below Average |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 0.7% |
| Total Assets: | $ 5,836 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 5,836 Mil |
| Turnover: | 32.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.15% |
| Index Fund: | Yes |
| Index Tracked: | Russell 1000 TR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 6.9 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 5.6 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Lo Christopher (2019), Wang Jason (2019), Hom Henry (2023) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 361 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 40.4% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.4% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 98.9% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.4% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.8% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Columbia Threadneedle |
| Phone Number: | 800-426-3750 |
| Website: | |
| Inception Date: | September 25, 2019 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.15% (Rating: Low) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.41% |
