Joe Terranova
Scott Mlyn | CNBC
Joe Terranova plans to stay by the successful quantitative method that is allowed his Virtus Terranova U.S. High quality Momentum ETF (JOET) to determine shares like Palantir early earlier than the remainder of the market has piled in during the last 5 years.
The ETF — created by Terranova, chief market strategist for Virtus Funding Companions — has risen 10.9% this yr, beating the 6.8% acquire within the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (RSP) in that point.
JOET, RSP YTD chart
To pick out the ETF’s holdings, Terranova follows a strict set of rules-based ideas. First, he and his group display screen the five hundred largest U.S. corporations for shares with the very best constructive momentum, calculated utilizing their complete returns over 12 months. The highest 250 shares are then included within the choice checklist.
The securities are then graded on three high quality components — return on fairness, debt-to-equity ratio and annualized gross sales development price over the previous three years. The highest 125 shares with the very best composite scores make up the equal-weighted ETF’s holdings.
Though the fund is not actively managed in a standard sense, it’s rebalanced each quarter. Terranova mentioned he does not miss the feelings of actively managing a fund, since his rules-based technique has helped him seize alpha that he in any other case may need missed.
“In January of ’24, Palantir certified. Wasn’t within the S&P at this level, as a result of we’re not scanning the S&P,” Terranova mentioned within the “High quality within the Streets, Momentum within the Sheets” episode of The Compound and Associates podcast with fellow CNBC contributor Josh Brown. “I’m telling you 100% I’d have offered the inventory if I had discretion six occasions over. I’d have discovered six completely different occasions to promote that inventory, the technique, the self-discipline.”
Terranova estimated that he purchased into Palantir whereas it was buying and selling round $16.76. Shares of the analytics instruments builder traded round $173 on Monday and have soared 129% in 2025.
The investor additionally thanked his method for capturing the market’s “character” and serving to him get in early on different themes, like the present healthcare rally. On the flip aspect, Terranova’s technique has additionally helped him promote out of positions that he in any other case may need grown hooked up to.
“I’ve extra affection in the direction of the holdings which were there for a number of quarters,” he advised CNBC on the sidelines of the podcast episode recording. “Tesla’s an excellent instance. Tesla’s income development flattened out, and I may see what was coming — that we had been going to promote Tesla. And on Halloween, the technique liquidated Tesla, which seems like a fairly good transfer.”
Going ahead, Terranova intends to construct a collection of ETF merchandise that applies his investing guidelines to different property exterior of U.S. large-cap shares, akin to small-caps and European equities. He believes his technique will proceed to reach permitting him to create a core fairness holding and shock absorber for buyers’ portfolios.
“Momentum is a mirrored image of technical confidence. High quality is a mirrored image of basic confidence. And also you need to make investments across the confidence,” Terranova mentioned to CNBC. “To me, that is the place you get the long-term success.”
The JOET fund has an expense ratio of 0.29% and has round $240 million in property underneath administration.