TACU vs ZECP

TACUAT. Rowe Price Active Core U.S. Equity ETF

ZECPBZacks Earnings Consistent Portfolio ETF

In short

TACU T. Rowe Price's quant-plus-fundamental take on core large-cap U.S. stock, benchmarked to the Russell 1000. Gross fee 0.14%, fully waived to zero through January 30, 2027.

ZECP Zacks made its name on earnings estimates. Its first ETF, launched 2021, turns that lens inward: screen the largest 750 US stocks for the steadiest earnings, hold 50 to 120, charge 0.55% with no waiver.

Stated mandate

TACU The fund seeks long-term capital growth through a primarily U.S. equity portfolio. It combines quantitative models with fundamental, bottom-up analysis and seeks excess returns relative to the Russell 1000 Index.

ZECP The Fund seeks long-term total returns while minimizing capital loss.

Why people hold it

• TACU Fee fully waived: 0.14% gross, zero net through January 30, 2027. That sits below every top-scoring peer in the category, including DFAU at 0.12% with no waiver.troweprice.com
• Quant models feed bottom-up stock picking with tilts to profitability, quality and value, chasing excess return over the Russell 1000 while holding tracking error tight.troweprice.com
• Several hundred large-cap names, so no single position runs the show. One of the stronger profiles in a crowded active U.S. equity field.troweprice.com

• ZECP The screen is literal: 15 years of EPS variability plus two years of forecast variability. Least wobbly earnings advance, then a manager vets filings, profitability and valuation.sec.gov
• 0.55% is below the median for actively managed US equity funds, and it is the real number: gross and net match, with no waiver due to roll off.
• A compact book of roughly 60 names with a defensive, low-volatility build, drawn from a mandate that pairs the quant screen with human review.sec.gov
• On our overall review it lands in the upper quartile of a large active US equity peer group, with risk behavior that holds up well against those rivals.

Worth knowing

• TACU Launched in December 2025, so the live record is short and the risk read rests on limited history.
• Still a small fund that trades lightly, which can mean wider spreads than the category's giants.
• Distributions are annual at most, with no declared income target. This is a growth mandate, not a cash-flow one.

• ZECP Active costs more. DFAU charges 0.12% and AVLC 0.15% for broad US equity, so the earnings screen has to justify the gap.
• Steady earnings is not steady prices. The objective is long-term total return while minimizing capital loss, which sets no floor under a drawdown.
• A few hundred million in assets and light daily volume mean the spread can be a live cost, and distributions arrive only once or twice a year.

Full TACU profile⁠

Full ZECP profile⁠