At a glance
GFGF charges 0.66% a year. It has $33.0M in assets; it paid 0.65% of its price in distributions over the past 12 months, semiannual. Over the past year it returned +2.5% with distributions reinvested (S&P 500: +11.5%); over three years it returned +19.9% a year. At its worst it fell 27.8% in the 2022 bear market (S&P 500: 24.5%), and was back at its earlier high 15 months after the low. Its ten largest positions make up 47.1% of the fund, out of 29 in all.
The short version
Guru Favorite Stocks ETF (GFGF) is an actively managed ETF from ETF Architect. It holds 25–35 U.S.-listed stocks picked from the portfolios of about twenty long-term investors, or “Gurus,” followed by sub-adviser GuruFocus. Rather than tracking an index, it ranks stocks by how many Gurus hold them, screens for quality and value, and normally updates holdings twice a year. Trade-offs include a 0.66% expense ratio and Guru data that is at least 45 days old.
Price history
The interactive chart needs JavaScript.
GFGF +2.5% 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GFGF official prospectus, to Dec 31, 2025 | — | +12.86% | — | — | — | +9.21% |
| GFGF price data to Oct 27, 2026 | +0.3% | +2.5% | +19.9% | — | — | +8.1% |
- Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, GFGF returned +2.5%.
- Its worst full calendar year was 2022 (-20.3%); its best was 2024 (+26.1%).
- The deepest fall in its price history was 28% (Dec 29, 2021 to Oct 12, 2022), recovered by Jan 26, 2024.
Show as a table
| Year | Price data | Prospectus (official) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +0.3% | — |
| 2025 | +13.1% | +12.86% |
| 2024 | +26.1% | +26.19% |
| 2023 | +24.0% | +24.51% |
| 2022 | -20.3% | -20.50% |
| 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 | Lost 27.3% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 27.8%, back to its old high 15.4 months after the low |
Dividends and income
Show as a table
| Year | Per share | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | $0.1500 | |
| 2025 | $0.0800 | +166.7% |
| 2024 | $0.0300 | +50.0% |
| 2023 | $0.0200 | -75.0% |
| 2022 | $0.0800 |
What's inside
As of Aug 31, 2026, the fund held 29 securities; the ten largest made up 47.14% of assets, and 6.83% sat in cash and money-market holdings.
| Holding | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Corp | 8.89% | |
| Alphabet Inc | 4.81% | |
| NVIDIA Corp | 4.39% | |
| MSCI Inc | 4.36% | |
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd | 4.32% | |
| Apple Inc | 4.17% | |
| ASML Holding NV | 4.15% | |
| Visa Inc | 4.14% | |
| UnitedHealth Group Inc | 3.96% | |
| Eli Lilly & Co | 3.95% | |
| Berkshire Hathaway Inc | 3.83% | |
| ELEVANCE HEALTH INC | 3.64% | |
| Amazon.com Inc | 3.43% | |
| Mastercard Inc | 3.37% | |
| Brown & Brown Inc | 2.91% |
By country
United States 82.5%Taiwan 4.32%Netherlands 4.15%Canada 2.18%By asset type
Stocks 93.15%By sector
Sectors of the companies held, for the 79.6% 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 withdrew a net $5.1M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
- Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: -0.66%, +1.45%, +2.10%.
What it really costs
- GFGF charges 0.66% a year.
- Of that, 0.65% is the management fee; the rest covers other fund expenses.
- Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $67 in the first year and $822 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).
| Cost of $10,000 (SEC example) | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GFGF | $67 | $211 | $368 | $822 |
In a retirement portfolio
With about 25–35 stocks, heavy financials and technology weights, active management and a 0.66% fee, it fits better as a smaller add-on than as a portfolio's foundation.
GFGF could add a focused sleeve of quality-screened stocks, such as Microsoft and Alphabet, beside a broader core. Launched in December 2021, it has no record from the 2008 financial crisis or the 2020 COVID crash. In the 2022 bear market it had its deepest drop, 28%, from December 29, 2021 to October 12, 2022. It took about 15 months to recover from that low, in January 2024. Its worst calendar year was 2022, at -20.5%. Anyone drawing money then may have had to cash out shares at depressed prices.
Income is small: the trailing 12-month yield was 0.65% as of October 27, 2026, paid twice a year. Its 0.66% expense ratio means costs on $10,000 would total $822 over ten years in the SEC's standard example. Past results don't predict future returns, and a retirement plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.
Who it may suit — and who should look elsewhere
May suit
- Investors who want about 25–35 quality-screened stocks, like Microsoft, Visa and Berkshire Hathaway, drawn from holdings of about twenty long-tenured investors.
- Those willing to pay 0.66% a year, or $67 in year one on $10,000 in the SEC's standard example, for active stock selection.
- Long-term holders who can sit through drops like the fund's 28% fall in 2022, which took about 15 months to recover from its low.
Look elsewhere if
- Income-focused investors: the trailing 12-month yield was 0.65% as of October 27, 2026, with distributions paid only twice a year.
- Investors seeking broad, low-cost diversification: the fund held 29 stocks, with 47% in its top 10, as of August 31, 2026, and charges 0.66%.
- Investors hoping to mirror Gurus' latest trades: their 13F holdings reports are at least 45 days old, and the portfolio normally changes twice yearly.
Close alternatives
Matched by holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports.
No close alternatives found.
Questions investors ask
Does GFGF pay dividends?
Yes, but the payouts are small. GFGF makes distributions semiannually, or twice a year. Over the 12 months through October 27, 2026, it paid about $0.23 per share, a trailing yield of 0.65%. The fund's goal is long-term capital appreciation (growth in share value), not income. It picks stocks such as Microsoft, Alphabet and NVIDIA for quality, value and Guru ownership rather than dividends.
What is GFGF's expense ratio?
GFGF's expense ratio is 0.66% a year, including a 0.65% management fee, according to its prospectus filed March 25, 2026. The SEC's standard example assumes $10,000 invested, a 5% annual return and shares cashed out at the end of each period. On that basis, costs would be about $67 after one year, $211 after three, $368 after five and $822 after ten. Index funds that track broad markets often charge less. The fund is also small, with about $33 million in net assets as of August 31, 2026.
What are GFGF's top holdings?
As of August 31, 2026, GFGF's largest holding was Microsoft at 8.89% of assets. Next came Alphabet (4.81%), NVIDIA (4.39%), MSCI (4.36%), Taiwan Semiconductor (4.32%), Apple (4.17%), ASML (4.15%) and Visa (4.14%). UnitedHealth and Eli Lilly completed the top 10, which made up about 47% of the fund across 29 holdings. Financials and technology were the largest sectors. U.S. companies made up 82.5%, and Taiwan, the Netherlands and Canada were the largest foreign exposures.
Does GFGF just copy guru 13F filings?
No. Sub-adviser GuruFocus uses 13F filings (quarterly holdings reports big managers file with the SEC) and other public data to list the stocks about twenty Gurus own. The fund doesn't mirror their portfolios. Stocks are ranked by how many Gurus hold them, regardless of position size, then scored for quality and value to pick about 25–35 names. Because 13F data is at least 45 days old and holdings normally change only twice a year, the fund can lag the Gurus' latest moves.
How has GFGF performed since it launched?
GFGF returned an average of 9.21% a year from its December 2021 launch through December 31, 2025, according to its prospectus. Calendar-year returns were -20.5% in 2022, 24.51% in 2023, 26.19% in 2024 and 12.86% in 2025. Based on market prices, it gained 2.5% in the year to October 27, 2026, and an average of 19.9% a year over three years. Its deepest drop, 28% in 2022, took about 15 months to recover from the low.