Northern Trust Developed Markets ex-US Quality Low Volatility ETF
$33.38+0.48 (+1.46%)
- 0.15%
- $51M
- +10.9%
- 3.14%
- 0M sh
- $32.95
- low $30.51high $35.04
The ETF.net QLVD Grade
A
Score 71 out of 100
- 1 of 6
Score 71 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.A87 out of 100Rank 1 of 6Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A74 out of 100Rank 3 of 3Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.A75 out of 100Rank 1 of 6Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.C40 out of 100Rank 5 of 6Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.A72 out of 100Rank 2 of 6Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.C45 out of 100Rank 4 of 6
Our read on QLVD
ATwo screens, one fund: QLVD holds developed-market stocks outside the US that are both financially sturdy and historically calm, and it does it at the lowest fee in its international factor group.
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
- At 0.15%, the cheapest fund in its international factor group, under EFAV (0.20%) and IDHQ (0.29%) and well below the 0.41% cohort median.
- Two screens, not one: the Northern Trust index wants financial strength and stability plus lower absolute volatility, so a cheap-but-shaky stock does not qualify.flexshares.com
- Roughly 200 developed-market names outside the US, live since 2019, paying quarterly.
Worth knowing
- Thinly traded, so limit orders carry more weight here than with a heavily traded peer.
- Smaller by assets than the household-name min-vol options, which is worth knowing if you weigh a fund's staying power.
- The quality and low-volatility screens steer away from the market's hottest names, so results can diverge from a plain developed-markets index in either direction.
QLVD Holdings
- Stocks
- 197
- 22%
- NOVN.SW
Sectors
- Financials25.0%
- Industrials15.9%
- Consumer Staples10.9%
- Health Care9.9%
- Utilities7.4%
- Technology7.2%
- Communication6.1%
- Energy5.5%
- Consumer Discretionary5.4%
- Real Estate4.2%
- Materials2.5%
Geography
- Japan21.12%
- Canada14.79%
- Switzerland12.13%
- United Kingdom8.99%
- Germany5.31%
- Singapore5.21%
- Hong Kong5.15%
- France5.06%
- 22.26%
Developed 97% · Emerging 3%
QLVD Performance
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$11,095
Returns run to the Oct 12, 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.
| Period | QLVD |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +5.8% |
| 1 month | −2.9% |
| 3 months | −0.3% |
| 1 year | +10.9% |
| 3 years | +13.9% |
| 5 years | +7.0% |
| 10 years | — |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | QLVD |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +5.8% | |
| 2025 | +24.2% | |
| 2024 | +4.7% | |
| 2023 | +11.6% | |
| 2022 | −12.1% | |
| 2021 | +9.1% | |
| 2020 | +3.0% |
QLVD in the news
QLVD Dividends
- 3.14%
- $1.03
- $0.19 per share
- Quarterly
Distribution history
QLVD Risk
- 11.0%
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.
- 0.85
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.
- −23.4%
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.
- 0.64
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
QLVD Cost
0.15%
QLVD0.15%
- The middle half of International Quality Index funds
- Median 0.29%
No International Quality Index fund charges less.
Other funds in International Quality Index
- BIDHQInvesco S&P International Developed Quality ETFExpense ratio 0.29%1 year return +32.5%
- BDIHPDimensional International High Profitability ETFExpense ratio 0.27%1 year return +14.8%
- BIQLTiShares MSCI Intl Quality Factor ETFExpense ratio 0.30%1 year return +16.1%
- CFICSFirst Trust International Developed Capital Strength ETFExpense ratio 0.70%1 year return +6.4%
- DEAFGPacer Developed Markets Cash Cows Growth Leaders ETFExpense ratio 0.65%1 year return +14.9%