AVLC vs ESUM

AVLCAAvantis U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF

ESUMBEventide US Market ETF

In short

AVLC Active management with index-fund manners: roughly 900 U.S. large caps, with the dial turned toward cheaper, more profitable companies. Avantis charges 0.15% a year to do it.

ESUM Eventide runs its values screen across the whole US market, not just the blue chips: an active portfolio measured against the Bloomberg U.S. 3000, at 0.39% when the typical active US stock fund charges far more.

Stated mandate

AVLC The fund seeks long-term capital appreciation. It invests broadly in U.S. large-capitalization companies while using active decisions to overweight lower valuations and higher profitability.

ESUM The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing in a portfolio of U.S. equity securities selected under the adviser’s values-based screening process.

Why people hold it

• AVLC 0.15% a year against a 0.65% median for active U.S. equity funds. That is passive-style pricing on an actively run book.
• Holds about 900 names against the Russell 1000, so the value and profitability tilts sit on top of broad market exposure instead of a concentrated bet.avantisinvestors.com
• One of the stronger builds in the active U.S. equity group, priced in the same neighborhood as the Dimensional core funds (DFAU, DFAC) it competes with.
• A multi-billion-dollar fund that trades steadily, so spreads and liquidity are rarely the sticking point. Distributions are paid quarterly.

• ESUM Costs 0.39% a year, well under the 0.65% median for active US equity funds. Cheap for a stockpicker, let alone one running a custom screen.
• The portfolio sticks closely to the values-based mandate in its prospectus, and spreads risk widely rather than betting the fund on a few names.
• Benchmarked to the Bloomberg U.S. 3000, so small and mid caps sit inside the opportunity set, not just megacap America.
• Sits in the upper tier of our active US equity group, an unusual place for a fund this young. It also pays out quarterly.

Worth knowing

• AVLC Launched in 2023. The tilt philosophy is well worn at Avantis, but this fund's own live record is still short.
• Active, not index-tracking. The Russell 1000 is a reference point, not a leash, so holdings and weights can drift from it.
• Leaning toward cheaper, higher-profitability companies means stretches where it moves differently from the plain cap-weighted market, in either direction.avantisinvestors.com

• ESUM Launched in December 2024. The record is short, so any read on how it handles rough markets rests on limited history.
• Systematic core rivals undercut it on fee: DFAU at 0.12%, AVLC at 0.15%, DFAC at 0.17%. The values screen is what the extra buys.
• A smaller fund that trades lightly, so bid-ask spreads can run wider than in the category's giants and execution matters more at the point of trade.

Full AVLC profile⁠

Full ESUM profile⁠