Fund Evaluator:
LSV Small Cap Value Institutional (LSVQX)Best Performing in Small Value Over the Last Year
| 37.5% | Auer Growth (AUERX) |
| 31.3% | Goldman Sachs Small Cp Val Insghts Inv (GTTTX) |
| 30.8% | Diamond Hill Small Cap Inv (DHSCX) |
| 30.8% | Royce Small-Cap Special Equity Invmt (RYSEX) |
| 30.7% | Bridgeway Omni Small-Cap Value N (BOSVX) |
Fund Details
LSV Small Cap Value Institutional Overview
LSV Small Cap Value Institutional (LSVQX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Small Value fund. LSV Fund launched the fund in 2013.
The investment seeks long-term growth of capital. Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of small-capitalization companies. For purposes of this policy, a small-capitalization company is a company with a market capitalization of less than $2.5 billion, or the highest market capitalization in the Russell 2000® Value Index, whichever is greater, at the time of initial purchase.
About LSV Small Cap Value Institutional (LSVQX)
There are 6 members of the management team with an average tenure of 11.07 years: Puneet Mansharamani (2013), Greg Sleight (2014), Guy Lakonishok (2014), Gal Skarishevsky (2025), Josef Lakonishok (2013), Menno Vermeulen (2013). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: Russell 3000 TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Russell 2000 Value TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. LSV Small Cap Value Institutional has 230 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 11.1% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
LSV Small Cap Value Institutional is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. LSV Small Cap Value Institutional has 5.7% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 92.9%. There is 5.7% 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). LSV Small Cap Value Institutional has 1.4% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $695 million in total assets, which is above the $415 million average for the Small 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.
LSVQX 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 LSV Small Cap Value Institutional expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Small Value category. LSV Small Cap Value Institutional has an expense ratio of 0.83%, which is 29% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a A. 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. LSV Small Cap Value Institutional has a portfolio turnover rate of 33%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 129% for the Small Value category.
Recently, in the month of August 2026, LSV Small Cap Value Institutional returned -0.3%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Small Value category had an average return of -0.4%. 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 funds in that category.
LSV Small Cap Value Institutional has a trailing yield of 1.56%, which is above the 0.77% category average. The fund normally distributes its income annually 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.
LSV Small Cap Value Institutional Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 20.8%, 1.1 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 21.9% over the past year (grade of C), 15.0% over the past three years (grade of C) and 10.2% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 9.1% per year over the past 10 years (grade of D).
For more mutual fund grades, analysis and screening tools to help your investment discovery, join AAII for a $2, full-access trial. Learn more here: https://invest.aaii.com/membership.
Otherwise, for more information about LSV Small Cap Value Institutional, including its riskiness, submit your email to unlock the rest of the article.
Gain access to exclusive AAII member-only content.
LSVQX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 8/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| LSVQX Return (NAV) | -0.3% | 7.2% | 21.9% | 15.0% | 10.2% | 9.1% |
| LSVQX Grade | C | A | C | C | A | D |
| +/- Category | 0.1% | 2.3% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 1.5% | -0.5% |
| Small Value Avg | -0.4% | 4.9% | 21.7% | 14.5% | 8.6% | 9.7% |
| LSVQX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 2.3% | 1.7% | 1.3% | 1.3% |
LSVQX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 8/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| LSVQX Return (NAV) | 20.8% | 7.3% | 7.4% | 19.0% | -6.3% | 34.5% | -6.0% | 20.6% | -17.4% | 6.1% | 29.9% |
| LSVQX Grade | C | C | D | B | A | B | F | D | D | F | A |
| +/- Category | 1.1% | 0.7% | -2.3% | 3.2% | 4.0% | 4.3% | -10.0% | -2.4% | -2.7% | -4.1% | 5.2% |
| Small Value Avg | 19.7% | 6.6% | 9.7% | 15.8% | -10.3% | 30.3% | 4.0% | 23.0% | -14.7% | 10.2% | 24.7% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 16.4% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.35 - High |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.91 - Low |
| Category Risk Grade: | A (10% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.83 |
| R-Squared: | 43% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Small-Cap Value |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 1.6% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $707 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 696 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 33% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 6 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 13.5 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 11.1 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Mansharamani Puneet (2013), Lakonishok Josef (2013), Vermeulen Menno (2013), Sleight Greg (2014), Lakonishok Guy (2014), Skarishevsky Gal (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 230 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 11.1% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 5.7% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 92.9% |
| Foreign Stock: | 5.7% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 1.4% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | LSV Fund |
| Phone Number: | 888-386-3578 |
| Website: | www.hamlinfunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | February 28, 2013 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $100,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $100,000 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | na |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.83% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.16% |
| Share Class: | LSV Small Cap Value Institutional |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |