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AESB vs FESM

Harbor AlphaEdge Small Cap Core ETF

AESB—NYSE Arca

Fidelity Enhanced Small Cap ETF

FESMANYSE Arca

Overlap

Expense ratio

FESM −0.10pt a year

AESB0.38%FESM0.28%

Avg volume · 30D

FESM 447.0×the volume

AESB2.28KFESM1.02M

AESB vs FESM Performance

Sep 30, 2026 – Oct 30, 2026

−0.2%AESB+1.2%FESM

Sep 30, 2026 to Oct 30, 2026. AESB −0.2%. FESM +1.2%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−1%2%3%Sep 30Oct 15Oct 30
Expense ratio
AESB 0.38%
FESM 0.28%, better
Fund size
AESB $2M
FESM $6.41B
1Y total return
AESB No data
FESM +23.4%
Yield (12M)
AESB No data
FESM 0.86%
Holdings
AESB 167
FESM 892
Avg volume (30D)
AESB 2.28K sh
FESM 1.02M sh, better
NAV per share
AESB $19.40
FESM $45.47
52W range

ETF.net Grade

  • —AESBNot yet graded
FESM: Cost 96, Risk 54, Mission 85, Tradability 93, Holdings 82, Durability 93.
Pillar letters and Scores for AESB, FESM, with each pillar’s weight
PillarAESBFESM
Cost30% weightNot scoredA96
Mission25% weightNot scoredA85
Risk15% weightNot scoredC54
Tradability15% weightNot scoredA93
Holdings10% weightNot scoredA82
Durability5% weightNot scoredA93

Rank among US Active Small-Cap funds

US Active Small-Cap⁠

Category · 39 funds
See all 39 ›

FESM ranks 2nd of 39 funds in the US Active Small-Cap Category.

  1. Rank 1AAVSCAvantis U.S. Small Cap Equity ETFScore 88
  2. Rank 2AFESMFidelity Enhanced Small Cap ETFScore 85
  3. Rank 3ADFSVU.S. Small Cap Value Portfolio ETF Class SharesScore 82
  4. AESBNot yet graded

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

AESB—Harbor AlphaEdge Small Cap Core ETF

FESMAFidelity Enhanced Small Cap ETF

In short

AESB No data

FESM A quant small-cap strategy that has been running since 2007 and moved into an ETF wrapper in 2023 with the same mandate. It nudges the Russell 2000 rather than copying it, and charges far less than the typical active small-cap fund.

Stated mandate

AESB No data

FESM The fund is a diversified U.S. equity strategy focused on small-cap companies. It seeks to outperform its benchmark through a quantitative process that balances risk and return.

Why people hold it

AESB No data

  • FESM Costs 0.28% a year, roughly half the median for active US small-cap ETFs. Cheap fuel for a strategy that only needs to beat its benchmark by a little.
  • The strategy dates to 2007 as a Fidelity mutual fund and kept the same objective when it converted to an ETF in 2023. Long history, newer ticker.fidelity.com
  • A multi-billion-dollar fund that trades actively, so getting in and out tends to be straightforward. One of the stronger builds in the active small-cap group.
  • Spreads across roughly 600 small-cap names, so no single blowup dominates. This is a diversified core sleeve, not a concentrated stock-picker bet.

Worth knowing

AESB No data

  • FESM Small caps are the choppiest corner of the US market, and this fund lives there full time. Expect a bumpier ride than a large-cap core holding.fidelity.com
  • Enhanced index means small tilts around the Russell 2000, not a break from it. Results track close to the index rather than looking dramatically different.fidelity.com
  • Cheap, but not the cheapest in the room: top-rated peers AVSC and AVUV run 0.25% and DUHP 0.20%.

Full AESB profile⁠

Full FESM profile⁠

AESB vs FESM Holdings

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

AESB vs FESM Cost

Overpaying AESB vs FESM

$1,951

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

  • AESB 0.38%

    $7,706

  • FESM 0.28%

    $5,755

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • AESB 0.38%
  • FESM 0.28%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2K$4K$6K$8K051015202530AESB $7,706FESM $5,755

Year by year

YearAESBFESMOverpaying
10$688$509$179
20$2,658$1,976$682
30$7,706$5,755$1,951

Expense ratio

  • 0.38%AESB
  • 0.28%FESM, cheaper
  • Middle half of US Active Small-Cap funds
  • Median 0.55%

FESM 2nd cheapest of 39 funds

AESB 9th cheapest of 39 funds

AESB vs FESM Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
AESB No data
FESM 0.86%
Payout (12M)
AESB None
FESM $0.39
Last payment
AESB No data
FESM $0.10
Ex-dividend
AESB No data
FESM Sep 18, 2026
Paid on
AESB No data
FESM Sep 22, 2026
Frequency
AESB No data
FESM Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2023 to 2026, same scale for both

AESBAll AESB payments⁠

No distribution history available.

FESMQuarterly · 13 paymentsAll FESM payments⁠
One bar per payment. 13 payments from 2023 to 2026 YTD. Nov 14, 2023 $0.11; Dec 28, 2023 $0.02; Mar 15, 2024 $0.07; Jun 21, 2024 $0.05; Sep 20, 2024 $0.07; Dec 20, 2024 $0.16; Mar 21, 2025 $0.16; Jun 20, 2025 $0.01; Sep 19, 2025 $0.05; Dec 19, 2025 $0.08; Mar 20, 2026 $0.09; Jun 18, 2026 $0.11; Sep 18, 2026 $0.10. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.1020232026YTD

AESB vs FESM Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
AESB No dataFESM 19.6%since Dec 2023
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
AESB No dataFESM 0.97since Dec 2023
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
AESB No dataFESM −26.9%since Nov 2023
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
AESB 0.00FESM 1.34

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