AVSC vs SIXS

AVSCAAvantis U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF

SIXSBETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF

In short

AVSC Avantis's whole-field small cap fund: roughly 1,500 US small companies in one ticker, run by the manager's own rules rather than a published index, at 0.25% a year.

SIXS A Wichita wealth manager's in-house small-cap sleeve, in ETF form. A quant screen cuts the weakest small caps on profitability, growth and debt coverage, then ranks survivors on beta and value.

Stated mandate

AVSC The fund seeks long-term capital appreciation and invests primarily in a diversified group of U.S. small-cap companies across market sectors and industries, with at least 80% of assets normally invested in U.S. small-cap equity securities.

SIXS The Fund seeks capital appreciation. Its sub-adviser applies a quantitatively driven strategy emphasizing high-quality small-capitalization securities.

Why people hold it

• AVSC 0.25% a year versus a 0.52% median for active US small-cap funds. Less than half the going rate for a hands-on manager.
• Roughly 1,500 holdings spread across sectors and industries, so one small-cap blowup barely dents the fund.
• One of the strongest all-round implementations in the active US small-cap group on cost, portfolio build and ease of trading.
• Pays quarterly, trades with steady daily volume, and pulled in over a billion dollars since its 2022 launch.

• SIXS Charges 0.50% a year, below the typical fee among active US small-cap funds.
• The screen is a gate, not a tilt: prospectus says the lowest-ranked names on profitability, growth and debt-service capacity are cut from the universe before any buying.sec.gov
• Survivors get ranked on beta and value, so it leans toward lower market sensitivity and cheaper valuations in a corner known for the opposite.sec.gov
• Pays monthly, which is rare for small-cap equity, and has been running the same quant process since 2020.

Worth knowing

• AVSC Undiluted small-cap equity, kept at least 80% invested in the asset class. It rides the small-cap cycle with deeper swings than a large-cap fund.
• No declared index to check it against. The manager's stock-selection rules are the product, so you are buying a process, not a published benchmark.
• Its sibling AVUV works the value slice of the same universe at the same 0.25%. Own both and you are doubling up on overlapping small-cap names.

• SIXS Index-style small-cap exposure costs less: AVSC runs 0.25% and DFSV 0.30%. The quality gate is what you pay the difference for.
• Thinly traded and in the smaller asset tier, so spreads can be wider than in category giants and show up in your fill price.
• Roughly 80 stocks versus the hundreds in a broad small-cap index, so individual names carry weight and results can drift from the benchmark.sec.gov

Full AVSC profile⁠

Full SIXS profile⁠