Diversify with VXM: The 5-Year Best Performing International Equity Fund

CI ETF Pulse

International equities have outperformed U.S. equities by 15% this year, benefiting from tailwinds that include European infrastructure and defence spending and Japanese corporate reform. International equities also tend to have a greater tilt toward the value factor, providing investors with an additional opportunity to diversify away from more growth-oriented U.S. equities in a portfolio.

The CI Morningstar International Value ETF (VXM) is a five-star rated fund with a more than 10-year track record that is the best-performing International Equity ETF over five years (as of April 30, 2025) in Canada. Let’s look at what sets it apart and compare it to several widely held index-tracking and actively managed international equity funds.

The VXM approach

VXM is designed to provide strong exposure to the value factor by targeting developed international stocks with low valuations and improving earnings outlooks. The strategy is equal-weighted, with less sector concentration than a traditional market cap-weighted value index.

Targeted exposure

VXM’s methodology is built on Morningstar’s Target Value Index methodology, which screens for traditional value metrics to select companies that are considered good value, with an emphasis on upward earnings estimate revisions to avoid potential value traps.

Value and size premium

VXM applies the screen on a quarterly basis and equal-weights its holdings to provide targeted value exposure with additional exposure to the small size factor.

Complementary

Factor performance is cyclical, and VXM is a great complement to international core strategies for investors looking to take advantage of the value premium.

Source: Morningstar and CI Global Asset Management

  • Price to Earnings (20%)
    Calculated by taking the current stock price and dividing it by the trailing earnings per share for the past 12 months. Low values are best.

  • Price to Cash Flow (20%)
    Price to cash flow based on trailing cash flow is the ratio of a company’s price to its trailing four quarters of cash flows from operations. Low values are best.

  • Price to Latest Four Quarter Sales (20%)
    Price to latest four quarters of sales. Low values are best.

  • Three Month Earnings per Share Estimate Revision (20%)
    Three-month earnings per share estimate revision measures the percentage change over the past three months in the median analysts’ fiscal earnings estimate for a company’s current fiscal year. High values are best.

  • Morningstar® Target Value Indices are Rebalanced Quarterly

Why own VXM

Strong performance

The strategy has a history of delivering strong risk-adjusted returns. In fact, VXM is the best-performing fund over five years and the third-best-performing fund over 10 years within the International Equity fund category (as of April 30, 2025). VXM has consistently outperformed both the MSCI EAFE and its category across every trailing period, ranking within the top quartile in the majority of trailing periods.

Diversification

Including VXM in a traditional equity portfolio offers diversification benefits. VXM provides differentiated sector and geographic exposure relative to both the MSCI EAFE and S&P 500. For example, VXM has higher exposure to utilities (13%) and lower exposure to information technology (2%). The utilities sector has delivered significant outperformance over the last year and offers investors a defensive play with the opportunity to also capitalize on the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). The underweight to information technology can reduce sector concentration risk from the U.S. equity allocation within a portfolio. From a geographic standpoint, VXM is overweight to Japan (39%), which is well positioned to benefit from corporate reform, return of inflation and higher growth.

Valuations

VXM exhibits noticeably better valuations relative to both the MSCI EAFE and S&P 500 given its rules-based methodology that screens for traditional value metrics while avoiding stocks with deteriorating fundamentals or potential value traps. In other words, VXM allows investors to own strongly performing international equities at attractive valuations.

Performance relative to widely held funds

Passive and smart beta

Valuation
 Forward P/EForward P/BForward P/SForward P/CFForward Dividend Yield
CI MstarIntlValETF CADHComm7.380.710.352.875.03
MSCI EAFE14.191.721.438.773.43
S&P 50020.984.052.7113.841.54
FundTickerRatingMgmt Fee (%)3 Mo6 MoYTD1 Yr3 Yr5 Yr10 Yr
CAD Hedged
CI Morningstar International Value Index ETF (CAD Hedged)VXM★★★★★0.609.6219.1515.5915.6820.1718.678.01
iShares Core MSCI EAFE IMI Index ETF (CAD-Hedged)XFH★★★★0.201.607.708.037.8912.3913.297.45
Vanguard FTSE Developed All Cap ex U.S. Index ETF (CAD-hedged)VEF★★★★0.202.297.027.928.1111.6412.766.92
Unhedged
CI Morningstar International Value Index ETF (Unhedged)VXM.B★★★★★0.6011.4723.3820.0422.9820.8114.907.34
Vanguard FTSE Developed All Cap ex North America Index ETFVIU★★★0.204.5711.8011.6213.5113.3110.61-
iShares MSCI EAFE IMI Index ETFXEF★★★★0.204.5612.1212.0514.4014.0210.906.96
BMO MSCI EAFE Index ETFZEA★★★★0.202.9611.6812.0613.4514.2911.136.93
Fidelity International Value ETFFCIV★★★★★0.453.6915.2214.0011.5216.36--

Source: Morningstar Direct, as of May 31, 2025. Performance in CAD.

Active

FundTickerRatingMgmt Fee (%)3 Mo6 MoYTD1 Yr3 Yr5 Yr10 Yr
CI Morningstar International Value Index ETF (CAD Hedged)VXM★★★★★0.609.6219.1515.5915.6820.1718.678.01
Canoe Defensive International Equity F-★★0.75-5.89-1.02-1.711.4810.977.57-
Sun Life MFS International Value F-★★★★0.953.0411.7411.3714.2314.207.818.10
Capital Group Global Equity Canada F-★★★★0.70-2.510.36-0.4911.4914.4410.1610.42

Source: Morningstar Direct, as of May 31, 2025. Performance in CAD.

About the Author

Jaron Liu


Jaron Liu, CFA

Director, ETF Strategy
CI Global Asset Management

Jaron Liu is a Director of ETF Strategy at CI GAM and is responsible for growing the ETF business by setting and executing the ETF sales strategy as well as supporting the ETF sales team. Prior to joining CI GAM, Jaron worked as an analyst within product management for one of the largest global asset managers where he focused on ETFs. Jaron graduated from the University of Waterloo with a degree in Honours Economics and is a CFA charter holder.

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