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Launched · SEC filings

AdvisorShares Focused Equity ETF

CWSNYSE ArcaAdvisorSharesC

$67.96+0.92 (+1.37%)

As of Nov 2, 2026, 3:59 PM ET

C45/ 100

Rank 54 of 90 in US Active Growth

C45/100Rank 54 of 90inUS Active Growth
Intraday session: up, 73 prints from 67.04 to 67.96. Range 67.04 to 67.96. Use the arrow keys to read each point.67.2067.4067.6067.8010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.65%*
Fund size
$111M
1Y total return
0.0%
Yield · Last 12 months
0.31%
Holdings
26
Avg volume · 30D
5.57K sh
52W range
low $63.09high $74.05
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

*After a fee waiver that ends Nov 1, 2027. Without it: 0.78%.

The ETF.net CWS Grade

C

Score 45 out of 100

Category
US Active Growth⁠
Rank
54 of 90
Six-pillar profile for CWS. Scores out of 100: Cost 26, Risk 59, Mission 67, Tradability 56, Holdings 60, Durability 64. Strongest: Mission (67). Weakest: Cost (26). Leans toward Mission and Durability.

Score 45 of 100 falls in the C band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.

  • Cost

    The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.
    D26 out of 100
    Rank 65 of 90

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    B67 out of 100
    Rank 17 of 27

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    B59 out of 100
    Rank 26 of 85

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    B56 out of 100
    Rank 36 of 90

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    B60 out of 100
    Rank 42 of 90

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    B64 out of 100
    Rank 33 of 90

Our read on CWS

ETF.net Research

In short

CMost active large-cap funds own hundreds of names and end up shadowing the index. CWS runs a focused book of roughly two dozen US stocks against the S&P 500, so individual picks actually move the needle.

Stated mandate

The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation through an actively managed, focused portfolio of primarily U.S.-listed equity securities.

Why people hold it

  • Genuine concentration: around 27 holdings, so a manager's best ideas carry real weight instead of being diluted across a 300-name portfolio.
  • Active mandate with a plain scoreboard. The prospectus names the S&P 500 as its reference, so you can see whether the stock picking is earning its fee.advisorshares.com
  • The stock selection blends growth, quality and value rather than riding one style, and it has been doing it in the open since the 2016 launch.advisorshares.com

Worth knowing

  • At 0.79% a year, the fee sits above the typical actively managed US equity ETF. That is boutique-shop pricing, and the picks have to clear it.
  • Concentration cuts both ways. With roughly 27 names, one stumbling holding shows up in results far faster than it would in a 500-stock index fund.
  • A small, thinly traded fund. Spreads can be wider than the mega-cap index crowd, so order type and timing matter more here.

CWS Performance

Launched Sep 20, 2016

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

CWS$10,001
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,199
Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. CWS $10,001. SPY $11,199. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

Returns run to the Oct 30, 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 CWS. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodCWS
Year to date−2.5%
1 month+0.8%
3 months−6.2%
1 year0.0%
3 yearsper year+11.1%
5 yearsper year+6.7%
10 yearsper year+11.1%

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 CWS
YearReturn barCWS
2026 YTD−2.5%
2025+6.4%
2024+9.8%
2023+25.1%
2022−10.4%
2021+22.2%
2020+17.1%

CWS in the news

CWS 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 Oct 30, 2026.
0.31%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$0.21Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.21 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Annual

Distribution history

2017–2026

One bar per payment. 9 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Dec 27, 2017 $0.09; Dec 27, 2018 $0.75; Dec 27, 2019 $0.15; Dec 24, 2020 $0.12; Dec 23, 2021 $0.08; Dec 23, 2022 $0.24; Dec 26, 2023 $0.15; Dec 23, 2024 $0.38; Dec 22, 2025 $0.21. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2017201820192020202120222023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Dec 22, 2025Dec 29, 2025$0.21
Dec 23, 2024Dec 30, 2024$0.38
Dec 26, 2023Dec 29, 2023$0.15
Dec 23, 2022Dec 30, 2022$0.24
Dec 23, 2021Dec 31, 2021$0.08
Dec 24, 2020Dec 31, 2020$0.12
Dec 27, 2019Dec 31, 2019$0.15
Dec 27, 2018Dec 31, 2018$0.75
Dec 27, 2017Dec 29, 2017$0.09
Dec 23, 2016Dec 30, 2016$0.009

$10,000 in CWS 10 years ago paid $893 in dividends.

CWS Risk

Risk pillarB59 out of 100Rank 26 of 85 in US Active Growth
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
14.7%
Annualised · 36 months to Oct 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.
0.49
vs 3-month T-bills · to Oct 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.
−24.9%
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.
0.93
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.

FMP measures it over up to five years of monthly returns.

CWS Cost

Compare CWS and FELG

Overpaying vs FELG, tied cheapest in US Active Growth

$8,968

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • CWS 0.65%

    $12,717

  • FELG 0.18% Tied cheapest

    $3,749

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • CWS 0.65%
  • FELG 0.18%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K051015202530CWS $12,717FELG $3,749

Year by year

YearCWSFELGOverpaying
10$1,163$328$835
20$4,440$1,281$3,159
30$12,717$3,749$8,968
How the 0.65% is worked out

Full fee 0.78%− waiver 0.13%= you pay 0.65%

The waiver ends Nov 1, 2027. After that the fee is 0.78% unless AdvisorShares renews it. Source: prospectus, Oct 2026.

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