At a glance
AVUQ charges 0.15% a year, below the 0.42% average of the 7 funds most like it (the cheapest of 8). It has $337.6M in assets, the 4th largest of that group; it paid 0.16% of its price in distributions over the past 12 months, quarterly. Its ten largest positions make up 52.3% of the fund, out of 561 in all.
The short version
AVUQ, the Avantis U.S. Quality ETF from American Century Investments, is an actively managed fund of large U.S. growth stocks. Instead of tracking an index, it leans toward more profitable companies. Its 0.15% annual expense ratio was the lowest of eight quality-growth funds compared, and the other seven averaged 0.42%. The tradeoff is concentration: as of August 31, 2026, NVIDIA (10.7%) and Apple (10.1%) led, and the top 10 holdings made up 52.3% of assets.
Price history
The interactive chart needs JavaScript.
AVUQ — over the year to Oct 27, 2026, total return with distributions reinvested.
How it has behaved
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | Since start | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVUQ price data to Oct 27, 2026 | +3.4% | — | — | — | — | — |
- The deepest fall in its price history was 5.7% (Jul 15, 2026 to Jul 29, 2026), recovered by Aug 4, 2026.
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Before this security existed |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Before this security existed |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Before this security existed |
Dividends and income
No distribution history is available for this fund.
Distributions through Oct 27, 2026.What's inside
As of Aug 31, 2026, the fund held 561 securities; the ten largest made up 52.26% of assets.
| Holding | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA Corp | 10.69% | |
| Apple Inc | 10.13% | |
| Amazon.com Inc | 5.86% | |
| Microsoft Corp | 5.10% | |
| Micron Technology Inc | 4.35% | |
| Meta Platforms Inc | 3.66% | |
| Alphabet Inc | 3.52% | |
| Broadcom Inc | 3.47% | |
| Alphabet Inc Class C | 2.85% | |
| Eli Lilly & Co | 2.61% | |
| Advanced Micro Devices Inc | 1.58% | |
| Visa Inc | 1.24% | |
| Caterpillar Inc | 1.09% | |
| Netflix Inc | 1.03% | |
| Mastercard Inc | 1.02% |
By country
United States 98.72%Ireland 0.35%United Kingdom 0.34%Bermuda 0.29%Canada 0.15%By asset type
Stocks 99.9%By sector
Sectors of the companies held, for the 83.2% of the fund in companies that have a stock page here; other holdings and cash aren't classified. Source: N-PORT holdings report as of Aug 31, 2026. Cash, money-market funds and derivatives are shown separately from the securities list.What changed recently
- Over the three months to Aug 31, 2026, investors added a net $82.6M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
- Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: -1.84%, -1.03%, +2.38%.
How it works
AVUQ does not track an index. Its managers start with U.S. growth companies. They define these as companies with relatively high price-to-book ratios (share price compared with the net worth on a company's books) or companies in the MSCI USA Growth IMI Index. Under normal conditions, at least 80% of assets go to U.S. companies.
Each stock starts at its market-cap weight, so bigger companies get bigger positions. The managers then give more weight to companies with higher profitability, lower prices relative to their financials, or smaller size. They cut back or drop less profitable, pricier or larger companies. To judge this, they use data such as book value, cash flow from operations and accruals. Before trading, they also weigh trading costs and taxes.
The fund is classified as nondiversified, which means it can hold large positions in a few stocks. As of August 31, 2026, it held 561 stocks, but the top 10 made up about 52% of assets. Portfolio turnover was 5% in the prospectus filed December 29, 2025. The fund may create and redeem shares for cash. That can make it less tax-efficient than ETFs that exchange securities in kind.
What it really costs
- AVUQ charges 0.15% a year, versus an average of 0.42% for the similar funds below (1st of 8, cheapest first).
- Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $15 in the first year and $— over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).
| Cost of $10,000 (SEC example) | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVUQ | $15 | $48 | $— | $— |
In a retirement portfolio
It is a concentrated, nondiversified growth fund with heavy technology exposure and a very short track record, so it fits better alongside broader holdings than as the main one.
AVUQ offers low-cost access to large U.S. growth companies, but it is concentrated. Technology was about 45% of its classified holdings as of August 31, 2026. It has not been tested in a real downturn. The fund launched March 25, 2025, and its price history starts June 9, 2026, so it missed the 2008, 2020 and 2022 sell-offs and has no full calendar year on record. Its deepest drop was 5.7%, from July 15 to July 29, 2026, and it recovered by August 4. A beta of 1.24 suggests it moved more than the market over that short stretch. That matters for anyone who may need to sell shares in a bad year.
It is not built for income. The trailing yield was 0.16% as of October 27, 2026, paid quarterly. In the SEC example, $10,000 costs $15 in fees for the first year. Past results don't predict the future, and a plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.
Who it may suit — and who should look elsewhere
May suit
- Cost-focused investors who want large U.S. growth stocks tilted toward profitable companies: the 0.15% expense ratio was below all seven similar funds compared, which averaged 0.42%.
- Long-term savers comfortable with heavy technology exposure: tech stocks were 44.8% of assets as of August 31, 2026, led by NVIDIA and Apple.
- Investors who want a low-turnover growth fund: the prospectus reported 5% portfolio turnover, so little trading, though cash redemptions could still trigger taxable gains.
Look elsewhere if
- Retirees who need portfolio income: the trailing yield was just 0.16% as of October 27, 2026, about $0.11 per share, paid quarterly.
- Investors who want a proven record: the fund launched March 25, 2025, its prospectus shows no full-year returns, and it missed the 2022 bear market.
- Investors who want calmer swings: the fund's beta was 1.24 as of October 27, 2026, so it tended to move more than the overall market.
Close alternatives
Matched by holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports.
| Fund | Overlap | Cost | Net assets | 1 yr | 3 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVUQ this fund | — | 0.15% | $337.6M | — | — |
| QGRW WisdomTree U.S. Quality Growth Fund | 61% | 0.28% | $2.65B | +12.3% | +30.1% |
| HQGO Hartford US Quality Growth ETF | 49% | 0.34% | $49.2M | +12.2% | — |
| DGRW WisdomTree US Quality Dividend Growth Fund | 43% | 0.28% | $16.60B | +11.7% | +17.0% |
| SAWG AAM Sawgrass US Large Cap Quality Growth ETF | 41% | 0.49% | $2.9M | +10.4% | — |
| QGRO American Century U.S. Quality Growth ETF | 39% | 0.29% | $2.09B | +0.3% | +22.4% |
| JGRW Jensen Quality Growth ETF | 37% | 0.57% | $87.7M | +4.1% | — |
| SXQG ETC 6 Meridian Quality Growth ETF | 34% | 0.7% | $63.3M | 0.0% | +14.4% |
Questions investors ask
What does AVUQ invest in?
AVUQ invests in large U.S. growth companies. The managers define these as stocks with relatively high price-to-book ratios (share price compared with a company's accounting net worth) or stocks in the MSCI USA Growth IMI Index. It is actively managed, not an index fund, and it leans toward more profitable companies. As of August 31, 2026, it held 561 stocks. The largest were NVIDIA (10.7%), Apple (10.1%), Amazon (5.9%), Microsoft (5.1%) and Micron Technology (4.3%).
What is AVUQ's expense ratio?
AVUQ's expense ratio is 0.15% a year, according to its prospectus filed December 29, 2025. The expense ratio is the yearly fee taken from fund assets. The SEC's standard example assumes $10,000 invested, a 5% yearly return and shares cashed out at the end. On that basis, costs come to $15 over one year and $48 over three years. That fee was the lowest of eight quality-growth funds compared, and the other seven averaged 0.42%.
What's the difference between AVUQ and QGRW?
The main differences are cost and size. AVUQ charges 0.15% a year, while the WisdomTree U.S. Quality Growth Fund (QGRW) charges 0.28%. QGRW held $2.65 billion as of June 30, 2026. AVUQ held $337.6 million as of August 31, 2026. QGRW also has a longer track record and returned 12.3% over the year to October 27, 2026. QGRW is AVUQ's closest match: their portfolios overlapped by 61% in the latest SEC holdings filings.
Does AVUQ pay dividends?
Yes, but very little. AVUQ pays dividends every quarter. Its trailing yield, meaning dividends paid over the prior year divided by the share price, was 0.16% as of October 27, 2026. That works out to about $0.11 per share. The yield is low because growth companies tend to put profits back into the business rather than pay them out. The fund's stated goal is long-term capital appreciation, not income, so it adds little to a retiree's cash flow.
How risky is AVUQ?
AVUQ has moved more than the overall market in its short history. Its beta, which measures how much a fund moves compared with the market, was 1.24 as of October 27, 2026. The fund is nondiversified, so it can hold bigger positions in fewer stocks. Technology made up 44.8% of assets as of August 31, 2026. Between June 9 and October 27, 2026, its deepest drop was 5.7%, and it recovered by August 4. It launched March 25, 2025, so it missed the 2022 bear market.