QGRO: Solid Factor Mix Overshadowed By Underdelivery This Year; Hold Rating Maintained

Vasily Zyryanov 2.27K Followers Follow Summary American Century U.S. Quality Growth ETF is rated Hold, as strong GARP and quality characteristics of its portfolio are overshadowed by its underperformance versus peers and the market. While having an appealing growth and quality premise, QGRO has lagged leading growth ETFs like IWF, SCHG, and QQQM, as well as IVV, year-to-date. The fund has also underperformed IVV and the growth-focused ETFs since the strategy change in May 2023. The ETF's portfolio is indeed heavy in GARP names, offering a 0.68 weighted average PEG ratio, which welcomes a constructive stance. I remain cautious on QGRO, as recent results do not justify an upgrade from Hold. alfexe/iStock via Getty Images I would like to dedicate today's article to the discussion of the American Century U.S. Quality Growth ETF ( QGRO ), which I previously assessed in January. I believe this vehicle remains a Hold despite a fairly This article was written by Vasily Zyryanov 2.27K Followers Follow Vasily Zyryanov is an individual investor and writer.He uses various techniques to find both relatively underpriced equities with strong upside potential and relatively overappreciated companies that have inflated valuation for a reason.In his research, he pays much attention to the energy sector (oil & gas supermajors, mid-cap, and small-cap exploration & production companies, the oilfield services firms), while he also covers a plethora of other industries from mining and chemicals to luxury bellwethers.He firmly believes that apart from simple profit and sales analysis, a meticulous investor must assess Free Cash Flow and Return on Capital to gain deeper insights and avoid sophomoric conclusions.While he favors underappreciated and misunderstood equities, he also acknowledges that some growth stocks do deserve their premium valuation, and its an investor's primary goal to delve deeper and uncover if the market's current opinion is correct or not. Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.