ETF Series Solutions

04/30/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/30/2024 15:01

Summary Prospectus by Investment Company - Form 497K

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Defiance Next Gen H2 ETF
Trading Symbol: HDRO
Summary Prospectus
April 30, 2024
Listed on NYSE Arca, Inc.
www.defianceetfs.com
Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund's Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information ("SAI"), which contain more information about the Fund and its risks. The current Prospectus and SAI, each dated April 30, 2024, as supplemented from time to time, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus. You can find the Fund's Prospectus, reports to shareholders, and other information about the Fund online at www.defianceetfs.com/hdro. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1-800-617-0004 or by sending an e-mail request to [email protected].
Investment Objective
The Defiance Next Gen H2 ETF (the "Fund" or the "Next Gen H2 ETF") seeks to track the total return performance, before fees and expenses, of the BlueStar Hydrogen & NextGen Fuel Cell Index (the "Index").
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund ("Shares"). You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees 0.30%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.00%
Other Expenses 0.00%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.30%
Expense Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then continue to hold or redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years
$31 $97 $169 $381
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 57% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund uses a "passive management" (or indexing) approach to track the total return performance, before fees and expenses, of the Index.
BlueStar Hydrogen & NextGen Fuel Cell Index
The Index is a rules-based index that tracks the performance of a group of globally listed equity securities of companies involved in the development of hydrogen-based energy sources and fuel cell technologies. The Index is predominantly comprised of "pure-play" companies, i.e., those that generate at least 50% of their revenues from products that facilitate hydrogen-based energy production, including fuel cells capable of using hydrogen as a fuel source (collectively, "H2 Companies"). At the time of each quarterly reconstitution of the Index, pure-play companies will comprise at least 85% of the weight of the Index.
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Up to 15% of the Index's weight, at the time of each quarterly reconstitution, may be comprised of "non-pure-play" companies, i.e., those that are engaged in hydrogen or hydrogen-based fuel cell projects, including the production of hydrogen and other industrial gases, and either have the potential to become pure-play companies or that play a significant role in the global hydrogen or fuel cell segment. Vehicle manufacturers are not eligible for inclusion in the Index. The Index may include companies in developed countries, including the United States, as well as emerging market countries.
At the time of each quarterly reconstitution of the Index, MV Index Solutions GmbH (the "Index Provider") identifies the universe of pure-play and non-pure-play companies. To be eligible for being added to the Index, such companies must meet investibility requirements (the "Investibility Requirements"), including:
•a market capitalization of at least US$150 million that is within the top 85% of the free-float market capitalization of the universe of pure-play companies;
•a 3-month average daily value traded greater than or equal to US$1 million;
•250,000 shares traded per month over the prior six months; and
•a free float (i.e., the proportion of shares that are publicly available) of at least 10%.
Once included in the Index, companies are eligible to remain in the Index at lower investibility thresholds.
At the time of each quarterly reconstitution of the Index, pure-play companies are added to the Index based on their free-float market capitalization (from largest to smallest) until their aggregate free-float market capitalization is at least 90% of the free-float market capitalization of all pure-play companies meeting the Investibility Requirements. In the event the Index would include fewer than 25 pure-play companies, the Index will include non-pure-play companies (from largest to smallest based on their free-float market capitalization) meeting the Investibility Requirements and, if necessary, add the next largest pure-play or non-pure-play company that does not meet the Investibility Requirements until there are a minimum of 25 companies in the Index.
At the time of each quarterly reconstitution of the Index, Index constituents are weighted using a modified market-capitalization methodology that establishes a minimum aggregate weight of 85% for pure-play companies, limits the weight of any individual security to 10% (4% for industrial gas companies), and adjusts the weight of a constituent downward based on certain liquidity criteria. Excess weight resulting from the above adjustments is redistributed among the remaining constituents. Additionally, at the time of each rebalance of the Index, the aggregate weight of constituents with a weight greater than or equal to 5% is limited to 50%, and the weight of the smallest constituent(s) that would otherwise cause the Index to exceed the 50% threshold and all other constituents with a weight greater than 4.5% but less than 5% will be set to 4.5%.
The Index is reconstituted quarterly, effective after the close of trading on the third Friday of each March, June, September, and December (the "Rebalance Date"). For each rebalance and reconstitution of the Index, Index constituents and their weights are determined based on data prior to the Rebalance Date.
As of March 31, 2024, the Index was composed of 25 constituents. The Index was established in 2021 and is owned and maintained by the Index Provider. The Index Provider partnered with the Fund's investment adviser to co-develop the methodology used to determine the securities included in the Index.
The Fund's Investment Strategy
Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund's net assets (plus borrowings for investment purposes) will be invested in H2 Companies (as described above).
The Fund will generally use a "replication" strategy to achieve its investment objective, meaning the Fund will generally invest in all of the component securities of the Index in the same approximate proportions as in the Index. However, the Fund may use a "representative sampling" strategy, meaning it may invest in a sample of the securities in the Index whose risk, return, and other characteristics closely resemble the risk, return, and other characteristics of the Index as a whole, when the Fund's sub-adviser believes it is in the best interests of the Fund (e.g., when replicating the Index involves practical difficulties or substantial costs, an Index constituent becomes temporarily illiquid, unavailable, or less liquid, or as a result of legal restrictions or limitations that apply to the Fund but not to the Index).
To the extent the Index concentrates (i.e., holds more than 25% of its total assets) in the securities of a particular industry or group of related industries, the Fund will concentrate its investments to approximately the same extent as the Index. The Index is expected to be concentrated in hydrogen and fuel cell companies.
The Fund is considered to be 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.
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Principal Investment Risks
The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. The principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate finding particular risks and comparing them with other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a "principal risk" of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. As with any investment, there is a risk that you could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund. Some or all of these risks may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share ("NAV"), trading price, yield, total return and/or ability to meet its objectives. For more information about the risks of investing in the Fund, see the section in the Fund's Prospectus titled "Additional Information About the Funds."
•Concentration in Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Companies Risk. The Fund's investments will be concentrated in an industry or group of industries to the extent that the Index is so concentrated. In such event, the value of the Shares may rise and fall more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in securities of companies in a broader range of industries. The Index is expected to be concentrated in hydrogen and fuel cell companies. Such companies may depend largely on the availability of hydrogen gas, certain third-party key suppliers for components in their products, and a small number of customers for a significant portion of their business. Hydrogen and fuel cell companies are also subject to risks related to the obsolescence of existing technology, short product cycles, falling prices and profits, competition from new market entrants, and general economic conditions that significantly affect the hydrogen, fuel cell, and overall clean energy industry. Risks associated with hazardous materials, fluctuations in energy prices and supply and demand of alternative energy fuels, energy conservation, the success of exploration projects and tax and other government regulations can also significantly affect this industry. Shares in the companies involved in this industry may be significantly more volatile than shares of companies operating in other, more established industries.
•Currency Exchange Rate Risk. The Fund may invest a relatively large percentage of its assets in investments denominated in non-U.S. currencies or in securities that provide exposure to such currencies. Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies will affect the value of the Fund's investment and the value of your Shares. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the value of an investment in the Fund may change quickly and without warning and you may lose money.
•Emerging Markets Risk.Investments in securities and instruments traded in developing or emerging markets, or that provide exposure to such securities or markets, can involve additional risks relating to political, economic, or regulatory conditions not associated with investments in U.S. securities and instruments. For example, developing and emerging markets may be subject to (i) greater market volatility, (ii) lower trading volume and liquidity, (iii) greater social, political and economic uncertainty, (iv) governmental controls on foreign investments and limitations on repatriation of invested capital, (v) lower disclosure, corporate governance, auditing and financial reporting standards, (vi) fewer protections of property rights, (vii) fewer investor rights and limited legal or practical remedies available to investors against emerging market companies, (viii) restrictions on the transfer of securities or currency, and (ix) settlement and trading practices that differ from those in U.S. markets. Each of these factors may impact the ability of the Fund to buy, sell or otherwise transfer securities, adversely affect the trading market and price for Shares and cause the Fund to decline in value.Additionally, limitations on the availability of financial and business information about companies in emerging markets may affect the Index Provider's ability to accurately determine the companies meeting the Index's criteria.
•Equity Market Risk.The equity securities held in the Fund's portfolio may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. This may occur because of factors that affect securities markets generally or factors affecting specific issuers, industries, or sectors in which the Fund invests. Common stocks are generally exposed to greater risk than other types of securities, such as preferred stock and debt obligations, because common stockholders generally have inferior rights to receive payment from issuers. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine, acts of terrorism, spread of infectious diseases or other public health issues (such as the global pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus), recessions, rising inflation, or other events could have a significant negative impact on the Fund and its investments. Such events may affect certain geographic regions, countries, sectors and industries more significantly than others. Such events could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the Fund's portfolio securities or other instruments and could result in disruptions in the trading markets.
•ETF Risks.The Fund is an ETF, and, as a result of an ETF's structure, it is exposed to the following risks:
◦Authorized Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration Risk. The Fund has a limited number of financial institutions that may act as Authorized Participants ("APs"). In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the following events occur, Shares may trade at a material discount to NAV and possibly face delisting: (i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or (ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform their functions.
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◦Costs of Buying or Selling Shares. Due to the costs of buying or selling Shares, including brokerage commissions imposed by brokers and bid-ask spreads, frequent trading of Shares may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in Shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
◦Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund's NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods when there is limited trading activity for Shares in the secondary market, in which case such premiums or discounts may be significant. Because securities held by the Fund may trade on foreign exchanges that are closed when the Fund's primary listing exchange is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of a security and the security's last quoted price from the closed foreign market. This may result in premiums and discounts that are greater than those experienced by domestic ETFs.
◦Trading.Although Shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (the "Exchange") and may be traded on U.S. exchanges other than the Exchange, there can be no assurance that Shares will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the liquidity of Shares may begin to mirror the liquidity of the Fund's underlying portfolio holdings, which can be significantly less liquid than Shares, and this could lead to differences between the market price of the Shares and the underlying value of those Shares.
•Foreign Securities Risk. Investments in non-U.S. securities involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in U.S. securities. For example, investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer. Investments in non-U.S. securities also may be subject to withholding or other taxes and may be subject to additional trading, settlement, custodial, and operational risks. These and other factors can make investments in the Fund more volatile and potentially less liquid than other types of investments.
•Geographic Investment Risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the securities of companies of a single country or region, it is more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country or region.
•Index Methodology Risk. The Index may not include all companies around the globe whose products or services are predominantly tied to the development of hydrogen-based energy sources and fuel cell technologies because the Index includes only those companies meeting the Index criteria. For example, companies that would otherwise be included in the Index might be excluded from the Index if they omit discussion of their hydrogen-based energy and fuel cell technologies from descriptions of their business in regulatory filings or otherwise keep such work hidden from public (and the Index Provider's) view.
•Index Provider Risk. There is no assurance that the Index Provider, or any agents that act on its behalf, will compile the Index accurately, or that the Index will be determined, maintained, constructed, reconstituted, rebalanced, composed, calculated or disseminated accurately. The Adviser relies upon the Index Provider and its agents to compile, determine, maintain, construct, reconstitute, rebalance, compose, calculate (or arrange for an agent to calculate), and disseminate the Index accurately. Any losses or costs associated with errors made by the Index Provider or its agents generally will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.
•Market Capitalization Risk
◦Large-Capitalization Investing. The securities of large-capitalization companies may be relatively mature compared to smaller companies and therefore subject to slower growth during times of economic expansion. Large-capitalization companies may also be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes.
◦Mid-Capitalization Investing. The securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of large-capitalization companies, but they may also be subject to slower growth than small-capitalization companies during times of economic expansion. The securities of mid-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than large capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole.
◦Small-Capitalization Investing. The securities of small-capitalization companies may be more vulnerable to adverse issuer, market, political, or economic developments than securities of larger-capitalization companies. The securities of small-capitalization companies generally trade in lower volumes and are subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than larger capitalization stocks or the stock market as a whole. Some small capitalization companies have limited product lines, markets, and financial and managerial resources and tend to concentrate on fewer geographical markets relative to larger capitalization companies. There is typically less publicly available information concerning smaller-capitalization companies than for larger, more established companies. Small-capitalization companies also may be particularly sensitive to changes in interest rates, government regulation, borrowing costs and earnings.
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•Non-Diversification Risk.The Fund is considered to be 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. As a result, the Fund may be more exposed to the risks associated with and developments affecting an individual issuer or a smaller number of issuers than a fund that invests more widely. This may increase the Fund's volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Fund's performance. However, the Fund intends to satisfy the diversification requirements for qualifying as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code.
•Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed, and its sub-adviser would not sell shares of an equity security due to current or projected underperformance of a security, industry, or sector, unless that security is removed from the Index or the selling of shares of that security is otherwise required upon a reconstitution or rebalancing of the Index in accordance with the Index methodology.
•Sector Risk. To the extent the Fund invests more heavily in particular sectors of the economy, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors.
◦Industrials Sector Risk.The industrials sector can be significantly affected by, among other things, worldwide economic growth, supply and demand for specific products and services, rapid technological developments, international political and economic developments, environmental issues, tariffs and trade barriers, and tax and governmental regulatory policies. As the demand for, or prices of, industrials increase, the value of the Fund's investments generally would be expected to also increase. Conversely, declines in the demand for, or prices of, industrials generally would be expected to contribute to declines in the value of such securities. Such declines may occur quickly and without warning and may negatively impact the value of the Fund and your investment.
•Securities Lending Risk. There are certain risks associated with securities lending, including the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities on a timely basis or even the loss of rights in the collateral deposited by the borrower, if the borrower should fail financially. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. As a result, the Fund may lose money.
•Tax Risk. To qualify for the favorable tax treatment generally available to a RIC, the Fund must satisfy, among other requirements described in the SAI, certain diversification requirements. Given the concentration of the Index in a relatively small number of issuers, it may not always be possible for the Fund to fully implement a replication strategy or a representative sampling strategy while satisfying these diversification requirements. The Fund's efforts to replicate or represent the Index may cause it inadvertently to fail to satisfy the diversification requirements. If the Fund were to fail to satisfy the diversification requirements, it could be eligible for relief provisions if the failure is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect and if a penalty tax is paid with respect to each failure to satisfy the applicable requirements. Additionally, relief is provided for certain de minimis failures of the diversification requirements where the Fund corrects the failure within a specified period. If the Fund were to fail to qualify as a RIC for a tax year, and the relief provisions are not available, it would be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation, and distributions to its shareholders would not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income. In such case, its shareholders would be taxed as if they received ordinary dividends, although corporate shareholders could be eligible for the dividends received deduction (subject to certain limitations) and individuals may be able to benefit from the lower tax rates available to qualified dividend income. In addition, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest, and make substantial distributions before requalifying as a RIC.
•Tracking Error Risk.As with all index funds, the performance of the Fund and the Index may differ from each other for a variety of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses and portfolio transaction costs not incurred by the Index. In addition, the Fund may not be fully invested in the securities of the Index at all times or may hold securities not included in the Index.
Performance
The following performance information indicates some of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows the Fund's performance for the most recent calendar year ended December 31. The table illustrates how the Fund's average annual returns for the 1-year and since inception periods compare with those of a broad measure of market performance and the Index. The Fund's past performance, before and after taxes, does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund's website at www.defianceetfs.com.
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Calendar Year Total Return
During the period of time shown in the bar chart, the highest quarterly return was 4.19% for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, and the lowest quarterly return was -35.07% for the quarter ended June 30, 2022.
Average Annual Total Returns
(For the Periods ended December 31, 2023)
Defiance Next Gen H2 ETF
1 Year
Since Inception
(3/9/2021)
Return Before Taxes -30.76% -39.90%
Return After Taxes on Distributions -30.75% -39.90%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Shares -18.15% -26.53%
BlueStar Hydrogen & NextGen Fuel Cell Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-29.88% -39.35%
S&P 500 TR Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
26.29% 9.36%
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period covered by the table above and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as an individual retirement account ("IRA") or other tax-advantaged accounts.
Portfolio Management
Adviser Defiance ETFs, LLC
Sub-Adviser Penserra Capital Management LLC ("Penserra" or the "Sub-Adviser")
Portfolio Managers
Dustin Lewellyn, CFA, Managing Director of Penserra; Ernesto Tong, CFA, Managing Director of Penserra; and Anand Desai, Associate of Penserra have been portfolio managers of the Fund since its inception in March 2021.
Purchase and Sale of Shares
Shares are listed on the Exchange, and individual Shares may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than NAV. Because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount).
The Fund issues and redeems Shares at NAV only in large blocks known as "Creation Units," which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or a designated amount of U.S. cash.
Investors may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase Shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for Shares (ask) when buying or selling Shares in the secondary market (the "bid-ask spread"). Recent information about the Fund, including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is available on the Fund's website at www.defianceetfs.com.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an individual retirement account ("IRA") or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those accounts.
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Financial Intermediary Compensation
If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank) (an "Intermediary"), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related to the sale or promotion of Shares. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary's website for more information.
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