American Century Sustainable Growth ETF (ESGY) Performance
ESGY total return
Distributions reinvested · as of Oct 23, 2026- YTD
- +15.7% since Dec 31, 2025
- 1 year
- +16.2% total return
- 5 years
- +12.3% a year
- Since first price
- +15.2% a year since 2020
ESGY trailing returns vs SPY, QQQ, AGG
| Period | ESGY total return | Price only | S&P 500 (SPY) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | U.S. bonds (AGG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | −2.0% | −2.0% | −1.0% | −5.0% | +0.9% |
| 3 months | +4.4% | +4.4% | +3.2% | +1.9% | −0.4% |
| 6 months | +16.0% | +16.0% | +7.8% | +8.4% | −1.5% |
| YTD | +15.7% | +15.6% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 1 year | +16.2% | +16.0% | +14.4% | +15.9% | −1.1% |
| 3 years | +91.9%+24.3%/yr | +90.9% | +87.4%+23.3%/yr | +101.4%+26.3%/yr | +16.6%+5.2%/yr |
| 5 years | +78.7%+12.3%/yr | +76.4% | +79.3%+12.4%/yr | +94.0%+14.2%/yr | −0.8%−0.2%/yr |
| Since inceptionJan 21, 2020 | +160.0%+15.2%/yr | +150.7% | — | — | — |
Total return from adjusted closes (distributions reinvested, before tax). Periods of 3 years or more are also shown annualized. Price only excludes distributions.
Growth of $10,000: ESGY vs SPY
From Jan 21, 2020: ESGY grew to $26,003, SPY to $25,228.
Year-end values with distributions reinvested, no taxes or trading costs. Start: first common trading day of both funds.
ESGY returns by calendar year
4 of 5 full years positive. Best 2023 (+43.2%), worst 2022 (−30.1%). 2026 is year to date.
ESGY annual returns table
| Year | ESGY | Largest drop | SPY | QQQ | AGG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026YTD | +15.7% | −13.4% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 2025 | +14.5% | −25.0% | +17.7% | +20.8% | +7.2% |
| 2024 | +26.7% | −12.6% | +24.9% | +25.6% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | +43.2% | −9.3% | +26.2% | +54.9% | +5.7% |
| 2022 | −30.1% | −33.9% | −18.2% | −32.6% | −13.0% |
| 2021 | +39.2% | −8.5% | +28.7% | +27.4% | −1.8% |
Largest drop = deepest fall from a high within that calendar year.
Calendar-year return vs largest drop within the year
Most years include a sizable fall at some point even when the year ends higher.
ESGY largest drawdowns
Now 4.6% below the high| Peak | Decline | Bottom | Recovered | Fall | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 19, 2021 | −34.5% | Oct 14, 2022 | Jan 18, 2024 | 11 months | 2.2 years |
| Feb 21, 2020 | −26.4% | Mar 23, 2020 | Aug 24, 2020 | 31 days | 6 months |
| Jan 20, 2025 | −25.0% | Apr 8, 2025 | Jul 18, 2025 | 3 months | 6 months |
| Jan 19, 2026 | −13.4% | Mar 26, 2026 | May 7, 2026 | 2 months | 4 months |
| Jul 10, 2024 | −12.6% | Aug 5, 2024 | Oct 29, 2024 | 26 days | 4 months |
| Jul 6, 2026 | −10.6% | Jul 17, 2026 | Aug 4, 2026 | 11 days | 29 days |
Declines from a closing high (distributions reinvested) of 10% or more. Underwater = time from the peak until the old high was regained.
ESGY risk statistics
| Statistic | 3 years | 5 years | Since 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annualized return | +25.2% | +14.3% | +16.0% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 16.2% | 19.5% | 18.8% |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.21 | 0.60 | 0.74 |
| Sortino ratio | 2.48 | 0.96 | 1.22 |
| Best month | +13.1% | +13.1% | +13.1% |
| Worst month | −5.7% | −12.2% | −12.2% |
| Best 12 months | +38.3% | +46.9% | +46.9% |
| Worst 12 months | +3.3% | −30.1% | −30.1% |
| Positive months | 67% | 62% | 62% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 1.11 | 1.14 | — |
| Correlation with S&P 500 | 0.85 | 0.91 | — |
From monthly total returns. Sharpe and Sortino use 1–3 month T-bills (BIL) as the risk-free rate, so they need history from 2007 on.
ESGY rolling returns
| Holding period | Periods | Worst | Median | Best | Positive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year | 70 | −30.1% | +21.2% | +46.9% | 86% |
| 3-year (a year) | 46 | +5.8% | +12.7% | +28.5% | 100% |
| 5-year (a year) | 22 | +11.3% | +14.9% | +17.6% | 100% |
Every holding period starting at a month-end since 2020. Returns for 3 years and longer are annualized.
ESGY performance overview
American Century Sustainable Growth ETF (ESGY) returned +16.2% over the past year and +12.3% a year over five years, with distributions reinvested. Since its first recorded price in 2020 it has returned +15.2% a year, turning $10,000 into about $26,003. Over the same year S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.4%.
The deepest decline was −34.5%, from Nov 19, 2021 to Oct 14, 2022, and it took 1.3 years to get back to the old high. ESGY finished 4 of its 5 full calendar years with a gain; the best year was 2023 (+43.2%) and the worst 2022 (−30.1%). Volatility has been 18.8% a year.
Related: ESGY chart, ESGY holdings, ESGY dividends, ESGY valuation. See the ESGY overview for the latest quote and fund facts.
ESGY performance FAQ
What is the ESGY return over the past year?
ESGY returned +16.2% over the 12 months to October 23, 2026, including reinvested distributions. On price alone it rose 16.0%.
What is the average annual return of ESGY?
ESGY has returned +12.3% a year over 5 years, +15.2% a year since January 21, 2020 (total return, distributions reinvested).
How much would $10,000 invested in ESGY be worth?
$10,000 invested in ESGY at its first recorded close on January 21, 2020 would be worth about $26,003 on October 23, 2026 with distributions reinvested.
What was the worst year for ESGY?
The worst calendar year was 2022, with a total return of −30.1%. The best was 2023 at +43.2%.
What is the biggest drawdown of ESGY?
The largest peak-to-trough decline was −34.5% between November 19, 2021 and October 14, 2022. It recovered to the old high on January 18, 2024, 1.3 years after the bottom.
How volatile is ESGY?
Over the past 3 years ESGY had an annualized volatility of 16.2% and a Sharpe ratio of 1.21 (excess return over 1–3 month T-bills per unit of risk).