AVLC vs HTUS

AVLCAAvantis U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF

HTUSDHull Tactical US 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.

HTUS Most active US equity funds argue about which stocks to own. HTUS argues about whether to own them at all: a quant strategy that shifts between long and short S&P 500 exposure, running live since 2015.

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.

HTUS The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation through an actively managed strategy using long and short positions in ETFs and related instruments tied primarily to the S&P 500 Index.

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.

• HTUS Not a stock picker. It takes long and short positions in S&P 500 linked ETFs and related instruments, so market exposure moves with the model instead of sitting permanently fully invested.
• Trading real money since 2015, so the model has a live record behind it rather than a backtest.
• The tactical trading happens inside a registered 1940 Act fund, so the shorting sits under regular fund rules rather than in a private vehicle.
• Tight mandate, and it stays inside it: US equities, S&P 500 as the reference point, no drift into other markets or asset classes.

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

• HTUS At 0.96% a year it runs above the typical active US equity fund, and several times the index-plus crowd such as DFAU (0.12%) and FELC (0.18%).
• Small asset base and thin trading, so spreads can widen and sizable orders can move the price.
• You are buying a model, not a basket. Outcomes track the manager's signals and its short side, not simply the index it references.

Full AVLC profile⁠

Full HTUS profile⁠