QVAL ETF — Alpha Architect U.S. Quantitative Value ETF

Alpha Architect U.S. Quantitative Value ETF (QVAL)

Updated October 16, 2026.

QVAL is an ETF. its distribution rate is 1.31%, its trailing-12-month yield is 1.41%, its expense ratio is 0.28%. Dividend Vision Distribution Safety Score™ is 84/100 (Safe). Total return is 205.7% over the past 12 years, 177.7 points behind SPY at 383.4%.

Alpha Architect U.S. Quantitative Value ETF is an equity fund that employs a rules-based quantitative methodology to identify approximately 50 to 200 undervalued U.S. stocks with capital appreciation potential, selecting securities the adviser believes trade below their intrinsic value. The fund distributes quarterly, with a current modest distribution rate and carries a low expense ratio of 0.28%; note that the latest distribution was special and may not recur regularly. The fund appeals to value-oriented investors seeking a systematic approach to identifying underpriced equities.

QVAL performance versus SPY

Price and return data through 2026-10-16.

Total return is 205.7% over the past 12 years, 177.7 points behind SPY at 383.4%. Over the past year its total return — price change plus distributions reinvested — is 38.3%. Its deepest 1-year drawdown was 6.3%.

QVAL key facts

Distribution Safety Score™

84 · Safe

Safety-Adjusted Yield

1.10%

Issuer

Alpha Architect

Asset type

ETF

Asset class

Equity

Inception date

10/21/2014

Expense ratio

0.28%

Distribution rate

1.31%

Distribution frequency

Quarterly

Trailing yield

1.41%

Last close

$62.30 (as of 2026-10-16)

AUM

$623,046,343

Average volume

32065.0

Dividend

$0.241

Ex-dividend date

09/28/2026

Payment date

09/30/2026

Beta

0.75

How Dividend Vision calculates yield and returns

Distribution rate (1.31%) uses calculation basis unavailable. Issuer rates can use a different denominator and date, including ex-date NAV. Trailing-12-month yield (1.41%) is the sum of split-adjusted cash distributions with ex-dates in the last 12 months, divided by the published price. It lags a recent raise or cut. Total return uses split-adjusted close with distributions reinvested on the ex-dividend date (a modeling convention, not the cash-settlement date) from the first stored bar on or after inception through the latest bar, compared with the same window on the benchmark. That is the security's total return, not your personal gain/loss.

Yield and safety methodology · Distribution rate methodology · Distribution Safety Score methodology

Sources and review

Primary sources: Alpha Architect; prices and distributions from Dividend Vision, derived from vendor EOD data.

Reviewed by Bert Sweet, CEO and Co-owner of Dividend Vision. Methodology: Distribution Safety Score.

QVAL risks and drawbacks

QVAL's current distribution rate is moderate, not a high-yield payout — the strategy is dividend quality more than maximum income. Payments are quarterly, so cash flow is lumpy versus a monthly fund. Total return has trailed SPY over the available window. The deepest 1-year drawdown on record here is 6.3%.

Who may consider QVAL — and who may not

QVAL may suit someone looking for a high Distribution Safety Score. It is a weaker fit for investors who need monthly cash flow (QVAL pays quarterly); investors hunting double-digit covered-call yields; investors whose main goal is matching SPY total return. This is educational context, not a recommendation to buy or sell.

More on QVAL

• All tickers starting with Q

Tagged: Value.

Frequently asked questions

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