What Is AVUV? Avantis US Small Cap Value ETF

AVUV is the Avantis US Small Cap Value ETF, run by Avantis Investors, a unit of American Century founded by veterans of Dimensional Fund Advisors. It holds roughly 800 small US companies selected for low valuations and high profitability. Unlike most ETFs, it does not track a fixed index; it uses a systematic, actively managed screen to decide what to own and how much.

The goal is to capture the value and profitability factors, two long-documented drivers of equity returns, more deliberately than a passive index. It charges 0.25%, launched in September 2019, and has grown to roughly $27 billion, one of the largest small-cap value ETFs in the market.

Approximate weights as of mid-2026; refresh quarterly from Avantis Investors's fund page. Each ticker links to its individual stock guide in Walnut.

AVUV holds roughly 800 names and is well diversified: even its largest positions, recently Viasat, Matson, Lantheus, Iridium, and Avnet, sit near or below 1% of the fund. That breadth is intentional, spreading factor exposure across many small firms rather than concentrating in a few.

By sector, the fund tilts toward financials, energy, consumer cyclicals, and industrials, the parts of the small-cap market where cheap valuations cluster. It deliberately underweights the expensive, growth-heavy corners. The result is a portfolio that looks quite different from a plain small-cap blend fund.

VBR, the Vanguard Small-Cap Value ETF, is the passive alternative. It tracks a broad small-value index for about 0.07% and holds a wider, more market-like slice of small-caps. AVUV costs 0.25% and is actively managed, deliberately overweighting the cheapest and most profitable names to lean harder into the factors.

The trade-off is straightforward. VBR is cheaper, broader, and more predictable relative to its index. AVUV aims for a stronger factor tilt and, its supporters argue, a better shot at the small-value premium, at a higher fee and with more tracking difference. Which to pick depends on whether you want a mild or a concentrated value tilt.

Since its 2019 launch, AVUV has delivered strong absolute returns and has often outpaced passive small-value peers, which its managers attribute to the profitability screen filtering out cheap-but-weak companies. Its returns can diverge sharply from the S&P 500, sometimes leading, sometimes lagging, depending on whether value or growth is in favor.

The outlook for AVUV is really the outlook for the small-cap value factor. That factor has historically rewarded patient investors but can underperform large-cap growth for years at a time. AVUV is designed for investors who believe in mean reversion and are willing to wait through those stretches.

AVUV suits investors who already hold a broad core and want to add a deliberate tilt toward cheap, profitable US small-caps. It is typically a satellite position rather than a standalone portfolio, because small-cap value is volatile and can lag for extended periods. Its active, factor-forward design appeals to evidence-based investors.

Whether AVUV belongs in your portfolio depends on your goals, risk tolerance, and patience for factor cycles. Walnut is not an investment adviser, and nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell AVUV. It is a description of what the fund is and how it compares to its passive peer.

AVUV trades on major brokerages including Robinhood, Fidelity, Schwab, and Public. Many support fractional shares, so you can start with a partial position. It trades throughout the day like any stock, with liquidity supported by its large asset base.

To track AVUV alongside a broader strategy, you can connect your brokerage to Walnut and hold it inside a thematic portfolio. Walnut leaves the trading at your own broker and is the tracking and intelligence layer on top.

There are three common ways to get AVUV exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) of AVUV directly at any major broker that lists it. Hold it as a core position and layer more concentrated ideas on top. Or build it into a thematic portfolio in Walnut, so AVUV sits alongside other holdings that express the same thesis, with target weights you can rebalance toward. AVUV trades like a stock during market hours, so you buy it the same way you would any listed share.

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Whether AVUV is a good buy depends less on any single call and more on your time horizon and what you already hold: it tracks Actively managed (systematic US small-cap value screen), so the real question is whether you want that exposure in your mix and at what weight. We walk through valuation, concentration, and what would have to be true for it to outperform from here in is AVUV a buy?

The bottom line on AVUV: it is an active, factor-driven bet on cheap and profitable US small-caps at 0.25%, pricier than a passive small-value index but designed to lean harder into the factors. It plays a satellite role, a deliberate tilt away from large-cap growth, not a broad core. VBR is the lower-cost passive alternative.

Whether AVUV is worth buying today depends more on your time horizon and what you already hold than on any single call. We walk through valuation, concentration, and what would have to be true for it to outperform from here in is AVUV a buy?

AVUV yields ~1.7% as of mid-2026, paid by passing through the dividends of its underlying holdings. For the payout schedule, history, and how the distributions are taxed, see AVUV dividend: yield and schedule.

New to funds like AVUV? Start with what an ETF is, then how to buy an ETF, or browse the full guide to ETF investing.