# AVUV ETF: fees, returns, drawdowns and holdings

> What AVUV holds, its 0.25% yearly fee, returns by year, its worst drop, and which Tactfolio strategies hold it. Updated daily.

Avantis U.S. Small Cap Value ETF (AVUV) is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) run by Avantis Investors (American Century). This fund owns hundreds of small US companies whose stocks look cheap and that make good profits. It charges 0.25% a year. From September 2019 to October 2026 it returned about 15.0% a year, and its worst drop was −49.4%.

Written by [the Tactfolio research team](https://tactfolio.com/about/editorial-policy). Fund facts checked October 17, 2026. Prices through October 16, 2026.

## Key points

- Expense ratio: 0.25% a year (about $25 on $10,000).
- Started trading on September 24, 2019.
- Worst drop since 2019: −49.4%.
- No Tactfolio classic strategies hold it.

## What does AVUV hold?

This fund owns hundreds of small US companies whose stocks look cheap and that make good profits. Managers pick the stocks using set rules instead of copying an index. Small company stocks can swing more than big ones.

It does not track an index. Its managers choose what it holds. It had 794 holdings as of September 30, 2026, according to Avantis Investors (American Century).

| Fact | AVUV |
| --- | --- |
| Full name | Avantis U.S. Small Cap Value ETF |
| Issuer | Avantis Investors (American Century) |
| Expense ratio | 0.25% a year |
| Started trading | September 24, 2019 |
| Tracks | No index (actively managed) |
| Type | US stocks, ETF |
| Holdings | 794 holdings as of September 30, 2026 |
| Facts checked | October 17, 2026 on the [Avantis Investors (American Century) fund page](https://www.avantisinvestors.com/avantis-investments/avantis-us-small-cap-value-etf/) |

## What is the AVUV expense ratio?

AVUV charges 0.25% a year. An expense ratio is the yearly fee a fund takes to run itself. On $10,000, a 0.25% fee comes to about $25 a year.

You never get a bill for it. The fund takes the fee out of its own value a little each day.

## How has AVUV done since 2019?

From September 2019 to October 2026, AVUV returned about 15.0% a year. Say you put in $10,000 at the start. It would have been worth about $26,765 at the end, with every dividend reinvested.

| Measure | AVUV |
| --- | --- |
| Total return | 167.7% |
| Return per year (CAGR) | 15.0% |
| Worst drop from a high | −49.4% |
| Volatility (how much it swings) | 27.7% |
| Last 12 months | 25.3% |
| Last 3 years, per year | 17.9% |
| Last 5 years, per year | 10.7% |

Prices through October 16, 2026. Figures use daily closing prices adjusted for splits, with dividends reinvested. They do not include taxes or the cost of buying and selling. Past results do not tell you what will happen next.

## AVUV returns by year

| Year | AVUV return |
| --- | --- |
| 2026 (part of the year) | 18.9% |
| 2025 | 7.4% |
| 2024 | 9.3% |
| 2023 | 22.8% |
| 2022 | −4.9% |
| 2021 | 42.2% |
| 2020 | 6.4% |
| 2019 (part of the year) | 8.5% |

## What was AVUV's worst drop?

A drawdown is how far a fund falls from its last high point. AVUV's worst fall was −49.4%, from December 19, 2019 to March 23, 2020. It got back to that high on November 23, 2020.

The chart shows how far below its last high the fund was on each day. Big drops are normal for some funds. They matter because selling during a drop locks in the loss.

## Which Tactfolio strategies hold AVUV?

No classic strategy holds AVUV yet. You can add it to your own rules in the [builder](https://tactfolio.com/builder) and see how they would have done.

## How does AVUV compare with similar ETFs?

Funds that can stand in for AVUV:

- [VBR](https://tactfolio.com/etf/vbr.md): Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap Value ETF, 0.05% a year
- [IJS](https://tactfolio.com/etf/ijs.md): iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Value ETF, 0.18% a year
- [IWN](https://tactfolio.com/etf/iwn.md): iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF, 0.24% a year
- [SCHA](https://tactfolio.com/etf/scha.md): Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF, 0.03% a year

See [all 8 AVUV alternatives](https://tactfolio.com/alternatives/avuv.md), compared on the same dates as AVUV.

## Test AVUV in your own rules

Tactfolio is a platform where you build rules-based investing strategies, backtest them on decades of real prices, share them, and run them automatically in your own Alpaca account. Open the [builder](https://tactfolio.com/builder), add AVUV, and see how a rule such as "hold it only above its 200-day average" would have done. Strategies run on daily prices and hold US stocks and ETFs only.

## The details

Prices come from Tactfolio's stored daily prices for AVUV. Each close is adjusted for splits, and dividends are reinvested on the day the fund pays them out. CAGR is the steady yearly return that turns the starting value into the ending value. Volatility is the yearly standard deviation of daily returns.

Fund facts come from Avantis Investors (American Century). We checked them on October 17, 2026. Read [what a backtest simulates](https://tactfolio.com/docs/backtests.md) and [how to read drawdown and CAGR](https://tactfolio.com/docs/concepts/reading-a-backtest.md) for more on these measures.

## Research and test it

- [S&P 500 index](https://tactfolio.com/learn/sp500-index): The S&P 500 tracks about 500 large US companies. Learn how stocks get in, how the index is weighted, how to invest in it, and how far it has fallen before.
- [What is an ETF](https://tactfolio.com/learn/what-is-an-etf): An ETF is a fund that trades like a stock. Learn how ETFs work, what they cost, the main types, and the risks, with SEC sources.
- [ETF screener](https://tactfolio.com/screener.md): A free ETF screener for 162 US-listed funds. Filter by type, issuer and fee, sort by returns or worst drop, and compare funds side by side.
- [ETF expense ratio](https://tactfolio.com/learn/etf-expense-ratio): What an ETF expense ratio is, how the fund charges it, and how 0.03% vs 1% adds up over 10 and 30 years, with real fund examples.
- [Backtest a portfolio](https://tactfolio.com/trading-tools/backtest-portfolio): Backtest a portfolio of US stocks and ETFs. Enter tickers and shares, pick when to rebalance, and get the results with a link to share.
- [Backtesting](https://tactfolio.com/backtesting): Free backtesting software for stocks, ETFs, and crypto perps.

## Common questions

### What is the expense ratio of AVUV?

AVUV charges 0.25% a year, according to Avantis Investors (American Century) as of October 17, 2026. That is about $25 a year for every $10,000 you hold.

### When did AVUV start trading?

AVUV started trading on September 24, 2019. It is run by Avantis Investors (American Century).

### What does AVUV track?

AVUV does not track an index. Its managers choose what it holds.

### How much has AVUV returned per year?

From September 2019 to October 2026, AVUV returned about 15.0% a year with dividends reinvested. Its worst drop was −49.4%. Past returns do not tell you what it will do next.

### Which strategies use AVUV?

None of Tactfolio's classic strategies hold AVUV yet. You can test it in your own rules in the builder.

## Sources

- [Avantis Investors (American Century): Avantis U.S. Small Cap Value ETF fund page](https://www.avantisinvestors.com/avantis-investments/avantis-us-small-cap-value-etf/)

> Not financial advice. Tactfolio is a research and automation tool. It is not a broker or a financial adviser. This page is for education only. Backtests are hypothetical. They show how rules would have done on past prices, not how they will do. All investing involves risk, including losing the money you put in.