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Launched · SEC filings

Northern Trust Developed Markets ex-US Quality Low Volatility ETF

QLVDNYSE ArcaFlexSharesA

$35.57+0.19 (+0.54%)

At close: Nov 5, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

A72/ 100

Rank 1 of 6 in International Quality Index

A72/100Rank 1 of 6inInternational Quality Index
Intraday session: up, 60 prints from 35.38 to 35.57. Range 35.46 to 35.57. Use the arrow keys to read each point.35.4535.5010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.12%*
Fund size
$55M
1Y total return
+19.1%
Yield · Last 12 months
2.90%
Holdings
196
Avg volume · 30D
1.61K sh
52W range
low $30.52high $35.57
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

*After a fee waiver that ends Mar 1, 2027. Without it: 0.15%.

The ETF.net QLVD Grade

A

Score 72 out of 100

Category
International Quality Index⁠
Rank
1 of 6
Six-pillar profile for QLVD. Scores out of 100: Cost 88, Risk 79, Mission 73, Tradability 46, Holdings 70, Durability 44. Strongest: Cost (88). Weakest: Durability (44). Leans toward Cost.

Score 72 of 100 falls in the A 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.
    A88 out of 100
    Rank 1 of 6

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    A73 out of 100
    Rank 3 of 3

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    A79 out of 100
    Rank 1 of 6

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    C46 out of 100
    Rank 4 of 6

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    A70 out of 100
    Rank 2 of 6

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    C44 out of 100
    Rank 4 of 6

Our read on QLVD

ETF.net Research

In short

AA defensive route into developed markets outside the US: drop the weakest quality quintile first, then build the low-volatility portfolio with limits on sector and country drift. Fee is 0.12%, net of a waiver through March 1, 2027.

Stated mandate

The fund is designed to provide exposure to developed-market companies outside the United States that have lower absolute volatility and financial strength and stability, the characteristics the issuer associates with quality.

Why people hold it

  • Cheapest in its peer group at 0.12% (net of a waiver through March 1, 2027, against a 0.15% gross fee), versus 0.30% for IQLT, 0.29% for IDHQ and 0.27% for DIHP, none of which are running a waiver.
  • Quality is the gate, not a tilt: companies are scored on profitability, management efficiency and cash flow, and the bottom quintile is cut before the low-volatility portfolio gets built.flexshares.com
  • The index caps how far it can wander from the broad market on sectors, industry groups, countries and regions, and strips out style bets other than volatility. A check on the pileups plain low-vol screens can create.flexshares.com
  • Roughly 200 large and mid-cap names across developed markets, rebuilt on a quarterly schedule, and one of the stronger implementations among the international quality funds we grade. Pays quarterly.sec.gov

Worth knowing

  • Thinly traded for its category, so bid-ask spreads can run wider than in the category's heavyweights and bigger orders may take more work to fill.
  • The 0.12% is net of a waiver dated to March 1, 2027; the gross fee is 0.15%, so cost can step up if that waiver is not renewed.
  • Modest asset base by category standards, and the fund holds a representative sample rather than every index name, which can open small gaps against the index.flexshares.com

QLVD Performance

Launched Jul 15, 2019

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.
QLVD$11,906
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$10,934
Nov 5, 2025 to Nov 5, 2026. QLVD $11,906. SPY $10,934. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000$12,000Nov 2025May 2026Nov 2026

Nov 5, 2025 – Nov 5, 2026

Returns run to the Nov 5, 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 QLVD. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodQLVD
Year to date+14.4%
1 month+8.0%
3 months+4.6%
1 year+19.1%
3 yearsper year+16.7%
5 yearsper year+7.7%
10 yearsFund is under 10 years oldper 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 QLVD
YearReturn barQLVD
2026 YTD+14.4%
2025+24.2%
2024+4.7%
2023+11.6%
2022−12.1%
2021+9.1%
2020+3.0%

QLVD in the news

QLVD 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 5, 2026.
2.90%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$1.03Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.19 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Quarterly

Distribution history

2019–2026

One bar per payment. 29 payments from 2019 to 2026 YTD. Sep 20, 2019 $0.09; Dec 20, 2019 $0.19; Mar 20, 2020 $0.04; Jun 19, 2020 $0.19; Sep 18, 2020 $0.12; Dec 18, 2020 $0.12; Mar 19, 2021 $0.10; Jun 18, 2021 $0.34; Sep 17, 2021 $0.15; Dec 17, 2021 $0.26; Mar 18, 2022 $0.05; Jun 17, 2022 $0.35; Sep 16, 2022 $0.11; Dec 16, 2022 $0.08; Mar 17, 2023 $0.07; Jun 16, 2023 $0.44; Sep 15, 2023 $0.11; Dec 15, 2023 $0.24; Mar 15, 2024 $0.03; Jun 21, 2024 $0.45; Sep 20, 2024 $0.13; Dec 20, 2024 $0.19; Mar 21, 2025 $0.06; Jun 20, 2025 $0.41; Sep 19, 2025 $0.16; Dec 19, 2025 $0.28; Mar 20, 2026 $0.05; Jun 18, 2026 $0.51; Sep 18, 2026 $0.19. Use the arrow keys to read each point.20192020202120222023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Sep 18, 2026Sep 24, 2026$0.19
Jun 18, 2026Jun 25, 2026$0.51
Mar 20, 2026Mar 26, 2026$0.05
Dec 19, 2025Dec 26, 2025$0.28
Sep 19, 2025Sep 25, 2025$0.16
Jun 20, 2025Jun 26, 2025$0.41
Mar 21, 2025Mar 27, 2025$0.06
Dec 20, 2024Dec 27, 2024$0.19
Sep 20, 2024Sep 26, 2024$0.13
Jun 21, 2024Jun 27, 2024$0.45
Mar 15, 2024Mar 21, 2024$0.03
Dec 15, 2023Dec 21, 2023$0.24

See all 29 payments⁠

$10,000 in QLVD 5 years ago paid $1,465 in dividends.⁠

QLVD Risk

Risk pillarA79 out of 100Rank 1 of 6 in International Quality Index
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
11.0%
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.
1.08
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.
−23.4%
Trough Oct 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.
0.64
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.

QLVD Cost

Cheapest in International Quality Index

$2,520

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

  • QLVD 0.12%

    $2,520

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • QLVD 0.12%
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$1K$2K$3K051015202530QLVD $2,520

Year by year

YearQLVD
10$220
20$859
30$2,520
How the 0.12% is worked out

Full fee 0.15%− waiver 0.03%= you pay 0.12%

The waiver ends Mar 1, 2027. After that the fee is 0.15% unless FlexShares renews it. Source: prospectus, Aug 2026.

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