First in ETF history: conversion of a hedge fund into an ETF

As reported by Bloomberg: First in ETF history: conversion of a hedge fund into an ETF:

UPHOLDINGS Compound Kings ETF (Cboe: KNGS)

Summary:

Aims to outperform the S&P 500 by investing in about 30 US and Chinese companies that have high rates of cash reinvestment.

While appealing to the retail investor with an expense ratio of only 0.60%, KNGS will need to grow fast as it is earning only $15,000 a year in gross revenue on its current AUM.

Exchange: Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.

Expense ratio: 0.60%

Original filing date: September 15, 2020

Effective date: November 30, 2020

Listing Date: December 30, 2020

CUSIP: 02072L854

Active: Yes

Index: N/A

Investment Objective: The UPHOLDINGS Compound Kings ETF seeks to provide long-term capital growth. Income is a secondary objective.

Benchmark: S&P 500

Investment Strategy: See below

Adviser: Empowered Funds, LLC

Sub-Adviser: Upholdings Group LLC

Holdings: 30

 

Prospectus is here.

People behind KNGS:

Robert Cantwell, Founder of Upholdings, has been primarily and jointly responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund since its inception. Mr. Cantwell provides his recommendations to Mr. Brandon Koepke, Portfolio Manager of the Adviser, who, since the Fund's inception is also primarily and jointly responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.

Upholdings on LinkedIn

MORE ETF HEARSAY

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From the fund's filing on SEC.gov:

The Fund is an actively-managed exchange-traded fund ("ETF") that seeks to achieve its investment objectives by investing in securities that the Fund's Adviser and Sub-Adviser (Upholdings) believe offer the most attractive risk and return potential. Upholdings selects investments for the Fund's portfolio based on its own proprietary research.

The Fund's Investment Strategy

The Fund generally invests in securities that Upholdings believes have the potential to compound at a higher rate than the S&P 500 Index over multi-year periods. In most cases, Upholdings identifies companies that have been reinvesting their own cash flow at above average rates of return. If, based on Upholding's analysis, the shares of a particular company are trading at a fair level compared to Upholding's estimate of the company's intrinsic value, Upholdings will generally recommend that the Fund purchase that company's shares. To calculate intrinsic value, Upholdings constructs long-term financial models to estimate cashflow generation and the resulting shareholder value. To do so, Upholdings uses an array of publicly available data - earnings call transcripts, publicly disclosed financials, and industry consultants. Upholdings then estimates intrinsic value by discounting the estimated future value into a current valuation.

The Fund will be considered non-diversified, which means that it may invest more of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified fund. The Fund generally anticipates holding approximately thirty (30) securities.

The Fund may sell securities for a variety of reasons, such as to seek to secure gains, limit losses, or redeploy assets into more promising opportunities.

Additionally, the Fund may, from time to time, deviate from the foregoing investment process if Upholdings believes a particular security has the potential to increase in value based on unique circumstances.

The Fund will invest at least 60% of its total net assets in equity securities of companies of medium and large market capitalizations located in both the United States and China, primarily via Hong Kong listed securities. The Fund will also invest in other international markets, including emerging markets.

In addition to securities of operating companies, Upholdings may recommend that the Fund invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs), business development companies (BDCs), convertible securities, preferred stocks, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). When doing so, Upholdings follows the same research process: determine how much cash the entities can generate and whether there are opportunities for management to continue to reinvest at above average rates of return. The Fund may also hold U.S. government securities, bonds, cash, and cash equivalents for defensive purposes and during periods when the Upholdings is unable to identify securities that meet its investment criteria. Absent unusual market conditions, the Fund does not intend to maintain large cash balances for prolonged periods.

REITs are pooled investment vehicles that invest primarily in income-producing real estate or real estate-related loans or interests. BDCs are registered closed-end investment companies that have elected to be regulated as "business development companies" under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act"). Convertible securities are usually preferred stocks or corporate bonds that can be exchanged for a set number of shares of common stock at a predetermined price. Preferred stock is a class of stock that pays dividends before common stock dividend payments are made and may be convertible to common stock. U.S. government securities include securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. ETFs may include both actively- and passively-managed ETFs. In addition to U.S. government securities, bonds may include a broad array of short-, medium-, and long-term obligations issued by corporate and private issuers of various types. Cash equivalents may include commercial paper and short-term debt instruments.

The Fund may also invest, to a lesser extent, in privately offered securities to seek to achieve its investment objectives subject to the limitations of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act") and regulations thereunder. Privately offered securities often are illiquid and may be difficult to value, as more fully described below.