LSAF vs. VFQY

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about LeaderShares AlphaFactor US Core Equity ETF (LSAF) and Vanguard U.S. Quality Factor ETF (VFQY).

LSAF and VFQY are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. LSAF is a passively managed fund by Redwood that tracks the performance of the AlphaFactor US Core Equity Index. It was launched on Oct 2, 2018. VFQY is an actively managed fund by Vanguard. It was launched on Feb 13, 2018.

Performance

LSAF vs. VFQY - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in LeaderShares AlphaFactor US Core Equity ETF (LSAF) and Vanguard U.S. Quality Factor ETF (VFQY). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

LSAF vs. VFQY - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
LSAF LeaderShares AlphaFactor US Core Equity ETF	1.81%	12.01%	18.09%	15.48%	-13.12%	22.75%	6.92%	28.35%	-15.47%
VFQY Vanguard U.S. Quality Factor ETF	-2.43%	10.24%	12.93%	22.48%	-15.74%	27.96%	16.97%	25.75%	-17.28%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, LSAF achieves a 1.81% return, which is significantly higher than VFQY's -2.43% return.

LSAF

• 1D: 2.31%
• 1M: -3.24%
• YTD: 1.81%
• 6M: 3.31%
• 1Y: 16.99%
• 3Y*: 15.43%
• 5Y*: 8.67%
• 10Y*: —

VFQY

• 1D: 2.08%
• 1M: -5.12%
• YTD: -2.43%
• 6M: -0.44%
• 1Y: 13.02%
• 3Y*: 12.78%
• 5Y*: 7.08%
• 10Y*: —

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

LSAF vs. VFQY - Expense Ratio Comparison

LSAF has a 0.75% expense ratio, which is higher than VFQY's 0.13% expense ratio.

LSAF

LeaderShares AlphaFactor US Core Equity ETF

VFQY

Vanguard U.S. Quality Factor ETF

Return for Risk

LSAF vs. VFQY — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

LSAF

LSAF Risk / Return Rank: 51
LSAF Sharpe Ratio Rank: 47
LSAF Sortino Ratio Rank: 51
LSAF Omega Ratio Rank: 46
LSAF Calmar Ratio Rank: 52
LSAF Martin Ratio Rank: 61

VFQY

VFQY Risk / Return Rank: 42
VFQY Sharpe Ratio Rank: 38
VFQY Sortino Ratio Rank: 40
VFQY Omega Ratio Rank: 39
VFQY Calmar Ratio Rank: 44
VFQY Martin Ratio Rank: 48

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

LSAF vs. VFQY - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for LeaderShares AlphaFactor US Core Equity ETF (LSAF) and Vanguard U.S. Quality Factor ETF (VFQY). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	LSAF	VFQY	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.87	0.67	+0.20
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.38	1.09	+0.30
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.18	1.15	+0.03
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.36	1.06	+0.30
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	6.16	4.39	+1.77
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

LSAF vs. VFQY - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current LSAF Sharpe Ratio is 0.87, which is higher than the VFQY Sharpe Ratio of 0.67. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of LSAF and VFQY, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	LSAF	VFQY	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.87	0.67	+0.20
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.47	0.39	+0.09
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.42	0.48	-0.06

Correlation

The correlation between LSAF and VFQY is 0.93, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

LSAF vs. VFQY - Dividend Comparison

LSAF's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 0.67%, less than VFQY's 1.21% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
LSAF LeaderShares AlphaFactor US Core Equity ETF	0.67%	0.69%	0.42%	0.84%	0.96%	0.37%	0.53%	0.71%	0.20%
VFQY Vanguard U.S. Quality Factor ETF	1.21%	1.17%	1.34%	1.38%	1.43%	0.98%	1.22%	1.34%	1.31%

Drawdowns

LSAF vs. VFQY - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum LSAF drawdown since its inception was -41.67%, which is greater than VFQY's maximum drawdown of -37.41%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for LSAF and VFQY.

Drawdown Indicators

	LSAF	VFQY	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-41.67%	-37.41%	-4.26%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-12.96%	-12.84%	-0.12%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-24.94%	-25.93%	+0.99%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-4.42%	-6.91%	+2.49%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-6.45%	-6.80%	+0.35%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	2.86%	3.09%	-0.23%

Volatility

LSAF vs. VFQY - Volatility Comparison

LeaderShares AlphaFactor US Core Equity ETF (LSAF) has a higher volatility of 5.02% compared to Vanguard U.S. Quality Factor ETF (VFQY) at 4.65%. This indicates that LSAF's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than VFQY based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	LSAF	VFQY	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	5.02%	4.65%	+0.37%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	11.01%	10.35%	+0.66%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	19.56%	19.54%	+0.02%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	18.38%	18.39%	-0.01%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	22.04%	21.02%	+1.02%