Investment in shareholder-return stocks pays off: ACE active ETF ranks No. 1 for six-month excess returns over benchmark

[Financial News] An active exchange-traded fund (ETF) investing in domestic value stocks with strong potential to increase shareholder returns posted gains more than 50 percentage points above its benchmark (BM) over the past six months. It had the highest excess returns among active ETFs listed in Korea.
Korea Investment Management Co., Ltd. said on the 8th that the ACE Life Asset Shareholder Value Active ETF ranked first among domestic active ETFs for its six-month performance relative to its BM.
According to the Korea Exchange, as of the 7th, the fund’s return over the past six months was 55.15%, or 54.10 percentage points above its BM. Among 336 active ETFs listed in Korea during the same period, the ACE Life Asset Shareholder Value Active ETF was the only one to post excess returns of more than 50 percentage points over its BM.
Korea Investment Management Co., Ltd. launched the fund in 2024 in collaboration with Life Asset Management, an asset manager specializing in shareholder engagement investing. It selects and invests in large-cap value stocks listed in Korea that have strong potential for structural improvements in shareholder returns. Life Asset Management provides investment advice based on qualitative and quantitative analysis.
The portfolio comprises around 40 stocks. As of the 7th, its major holdings included Samsung Electronics preferred shares (13.47%), Hanmi Pharmaceutical (8.68%), Samsung Electronics (7.78%), SK hynix (4.49%), DN Automotive (4.38%) and Harim Holdings (4.15%).
Its long-term performance was also notable. The fund’s return over the past year was 139.26%, 101.77 percentage points above its BM. Net assets also rose 244.97% from the end of last year to 188.2 billion won.
Kim Su-min, a department head in Korea Investment Management Co., Ltd.’s ESG Management Department, said, “We will continue to pursue stable performance by actively identifying undervalued, high-quality stocks whose dividends are expected to increase in the future as they strengthen their core-business competitiveness while maintaining sustainable dividend payments.”
[email protected] Bae Hangeul Reporter