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Launched

Essential 40 Stock ETF

ESNNasdaqB

$20.57−0.10 (−0.48%)

As of Nov 10, 2026, 11:35 AM ET

B66/ 100

Rank 33 of 125 in US Active Equity

B66/100Rank 33 of 125inUS Active Equity
Intraday session: down, 26 prints from 20.67 to 20.57. Range 20.52 to 20.58. Use the arrow keys to read each point.20.5220.5520.6020.6320.6510 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.70%*
Fund size
$374M
1Y total return
+22.6%
Yield · Last 12 months
0.75%
Holdings
44
Avg volume · 30D
73.4K sh
52W range
low $16.62high $21.43
Launched

*After a fee waiver that ends Sep 30, 2027. Without it: 0.71%.

The ETF.net ESN Grade

Based on 5 of 6 pillars

B

Score 66 out of 100

Category
US Active Equity⁠
Rank
33 of 125
Six-pillar profile for ESN. Scores out of 100: Cost 47, Risk 96, Mission not scored, Tradability 70, Holdings 75, Durability 76. Strongest: Risk (96). Weakest: Cost (47). Based on 5 of 6 pillars.

Score 66 of 100 falls in the B 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.
    C47 out of 100
    Rank 63 of 125

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    Not scored

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    A96 out of 100
    Rank 2 of 125

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    A70 out of 100
    Rank 30 of 125

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    A75 out of 100
    Rank 28 of 123

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    A76 out of 100
    Rank 25 of 125

Our read on ESN

ETF.net Research

In short

BA 40-stock take on US large caps. KKM's Essential 40 Stock ETF tracks a single purpose-built index, giving you a compact, rules-based basket in a corner of the market dominated by funds that own hundreds of names.

Stated mandate

The Fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Essential 40 Stock Index. It normally invests at least 80% of net assets in common stocks comprising that Index.

Why people hold it

  • Rules-based by design: normally at least 80% of net assets sits in the index's common stocks, so the playbook is written down rather than left to a manager's mood.
  • Nothing else in our active US equity coverage tracks the Essential 40 Stock Index, so this exposure is hard to duplicate with another off-the-shelf fund.
  • Plain plumbing: a standard 1940 Act fund holding US common stocks, with no leverage, no derivatives overlay and no structural quirks to decode.
  • Lands in the top quartile of the several hundred active US equity ETFs we grade, a strong showing for a fund this new.

Worth knowing

  • At 0.70% a year it runs above the roughly 0.65% typical for active US equity ETFs, and multiples of core rivals like DFAU (0.12%) and AVLC (0.15%).
  • Launched in October 2024, so the history is short and there is not yet enough published data to measure how tightly it hugs its index.
  • Forty names means every holding carries real weight, a different ride from a 500-stock core fund. Trading is moderate rather than heavy, so limit orders earn their keep.

ESN Performance

Launched Jun 11, 2014

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

Not enough history yet.Not enough history yet.Not enough history yet.
ESN$12,264
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,339
Nov 7, 2025 to Nov 9, 2026. ESN $12,264. SPY $11,339. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000$12,000Nov 2025May 2026Nov 2026

Nov 7, 2025 – Nov 9, 2026

Returns run to the Nov 9, 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 ESN. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodESN
Year to date+20.5%
1 month+0.6%
3 months+0.8%
1 year+22.6%
3 yearsHistory unavailableper yearNo data
5 yearsHistory unavailableper yearNo data
10 yearsHistory unavailableper yearNo data

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 ESN
YearReturn barESN
2026 YTD+20.5%
2025+16.5%
2024−3.0%

History from Oct 21, 2024

ESN in the news

ESN 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 Nov 9, 2026.
0.75%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$0.16Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.16 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Annual

Distribution history

2024–2026

One bar per payment. 2 payments from 2024 to 2026 YTD. Dec 11, 2024 $0.11; Dec 11, 2025 $0.16. Use the arrow keys to read each point.202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Dec 11, 2025Dec 19, 2025$0.16
Dec 11, 2024Dec 19, 2024$0.11

$10,000 in ESN 1 year ago paid $90.38 in dividends.

ESN Risk

Risk pillarA96 out of 100Rank 2 of 125 in US Active Equity
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
10.9%
Annualised · 24 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.
1.23
vs 3-month T-bills · 24 months 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.
−13.6%
24 months · trough Apr 2025
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.
0.71
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.

ESN Cost

Compare ESN and TACU

Overpaying vs TACU, cheapest in US Active Equity

$13,606

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

  • ESN 0.70%

    $13,606

  • TACU 0.00% Cheapest

    $0

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • ESN 0.70%
  • TACU 0.00%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K051015202530ESN $13,606TACU $0

Year by year

YearESNTACUOverpaying
10$1,250$0$1,250
20$4,760$0$4,760
30$13,606$0$13,606
How the 0.70% is worked out

Full fee 0.71%− waiver 0.01%= you pay 0.70%

The waiver ends Sep 30, 2027. After that the fee is 0.71% unless KKM Financial renews it. Source: prospectus, Sep 2026.

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