DFSV vs SIXS

DFSVAU.S. Small Cap Value Portfolio ETF Class Shares

SIXSBETC 6 Meridian Small Cap Equity ETF

In short

DFSV Small-cap value, spread wide: roughly a thousand of the market's cheaper small companies, measured against the Russell 2000 Value Index. A deeper bench than most rivals carry, at a higher price than the plain index funds beside it.

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

DFSV The fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.

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

Why people hold it

• DFSV Roughly 1,000 holdings spread the small-value bet across the whole opportunity set instead of a handful of names.
• A multi-billion-dollar fund that trades actively, so getting a position on or off is rarely the hard part.
• Portfolio construction is the strong suit here: broad, diversified small-cap value exposure, with distributions paid quarterly.
• The mandate is plainly stated: long-term capital appreciation from US stocks, no side quests.

• 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

• DFSV At 0.30% a year it costs more than the typical US value ETF (median 0.18%), and VTWV runs against the same Russell 2000 Value benchmark for 0.06%.
• Small-cap value is a bumpier corner than the large-cap value funds anchoring this group (VTV, SCHV), and the ride shows it.
• Launched in 2022, so its live record is short next to the value funds it sits beside.

• 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 DFSV profile⁠

Full SIXS profile⁠