ETF Evaluator: Hartford Multifactor Emerging Mkts ETF () Follow This ETF

Hartford Multifactor Emerging Mkts ETF Overview

Hartford Multifactor Emerging Mkts ETF (ROAM) is a passively managed International Equity Diversified Emerging Mkts exchange-traded fund (ETF). Hartford Mutual Funds launched the ETF in 2015.

The investment seeks to provide investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond to the total return performance of the Hartford Multifactor Emerging Markets Equity Index. The fund generally invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of the index and in depositary receipts (such as American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs") and European Depositary Receipts ("EDRs") representing securities of the index. The index is designed to balance risks and opportunities within equity markets of emerging economies while emphasizing constituents exhibiting a favorable combination of factor characteristics.

About Hartford Multifactor Emerging Mkts ETF (ROAM)

There are 5 members of the management team with an average tenure of 5.76 years: Marlene Walker-Smith (2020), David France (2020), Todd Frysinger (2020), Vlasta Sheremeta (2020) and Michael Stoll (2020). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.

The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI EM NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Hartford Multifactor EM Equity TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Hartford Multifactor Emerging Mkts ETF has 349 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 12.4% 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.

Hartford Multifactor Emerging Mkts ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity ETF group. Hartford Multifactor Emerging Mkts ETF has 98.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.7% There is 98.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.9% 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). Hartford Multifactor Emerging Mkts ETF has 0.5% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $106 million in total assets, which is below the $3 billion average for the Diversified Emerging Mkts 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.

ROAM 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 Hartford Multifactor Emerging Mkts ETF expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Diversified Emerging Mkts category. Hartford Multifactor Emerging Mkts ETF has an expense ratio of 0.44%, which is 15% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a C. 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. Hartford Multifactor Emerging Mkts 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 44% for the Diversified Emerging Mkts category.

Recently, in the month of July 2026, Hartford Multifactor Emerging Mkts ETF returned -3.9%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Diversified Emerging Mkts category had an average return of -3.0%. 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.

Hartford Multifactor Emerging Mkts ETF has a trailing yield of 2.46%, which is above the 2.41% category average. The fund normally distributes its income semi-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.

Hartford Multifactor Emerging Mkts ETF Grades

Year to date, the ETF has returned 19.1%, 2.0 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 34.1% over the past year (grade of C), 19.8% over the past three years (grade of B) and 11.4% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 8.6% per year over the past 10 years (grade of B).

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