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CEFS

GradeCChicago Board Options Exchange

Saba Opportunistic Hedged Closed-End Funds ETF

Multi-Asset & Alternatives · Saba · Inception 2017-03-21 · SEC filings

$24.88−0.17 (−0.66%)

As of Sep 23, 2026, 2:02 PM EDT

Intraday session: down, 41 prints from 25.04 to 24.88. Range 24.70 to 25.15. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$24.80$25.00$25.2010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
1.11%
Fund size
$437M
1Y return
+18.4%
Yield · Last 12 months
7.21%
Holdings
97
Volume · 30D
0.1M sh
NAV per share
$24.89
52W range
low $22.05high $25.98

The ETF.net CEFS Grade

C

53/ 100

Rank 3 of 7 in Closed-End Fund Portfolios

Confidence Low

Six-pillar profile for CEFS. Scores out of 100: Cost 45, Risk 64, Mission not scored, Tradability 72, Holdings 32, Durability 59. Strongest: Tradability (72). Weakest: Holdings (32). Based on 5 of 6 pillars.
F< 25
D≥ 25
C≥ 40
B≥ 55
A≥ 70

Score 53 of 100 sits in the C band. Bands: A ≥ 70, B ≥ 55, C ≥ 40, D ≥ 25, F < 25; the scale skips E.

  • Cost

    What you pay to own it — the expense ratio plus trading frictions, ranked within its category.
    CScore 45
    Category rank4/7 · mid-pack
  • Mission

    How faithfully it does the job it claims — tracking its mandate or index with minimal slippage.
    Not scored
  • Risk

    How violently it can move — volatility, drawdown depth, and downside capture versus its category.
    BScore 64
    Category rank1/7 · top 14%
  • Tradability

    How cheaply and easily you can get in and out — liquidity, spread, and premium/discount stability.
    AScore 72
    Category rank1/7 · top 14%
  • Holdings

    What it actually owns — the quality, breadth, and concentration of the underlying portfolio.
    DScore 32
    Category rank7/7 · bottom quartile
  • Durability

    Whether it will still be here — the fund’s assets, age, flows, and issuer staying power.
    BScore 59
    Category rank4/7 · mid-pack

Graded as of Sep 22, 2026 · Based on 5 of 6 pillars

Our read on CEFS

ETF.net Research

CSaba's ETF is built out of other people's funds: a closed-end-fund portfolio chasing capital appreciation and dividend income, running since 2017 and paying monthly.

Stated mandate

The Fund seeks capital appreciation and dividend income.

Why people hold it

  1. 01One of only two closed-end-fund specialists in its alternatives peer group (Calamos' CCEF is the other), and it has been running that mandate since 2017.
  2. 02Trading is its strongest suit: shares change hands in an orderly, efficient way compared with the rest of its alternatives cohort.
  3. 03Distributions land monthly rather than quarterly, in step with an objective of capital appreciation and dividend income.
  4. 04An established fund, not a launch-and-see experiment: a 1940 Act structure that has been on the tape since 2017.

Worth knowing

  1. 01Cost is the headline trade-off: 4.29% a year against a peer median near 1.07%, and CEF-focused rival CCEF charges 0.74%.
  2. 02You own funds that own the assets, so results ride on the underlying closed-end funds: their portfolios, their borrowing, and swings in their price-to-value gaps.
  3. 03Overall it lands in the lower half of its alternatives peer group, with the fee doing most of the damage.

CEFS Holdings

As of Sep 20, 2026, 9:32 AM
Asset class
Other
Holdings
97
Top-10 weight
67%
Largest holding
CASH & OTHER23.8%

Sectors

  • Financials48.9%
  • Technology14.8%
  • Energy10.1%
  • Industrials7.4%
  • Health Care3.8%
  • Utilities3.7%
  • Consumer Discr.3.7%
  • Communication2.9%
  • Cons. Staples2.0%
  • Materials1.6%
  • Real Estate1.1%

Geography

  • United States95.64%
  • Mexico2.73%
  • Germany1.63%
The fund’s holdings, weight-ordered — page 1 of 5.
#TickerCompanyWeight %SharesMarket valueIn ETFs
001CASH & OTHER23.79%103,275,372$103M45
002BSTZBLACKROCK SCI & TECH TRM TR10.57%1,603,100$46M3
003ASAASA GOLD AND PRECIOUS METALS7.74%575,128$34M3
004NFJVIRTUS DVD INTRST & PRM STR6.85%1,944,481$30M2
005RMTROYCE MICRO-CAP TRUST INC3.48%1,128,150$15M7
006ECATBLACKROCK ESG CAP ALL TRM TR3.26%990,099$14M3
007GDVGABELLI DIVIDEND & INCOME TR3.02%451,508$13M2
008GAMGENERAL AMERICAN INVESTORS2.85%190,278$12M3
009PDXPIMCO DYNAMIC INCOME STRAT2.67%557,902$12M5
010NBXGNEUBERGER NEXT GENERATION CO2.58%741,785$11M3
011BTXBLACKROCK TECH & PRIV EQTY2.19%1,090,082$10M2
012MXFMEXICO FUND INC2.08%425,433$9M2
013ZTRVIRTUS TOTAL RETURN FUND INC2.04%1,396,377$9M1
014NMLNEUBERGER ENERGY INFRASTRUCT1.94%797,270$8M2
015SPXXNUVEEN S&P 500 DYNAM OVERWR1.90%442,206$8M4

Showing 1–15 of 74 holdings

CEFS Performance

Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.

CEFS$11,842
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,723
Sep 22, 2025 to Sep 22, 2026. CEFS $11,842. SPY $11,723. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$9,323$10,833$12,343Sep 2025Mar 2026Sep 2026

Sep 22, 2025 – Sep 22, 2026

Returns run to the Sep 22, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.

Trailing total return for CEFS. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodCEFS
Year to date+13.8%
1 month−0.7%
3 months−1.4%
1 year+18.4%
3 years+21.5%per year
5 years+13.5%per year
10 yearsFund is under 10 years oldper year

As of the close, with distributions reinvested.

Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.

Annual total returns for CEFS
YearReturn barCEFS
2026 YTD+13.8%
2025+16.6%
2024+23.5%
2023+21.0%
2022−7.1%
2021+17.9%
2020+3.3%

CEFS in the news

ETF.net Research hasn’t filed on CEFS yet — coverage lands here as it’s written.

CEFS Dividends

Adds up every distribution paid per share over the last 12 months, divided by the last completed close. Distributions are counted by ex-date. Data through Sep 22, 2026.
7.21%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$1.81Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.14 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Monthly

Distribution history

2023–2026

One bar per payment. 44 payments from 2023 to 2026 YTD. Jan 20, 2023 $0.14; Feb 21, 2023 $0.14; Mar 20, 2023 $0.14; Apr 20, 2023 $0.14; May 22, 2023 $0.14; Jun 20, 2023 $0.14; Jul 20, 2023 $0.14; Aug 21, 2023 $0.14; Sep 20, 2023 $0.14; Oct 20, 2023 $0.14; Nov 20, 2023 $0.14; Dec 20, 2023 $0.21; Jan 24, 2024 $0.14; Feb 26, 2024 $0.14; Mar 25, 2024 $0.14; Apr 24, 2024 $0.14; May 23, 2024 $0.14; Jun 24, 2024 $0.14; Jul 24, 2024 $0.14; Aug 26, 2024 $0.14; Sep 24, 2024 $0.14; Oct 24, 2024 $0.14; Nov 25, 2024 $0.14; Dec 30, 2024 $0.34; Jan 30, 2025 $0.14; Feb 27, 2025 $0.14; Mar 27, 2025 $0.14; Apr 29, 2025 $0.14; May 29, 2025 $0.14; Jun 26, 2025 $0.14; Jul 30, 2025 $0.14; Aug 28, 2025 $0.14; Sep 29, 2025 $0.14; Oct 30, 2025 $0.14; Nov 25, 2025 $0.14; Dec 30, 2025 $0.27; Jan 28, 2026 $0.14; Feb 25, 2026 $0.14; Mar 27, 2026 $0.14; Apr 28, 2026 $0.14; May 27, 2026 $0.14; Jun 26, 2026 $0.14; Jul 29, 2026 $0.14; Aug 27, 2026 $0.14. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Aug 27, 2026Aug 31, 2026$0.14
Jul 29, 2026Jul 31, 2026$0.14
Jun 26, 2026Jun 30, 2026$0.14
May 27, 2026May 29, 2026$0.14
Apr 28, 2026Apr 30, 2026$0.14
Mar 27, 2026Mar 31, 2026$0.14
Feb 25, 2026Feb 27, 2026$0.14
Jan 28, 2026Jan 30, 2026$0.14
Dec 30, 2025Dec 31, 2025$0.27
Nov 25, 2025Nov 26, 2025$0.14
Oct 30, 2025Oct 31, 2025$0.14
Sep 29, 2025Sep 30, 2025$0.14

CEFS Risk

How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
12.1%
Annualised · 36 months to Aug 2026
How it’s calculated: standard deviation

The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.

Return above 3-month US Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
1.26
vs 3-month T-bills · to Aug 2026
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio

Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.

Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.

The largest fall from a peak to the low that followed.
−16.8%
Trough Jun 2022
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown

The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.

Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.

How strongly the fund’s returns move with its asset-class index.
0.84
vs its asset-class index
How it’s calculated: beta

The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.

CEFS Cost

Expense ratio1.11%
  • The middle half of Closed-End Fund Portfolios funds
  • Median 1.11%

3 of the 7 Closed-End Fund Portfolios funds charge less.

CEFS costs $111.00 a year on $10,000. The median Closed-End Fund Portfolios fund costs $111.00.