ETF Evaluator:
Applied Finance Valuation LgCp ETF ()
Follow This ETF
(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
Applied Finance Valuation LgCp ETF Overview
Applied Finance Valuation LgCp ETF (VSLU) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Large Blend exchange-traded fund (ETF). Applied Finance launched the ETF in 2021.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation.
Under normal circumstances, the fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities of large cap companies. The Adviser defines large cap companies as companies with market capitalizations of $5 billion or more, measured at the time of purchase. It may also invest in small and mid-cap companies, convertible securities, preferred stocks, rights and warrants. The fund is non-diversified.
About Applied Finance Valuation LgCp ETF (VSLU)
There are 4 members of the management team with an average tenure of 5.26 years: Paul Blinn (2021), Rafael Resendes (2021), Michael Venuto (2021) and Charles Ragauss (2021). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: Morningstar US Market TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Morningstar US LM Cap Mkt TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Applied Finance Valuation LgCp ETF has 462 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 51.5% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Applied Finance Valuation LgCp ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity ETF group. Applied Finance Valuation LgCp ETF has 0.4% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 99.6% 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). Applied Finance Valuation LgCp ETF has 0.0% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $548 million 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.
VSLU 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 Applied Finance Valuation LgCp ETF expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Large Blend category. Applied Finance Valuation LgCp ETF has an expense ratio of 0.49%, which is 18% higher 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. Applied Finance Valuation LgCp ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 23%, 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, Applied Finance Valuation LgCp ETF returned 2.7%, which earned it a grade of A, 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.
Applied Finance Valuation LgCp ETF has a trailing yield of 0.43%, 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.
Applied Finance Valuation LgCp ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 8.4%, 1.1 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 18.4% over the past year (grade of C), 19.4% over the past three years (grade of B) and 13.1% per year over the past five years (grade of A).
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VSLU 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 |
|
| VSLU Return (NAV) | 2.7% | 5.0% | 18.4% | 19.4% | 13.1% | na |
| VSLU Return (Price) | 2.7% | 4.9% | 18.3% | 19.4% | 13.1% | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 0.035% | 0.028% | 0.044% | 0.003% | 0.028% | na |
| Large Blend Avg | -0.8% | 3.7% | 17.5% | 17.4% | 11.2% | 13.6% |
| VSLU Grade (NAV) | A | B | C | B | A | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 3.6% | 1.2% | 0.8% | 2.0% | 1.9% | na |
| VSLU Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | na |
VSLU Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| VSLU Return (NAV) | 8.4% | 20.4% | 23.7% | 26.6% | -15.8% | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| VSLU Return (Price) | 7.3% | 21.5% | 23.8% | 26.8% | -16.0% | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -0.131% | 0.053% | 0.003% | 0.006% | 0.013% | 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% |
| VSLU Grade (NAV) | D | A | C | B | B | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | -1.1% | 5.1% | 1.8% | 3.8% | 1.2% | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 0.92 |
| R-Squared: | 95% |
| 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: | 0.4% |
| Total Assets: | $ 549 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 549 Mil |
| Turnover: | 23.6% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.49% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | Morningstar US Market TR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 4 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 5.3 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 5.3 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Blinn Paul (2021), Resendes Rafael (2021), Venuto Michael (2021), Ragauss Charles (2021) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 462 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 51.5% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.4% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 99.6% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.4% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.0% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Applied Finance |
| Phone Number: | 833-356-0909 |
| Website: | |
| Inception Date: | April 29, 2021 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.49% (Rating: Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.41% |
