This ETF from a 106-year-old firm has crushed rivals while avoiding ‘Magnificent Seven’ stocks

Core Insights - Tweedy, Browne has launched the Insider + Value ETF (COPY), which uniquely combines tracking insider purchases with the timing of those purchases, focusing on stocks trading at significant discounts compared to historical valuations [1] - The investment strategy emphasizes stocks believed to be trading below intrinsic value, utilizing a proprietary model that analyzes over 30 investment characteristics, including price/earnings and price to book value ratios [2] - The ETF has shown strong performance, returning 30% in 2025, outperforming the MSCI World Index and the S&P 500 [3] Company Overview - Tweedy, Browne Co., based in Stamford, Connecticut, manages approximately $7 billion through various investment vehicles, including mutual funds and ETFs, employing value strategies [5] - The firm was founded in 1920 and has historical ties to value-investing pioneer Benjamin Graham [4] Investment Strategy - The ETF focuses on stocks where corporate insiders are actively buying shares and companies that are repurchasing shares at attractive prices, based on Tweedy, Browne's valuation analysis [1] - The strategy is diversified across roughly 180 stocks, with a significant portion of the portfolio invested in non-U.S. companies, reflecting a bias toward undervaluation [3][8] - The fund's performance is benchmarked against the MSCI World Index, and it has outperformed many of its peers in the first year [16] Performance Metrics - COPY's return of 30% in 2025 compares favorably to the iShares MSCI World ETF, which returned 21.3%, and other actively managed ETFs [18] - The fund's expense ratio is 0.80%, which is competitive compared to other funds in the same category [18] Share Buyback Focus - The investment team emphasizes net buybacks that effectively lower the share count, avoiding dilution from stock issuance or executive compensation [6] - The fund has identified companies that have been buying back shares at high trailing price/earnings ratios, indicating potential overvaluation in those buybacks [12] Top Holdings - As of the latest report, the top holdings in the COPY portfolio include DPM Metals Inc., BAWAG Group AG, and Erste Group Bank AG, with weights ranging from 1.96% to 1.10% [20]