The FlexShares US Quality Large Cap Index Fund (QLC) is part of Northern Trust’s stable of factor ETFs. QLC tracks an index of large-cap U.S. companies that scores companies based on quality metrics like profitability, management efficiency and cash flow. The methodology weeds out the lowest-scoring companies. Top holdings include familiar blue-chip companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Johnson & Johnson.
The FlexShares US Quality Large Cap Index Fund (QLC) is part of Northern Trust’s stable of factor ETFs. QLC tracks an index of large-cap U.S. companies that scores companies based on quality metrics like profitability, management efficiency and cash flow. The methodology weeds out the lowest-scoring companies. Top holdings include familiar blue-chip companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Johnson & Johnson.
As with many FlexShares ETFs, investors pay a premium for a factor twist. It charges more than double the management fee of the iShares Edge MSCI Quality Factor ETF (QUAL), which makes a similar investment case but uses a different methodology. There’s plenty of crossover between QUAL and QLC, but they have substantially different portfolios. Which is the better performer? It depends on the time frame, but in the three years through May 2020, QUAL is the clear leader. There’s plenty of other competition, like the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Large Cap Equity ETF (GLSC), which also has a significantly lower price tag and better 3-year returns through May 2020. There are periods where QLC has come out ahead, and past performance is no guarantee of future results. But lagging behind competitors makes it hard to justify a higher management fee.