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Is Vident U.S. Equity Strategy ETF (VUSE) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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The Vident U.S. Equity Strategy ETF (VUSE - Free Report) made its debut on 01/22/2014, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Value category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.
Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.
There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track non-cap weighted strategies.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.
Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is managed by Vident Financial. VUSE has been able to amass assets over $675.33 million, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Value. Before fees and expenses, VUSE seeks to match the performance of the Vident Core U.S. Equity Fund Index.
The Vident U.S. Quality Index is a rules-based, systematic strategy index comprised of equity securities principally traded in the U.S. market of issuers domiciled in the United States.
Cost & Other Expenses
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.50% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
VUSE's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 0.33%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
For VUSE, it has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector --about 34.9% of the portfolio --while Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Micron Technology Inc (MU) accounts for about 3.53% of the fund's total assets, followed by Alphabet Inc (GOOGL) and Meta Platforms Inc (META).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 28.22% of VUSE's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the Vident U.S. Equity Strategy ETF return is roughly 10% so far, and is up about 10.14% over the last 12 months (as of 10/15/2026). VUSE has traded between $61.19 $74.40 in this past 52-week period.
The fund has a beta of 0.95 and standard deviation of 14.69% for the trailing three-year period, which makes VUSE a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 125 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
Vident U.S. Equity Strategy ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
Fidelity High Dividend ETF (FDVV) tracks Fidelity Core Dividend Index and the iShares Core S&P U.S. Value ETF (IUSV) tracks S&P 900 Value Index. Fidelity High Dividend ETF has $10.28 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P U.S. Value ETF has $27.71 billion. FDVV has an expense ratio of 0.15% and IUSV changes 0.04%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - All Cap Value
Bottom Line
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.
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Is Vident U.S. Equity Strategy ETF (VUSE) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The Vident U.S. Equity Strategy ETF (VUSE - Free Report) made its debut on 01/22/2014, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Value category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.
Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.
There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track non-cap weighted strategies.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.
Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is managed by Vident Financial. VUSE has been able to amass assets over $675.33 million, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Value. Before fees and expenses, VUSE seeks to match the performance of the Vident Core U.S. Equity Fund Index.
The Vident U.S. Quality Index is a rules-based, systematic strategy index comprised of equity securities principally traded in the U.S. market of issuers domiciled in the United States.
Cost & Other Expenses
Cost is an important factor in selecting the right ETF, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins if all other fundamentals are the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.50% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
VUSE's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 0.33%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
For VUSE, it has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector --about 34.9% of the portfolio --while Financials and Healthcare round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Micron Technology Inc (MU) accounts for about 3.53% of the fund's total assets, followed by Alphabet Inc (GOOGL) and Meta Platforms Inc (META).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 28.22% of VUSE's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the Vident U.S. Equity Strategy ETF return is roughly 10% so far, and is up about 10.14% over the last 12 months (as of 10/15/2026). VUSE has traded between $61.19 $74.40 in this past 52-week period.
The fund has a beta of 0.95 and standard deviation of 14.69% for the trailing three-year period, which makes VUSE a medium risk choice in this particular space. With about 125 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
Vident U.S. Equity Strategy ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
Fidelity High Dividend ETF (FDVV) tracks Fidelity Core Dividend Index and the iShares Core S&P U.S. Value ETF (IUSV) tracks S&P 900 Value Index. Fidelity High Dividend ETF has $10.28 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P U.S. Value ETF has $27.71 billion. FDVV has an expense ratio of 0.15% and IUSV changes 0.04%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - All Cap Value
Bottom Line
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.