Royce Quant Small-Cap Quality Value ETF (SQLV) Performance
SQLV total return
Distributions reinvested · as of Oct 23, 2026- YTD
- +24.6% since Dec 31, 2025
- 1 year
- +27.2% total return
- 5 years
- +7.6% a year
- Since first price
- +9.7% a year since 2017
SQLV trailing returns vs SPY, QQQ, AGG
| Period | SQLV total return | Price only | S&P 500 (SPY) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | U.S. bonds (AGG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | +3.7% | +3.7% | −1.0% | −5.0% | +0.9% |
| 3 months | +3.5% | +3.2% | +3.2% | +1.9% | −0.4% |
| 6 months | +12.7% | +12.1% | +7.8% | +8.4% | −1.5% |
| YTD | +24.6% | +23.7% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 1 year | +27.2% | +25.8% | +14.4% | +15.9% | −1.1% |
| 3 years | +64.0%+17.9%/yr | +58.4% | +87.4%+23.3%/yr | +101.4%+26.3%/yr | +16.6%+5.2%/yr |
| 5 years | +44.5%+7.6%/yr | +35.9% | +79.3%+12.4%/yr | +94.0%+14.2%/yr | −0.8%−0.2%/yr |
| Since inceptionJul 13, 2017 | +136.7%+9.7%/yr | +111.8% | — | — | — |
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: SQLV vs SPY
From Jul 13, 2017: SQLV grew to $23,670, SPY to $35,864.
Year-end values with distributions reinvested, no taxes or trading costs. Start: first common trading day of both funds.
SQLV returns by calendar year
6 of 8 full years positive. Best 2021 (+37.1%), worst 2022 (−12.9%). 2026 is year to date.
SQLV annual returns table
| Year | SQLV | Largest drop | SPY | QQQ | AGG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026YTD | +24.6% | −7.7% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 2025 | +2.5% | −23.9% | +17.7% | +20.8% | +7.2% |
| 2024 | +4.8% | −9.9% | +24.9% | +25.6% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | +21.2% | −15.9% | +26.2% | +54.9% | +5.7% |
| 2022 | −12.9% | −22.4% | −18.2% | −32.6% | −13.0% |
| 2021 | +37.1% | −8.7% | +28.7% | +27.4% | −1.8% |
| 2020 | +7.1% | −45.0% | +18.3% | +48.6% | +7.5% |
| 2019 | +17.4% | −16.2% | +31.2% | +39.0% | +8.5% |
| 2018 | −10.5% | −24.5% | −4.6% | −0.1% | +0.1% |
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.
SQLV largest drawdowns
Now 3.0% below the high| Peak | Decline | Bottom | Recovered | Fall | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27, 2018 | −48.3% | Mar 18, 2020 | Dec 23, 2020 | 1.6 years | 2.3 years |
| Dec 2, 2024 | −26.9% | Apr 8, 2025 | Jan 15, 2026 | 4 months | 1.1 years |
| Nov 11, 2021 | −23.8% | Sep 26, 2022 | Dec 19, 2023 | 10 months | 2.1 years |
Declines from a closing high (distributions reinvested) of 10% or more. Underwater = time from the peak until the old high was regained.
SQLV risk statistics
| Statistic | 3 years | 5 years | Since 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annualized return | +13.5% | +7.4% | +9.4% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 18.5% | 20.4% | 22.6% |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.54 | 0.27 | 0.40 |
| Sortino ratio | 0.95 | 0.44 | 0.61 |
| Best month | +12.4% | +12.4% | +20.3% |
| Worst month | −7.2% | −10.2% | −24.1% |
| Best 12 months | +34.7% | +34.7% | +104.0% |
| Worst 12 months | −7.7% | −15.1% | −33.6% |
| Positive months | 58% | 52% | 59% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.99 | 1.02 | — |
| Correlation with S&P 500 | 0.67 | 0.79 | — |
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.
SQLV rolling returns
| Holding period | Periods | Worst | Median | Best | Positive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year | 100 | −33.6% | +4.7% | +104.0% | 64% |
| 3-year (a year) | 76 | −3.1% | +9.8% | +27.3% | 96% |
| 5-year (a year) | 52 | +4.5% | +8.9% | +17.7% | 100% |
Every holding period starting at a month-end since 2017. Returns for 3 years and longer are annualized.
SQLV performance overview
Royce Quant Small-Cap Quality Value ETF (SQLV) returned +27.2% over the past year and +7.6% a year over five years, with distributions reinvested. Since its first recorded price in 2017 it has returned +9.7% a year, turning $10,000 into about $23,670. Over the same year S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.4%.
The deepest decline was −48.3%, from Aug 27, 2018 to Mar 18, 2020, and it took 9 months to get back to the old high. SQLV finished 6 of its 8 full calendar years with a gain; the best year was 2021 (+37.1%) and the worst 2022 (−12.9%). Volatility has been 22.6% a year.
Related: SQLV chart, SQLV holdings, SQLV dividends, SQLV valuation. See the SQLV overview for the latest quote and fund facts.
SQLV performance FAQ
What is the SQLV return over the past year?
SQLV returned +27.2% over the 12 months to October 23, 2026, including reinvested distributions. On price alone it rose 25.8%.
What is the average annual return of SQLV?
SQLV has returned +7.6% a year over 5 years, +9.7% a year since July 13, 2017 (total return, distributions reinvested).
How much would $10,000 invested in SQLV be worth?
$10,000 invested in SQLV at its first recorded close on July 13, 2017 would be worth about $23,670 on October 23, 2026 with distributions reinvested.
What was the worst year for SQLV?
The worst calendar year was 2022, with a total return of −12.9%. The best was 2021 at +37.1%.
What is the biggest drawdown of SQLV?
The largest peak-to-trough decline was −48.3% between August 27, 2018 and March 18, 2020. It recovered to the old high on December 23, 2020, 9 months after the bottom.
How volatile is SQLV?
Over the past 3 years SQLV had an annualized volatility of 18.5% and a Sharpe ratio of 0.54 (excess return over 1–3 month T-bills per unit of risk).