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QFRD

GradeDChicago Board Options Exchange

Pacer S&P 500 Quality FCF R&D Leaders ETF

Factor & Screened Index · Pacer · Inception 2026-01-11 · SEC filings

$30.76+0.04 (+0.14%)

As of Sep 23, 2026, 12:01 PM EDT

History starts Jan 14, 2026.History starts Jan 14, 2026.
Intraday session: up, 5 prints from 30.72 to 30.76. Range 30.67 to 30.81. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$30.70$30.8010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.49%
Fund size
$2M
1Y return
—
Yield · Last 12 months
Data unavailable
Holdings
51
Volume · 30D
0M sh
NAV per share
$30.57
52W range
low $22.40high $30.64

The ETF.net QFRD Grade

D

31/ 100

Rank 23 of 27 in US Quality Index⁠

Confidence Medium

Six-pillar profile for QFRD. Scores out of 100: Cost 31, Risk 47, Mission not scored, Tradability 10, Holdings 56, Durability 14. Strongest: Holdings (56). Weakest: Tradability (10). Based on 5 of 6 pillars.
F< 25
D≥ 25
C≥ 40
B≥ 55
A≥ 70

Score 31 of 100 sits in the D band. Bands: A ≥ 70, B ≥ 55, C ≥ 40, D ≥ 25, F < 25; the scale skips E. A structural cap ceilings this fund at 40, so B and A are out of reach.

Ceiling 40 · B and A out of reach

The pillars earned32This cap took−0Published score31 Grade D

  • Cost

    What you pay to own it — the expense ratio plus trading frictions, ranked within its category.
    DScore 31
    Category rank20/27 · 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.
    CScore 47
    Category rank14/27 · mid-pack

  • Tradability

    How cheaply and easily you can get in and out — liquidity, spread, and premium/discount stability.
    FScore 10
    Category rank25/27 · bottom quartile

  • Holdings

    What it actually owns — the quality, breadth, and concentration of the underlying portfolio.
    BScore 56
    Category rank15/27 · mid-pack

  • Durability

    Whether it will still be here — the fund’s assets, age, flows, and issuer staying power.
    FScore 14
    Category rank26/27 · bottom quartile

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

Our read on QFRD

ETF.net Research

DMost quality funds chase steady profits. QFRD screens S&P 500 names for free-cash-flow quality first, then keeps the 50 spending most heavily on R&D: cash-rich innovators in one rules-based basket.

Stated mandate

The ETF seeks capital appreciation through a rules-based selection of 50 S&P 500 companies with high R&D expenditures and strong free-cash-flow quality. It also seeks to track the S&P 500 Quality FCF R&D Leaders Index before fees and expenses.

Why people hold it

  1. 01Two-step build: clear the free-cash-flow margin and FCF-return-on-capital bars, then rank on research spending. You are buying innovation budgets backed by real cash.paceretfs.comindexologyblog.com
  2. 02The R&D screen is what sets it apart in a quality cohort otherwise dominated by broad, low-cost giants like QUAL, JQUA and FQAL.paceretfs.com
  3. 03Rules-based and index-tracked, with about 50 S&P 500 members. No manager deciding which innovator looks exciting this quarter.

Worth knowing

  1. 01At 0.49% a year it sits at the expensive end of the quality-factor shelf, where the largest peers charge well under half that.
  2. 02It launched in 2026 as a small, lightly traded fund. That combination usually means wider bid-ask spreads, and there is little live record to judge.
  3. 03Fifty names ranked on R&D intensity is a concentrated slice of the S&P 500, so single stocks and single sectors move it more than a broad index.

QFRD Holdings

As of Sep 16, 2026, 3:19 PM
Asset class
Stocks
Holdings
51
Top-10 weight
38%
Largest holding
DDOG5.6%

Geography

  • United States97.19%
  • Netherlands1.47%
  • Switzerland1.34%
The fund’s holdings, weight-ordered — page 1 of 4.
#TickerCompanyWeight %SharesMarket valueIn ETFs
001DDOGDatadog Inc5.62%431$99K425
002CRWDCrowdstrike Holdings Inc4.86%354$86K454
003WDAYWorkday Inc4.32%400$76K389
004PANWPalo Alto Networks Inc3.99%188$71K486
005AMDAdvanced Micro Devices Inc3.85%135$68K618
006INCYIncyte Corp3.60%523$64K364
007VRTXVertex Pharmaceuticals Inc3.15%108$56K417
008COINCoinbase Global Inc2.79%286$49K266
009CDNSCadence Design Systems Inc2.70%174$48K438
010NOWServiceNow Inc2.68%334$47K426
011SNPSSynopsys Inc2.50%120$44K376
012QCOMQUALCOMM Inc2.46%231$43K523
013METAMeta Platforms Inc2.35%62$42K683
014REGNRegeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc2.32%53$41K401
015LLYEli Lilly & Co2.31%36$41K569

Showing 1–15 of 51 holdings

QFRD Performance

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

QFRD$11,271
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$10,415
Jun 22, 2026 to Sep 22, 2026. QFRD $11,271. SPY $10,415. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$9,675$10,532$11,389Jun 2026Aug 2026Sep 2026

Jun 22, 2026 – 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 QFRD. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodQFRD
Year to dateFund launched this year—
1 month+3.4%
3 months+12.7%
1 yearFund is under 1 year old—
3 yearsFund is under 3 years old—per year
5 yearsFund is under 5 years old—per year
10 yearsFund is under 10 years old—per 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 QFRD
YearReturn barQFRD
2026 YTD+24.9%

History from Jan 14, 2026

QFRD in the news

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

QFRD 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.
Data unavailableLast 12 months
Payout per share
Data unavailableLast 12 months
Last payment
$0.0058 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Quarterly

Distribution data unavailable.

Distribution history

2026

One bar per payment. 3 payments in 2026 YTD. Mar 5, 2026 $0.008; Jun 4, 2026 $0.02; Sep 3, 2026 $0.0058. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Sep 3, 2026Sep 8, 2026$0.0058
Jun 4, 2026Jun 8, 2026$0.02
Mar 5, 2026Mar 9, 2026$0.008

QFRD Risk

How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
—
Launched Jan 2026; fills in after 12 months
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.
—
Launched Jan 2026; fills in after 12 months
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.
—
Launched Jan 2026; fills in after 12 months
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.
1.14
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.

QFRD Cost

Expense ratio0.49%
  • The middle half of US Quality Index funds
  • Median 0.38%

16 of the 27 US Quality Index funds charge less.

QFRD costs $49.00 a year on $10,000. The median US Quality Index fund costs $38.00.