Is American Century U.S. Quality Value ETF (VALQ) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Core Insights - The American Century U.S. Quality Value ETF (VALQ) debuted on January 11, 2018, and provides broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Value category of the market [1] - VALQ is managed by American Century Investments and aims to match the performance of the American Century U.S. Quality Value Index, focusing on undervalued large and mid-cap companies with sustainable income [5] Fund Characteristics - VALQ has accumulated over $251.3 million in assets, making it one of the larger ETFs in its category [5] - The fund has an annual operating expense ratio of 0.29%, which is competitive within its peer group, and a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.73% [6] - The fund's portfolio is heavily allocated to the Information Technology sector, which represents 26% of its holdings, followed by Healthcare and Consumer Staples [7] Holdings and Performance - Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO) is the largest individual holding at approximately 2.81% of total assets, with the top 10 holdings accounting for about 25.2% of VALQ's total assets [8] - Year-to-date, VALQ has increased by 4.56% and has risen by 12.57% over the last 12 months as of July 11, 2025, with a trading range between $54.09 and $64.64 in the past 52 weeks [10] - The fund has a beta of 0.87 and a standard deviation of 14.59% over the trailing three-year period, indicating effective diversification of company-specific risk with approximately 231 holdings [10] Alternatives - While VALQ is a viable option for investors looking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Value segment, there are alternative ETFs such as Fidelity High Dividend ETF (FDVV) and iShares Core S&P U.S. Value ETF (IUSV) that may offer lower expense ratios and different risk profiles [11][12]