N-CSR 1 d817615dncsr.htm LEGG MASON INTERNATIONAL LOW VOLATILITY HIGH DIVIDEND ETF Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM N-CSR

 

 

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED

MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number 811-23096

 

 

Legg Mason ETF Investment Trust

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

 

 

620 Eighth Avenue, 49th Floor, New York, NY 10018

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

 

 

Robert I. Frenkel, Esq.

Legg Mason & Co., LLC

100 First Stamford Place

Stamford, CT 06902

(Name and address of agent for service)

 

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 1-877-721-1926

Date of fiscal year end: October 31

Date of reporting period: October 31, 2019

 

 

 


ITEM 1.

REPORT TO STOCKHOLDERS.

The Annual Report to Stockholders is filed herewith.


LOGO

 

Annual Report   October 31, 2019

LEGG MASON

INTERNATIONAL

LOW VOLATILITY

HIGH DIVIDEND ETF

LVHI

 

 

 

Beginning in April 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Fund intends to no longer mail paper copies of the Fund’s shareholder reports like this one, unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports from your financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank). Instead, the reports will be made available on a website, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report.

If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically (“e-delivery”), you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. If you have not already elected e-delivery, you may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the Fund electronically by contacting your financial intermediary.

You may elect to receive all future reports in paper free of charge by contacting your financial intermediary to request that you continue to receive paper copies of your shareholder reports. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all Legg Mason Funds held in your account with your financial intermediary.

 

INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED • NO BANK GUARANTEE • MAY LOSE VALUE


What’s inside      
Letter from the president     II  
Fund overview     1  
Fund at a glance     8  
Fund expenses     9  
Fund performance     10  
Schedule of investments     12  
Statement of assets and liabilities     19  
Statement of operations     20  
Statements of changes in net assets     21  
Financial highlights     22  
Notes to financial statements     23  
Report of independent registered public accounting firm     36  
Additional information     37  
Important tax information     44  

 

 

Fund objective

The Fund seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of publicly traded equity securities of developed markets outside of the United States with relatively high yield and low price and earnings volatility while mitigating exposure to fluctuations between the values of the U.S. dollar and other international currencies.

 

Letter from the president

 

LOGO

 

Dear Shareholder,

We are pleased to provide the annual report of Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF for the twelve-month reporting period ended October 31, 2019. Please read on for a detailed look at prevailing economic and market conditions during the Fund’s reporting period and to learn how those conditions have affected Fund performance.

As always, we remain committed to providing you with excellent service and a full spectrum of investment choices. We also remain committed to supplementing the support you receive from your financial advisor. One way we accomplish this is through our website, www.leggmason.com. Here you can gain immediate access to market and investment information, including:

 

 

Fund net asset value and market price,

 

 

Market insights and commentaries from our portfolio managers, and

 

 

A host of educational resources.

We look forward to helping you meet your financial goals.

Sincerely,

 

LOGO

Jane Trust, CFA

President and Chief Executive Officer

November 29, 2019

 

 

 II 

   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF


Fund overview

 

Q. What is the Fund’s investment strategy?

A. Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to track the investment results of the QS International Low Volatility High Dividend Hedged Index (the “Underlying Index”). The Underlying Index seeks to provide more stable income through investments in stocks of profitable companies in developed markets outside of the United States with relatively high dividend yields or anticipated dividend yields and lower price and earnings volatility, while mitigating exposure to exchange-rate fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and other international currencies. The Underlying Index is designed to have higher returns than an equivalent unhedged investment when the currencies in which its component securities are denominated are weakening relative to the U.S. dollar. Conversely, the Underlying Index is designed to have lower returns than an equivalent unhedged investment when the currencies in which its component securities are denominated are rising relative to the U.S. dollar. The Underlying Index is based on a proprietary methodology created and sponsored by QS Investors, LLC (“QS Investors”), the Fund’s subadviser.

The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, if any, in securities that compose its Underlying Index. Securities that compose the Underlying Index include depositary receipts representing securities in the Underlying Index.

The Underlying Index is composed of equity securities in developed markets outside of the United States across a range of market capitalizations that are included in the MSCI World ex-US IMI Indexi. The Underlying Index’s components are reconstituted annually and rebalanced quarterly. The Fund’s securities portfolio is rebalanced when the Underlying Index is rebalanced or reconstituted. The composition of the Underlying Index and the Fund after reconstitution and rebalancing may fluctuate and exceed the above Underlying Index limitations due to market movements. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain sectors and industries, may change over time.

The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in foreign currency forward contracts and other currency hedging instruments, certain index futures, options, options on index futures, swap contracts or other derivatives related to its Underlying Index and its component securities; cash and cash equivalents; other investment companies, including exchange traded funds; exchange-traded notes; and in securities and other instruments not included in its Underlying Index, but which QS Investors believes will help the Fund track its Underlying Index.

The Fund invests in currency hedging instruments to offset the Fund’s exposure to the currencies in which the Fund’s holdings are denominated. The Fund may also invest in equity index futures and currency derivatives to gain exposure to local markets or segments of local markets for cash flow management purposes and as a portfolio management technique.

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report  

 

 1 


Fund overview (cont’d)

 

Q. What were the overall market conditions during the Fund’s reporting period?

A. Outside the U.S., equity returns were negative across most regions and sectors for the twelve-month reporting period ended October 31, 2019. Of the major regions, only Continental Europe was in modestly positive territory, with the smaller resource-oriented region of Australia, New Zealand & Canada the best performing for the period.

The final quarter of 2018 was marked with extreme market volatility, including a dip into bear market territory. Global equities across the board were affected by a risk-off sentiment that had not been seen since the global financial crisis. In December 2018, equity markets experienced their steepest monthly loss since February 2009, with losses pervasive across geography, sector, style and market cap. Early in December 2018, a truce in the trade war between the U.S. and China was announced, but investors seemed skeptical of a long-term solution. Late in the month, the European Central Bank (“ECB”) ii announced its expectations of decelerating global economic growth in 2019, based on higher borrowing costs and the cumulative impact of a trade war between the U.S. and China — the world’s two largest economies by gross domestic product (“GDP”) iii growth. All major non-U.S. regions had double-digit negative returns for the fourth quarter of 2018.

All international regions, as measured by the MSCI EAFE Indexiv, had positive returns in the first quarter of 2019, most in double digits, beginning with a rally in January 2019 and continuing for the rest of the quarter. Despite worries about China’s slowdown at 2018 year end, markets returned to a “risk-on” sentiment as central bank policies became increasingly accommodative, the U.S. experienced a positive earnings season and China manufacturing indicators returned to modest growth levels. Over the quarter, a rise in oil prices of 32% did little to stop the positive market environment.

The MSCI EAFE Index returned 3.7% in U.S. dollar terms during the second quarter of 2019. However, global equity markets were quite volatile. The risk-on/risk-off theme that had dominated financial markets over the past few years continued during the quarter, as most risky assets appreciated dramatically in April and June 2019, but exhibited dismal performance during May 2019. The shifts in investor sentiment were propelled by the perception of a number of risks, including an escalation in the U.S.-China trade tariff war, uncertainty around Brexit, an inversion of the yield curvev in the U.S. and soft global growth. These risks overshadowed several sources of investor optimism, which included a pivot to accommodative monetary policies by major central banks, positive economic data and a post G-20vi meeting “tariff freeze” agreement between the U.S. and China.

The MSCI EAFE Index was in negative territory in the third quarter of 2019 when only Japan posted a positive return. Concerns regarding the softening of global economic growth, the previous inversion of the U.S. yield curve, trade-related tensions between the U.S. and China, frictions in the Middle East, and uncertainty around Brexit continued to rattle investors. Sixteen central banks lowered interest rates during this quarter, with two dozen more expected to slash rates in the fourth quarter. The World Trade Organization cut its global trade growth forecast for 2019 to the weakest level in a decade, warning that further

 

 

 2 

   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report


rounds of tariffs in an environment of heightened uncertainty could spark a “destructive cycle of recrimination”.

Global equities rallied and volatility receded during the final month of the reporting period. Positive developments on China/U.S. trade negotiations and corporate earnings largely exceeding expectations contributed to investor optimism. Asian markets led during the month, driven by hopes on progress in trade negotiations, with Japanese equities leading performance out of the major global equity regions for the second month in a row.

Continental Europe was the best performing major region in the MSCI EAFE Index for the twelve-month reporting period, despite the fact that in the first quarter of 2019, economic indicators weakened across much of the Eurozone; the ECB cut its growth forecasts, cancelled an expected rate rise in 2019, and offered cheap rates to banks to boost growth. Continental Europe outperformed in the second calendar quarter of 2019 but underperformed in the final quarter of the reporting period, and in September 2019, the ECB voted to restart its quantitative easing program, pushing interest rates into deeper negative territory and further incentivizing bank lending.

Japanese equities lagged all other markets for much of the reporting period. Japan slightly underperformed the other large markets in the final quarter of 2018 as economic indicators softened and business sentiment declined, with optimism for the 2020 Olympics overshadowed by concern over an impending sales tax increase. Japanese manufacturing experienced the largest contraction in nearly three years in March of 2019 due to both domestic and export declines, particularly in sales to China and Taiwan. Nonetheless, in the third quarter of 2019, only Japanese equities were in positive territory and Japan was the best performing major region in October 2019. While exports fell due to a slowing global economy and the U.S.-China trade war, private spending continued to show strength.

The U.K. also underperformed the MSCI EAFE Index overall for the reporting period, with the uncertainly and fear around a no-deal Brexit impacting business activity and equity markets. At the start of the period, the U.K. outperformed the other large developed regions, with manufacturing and services improving above expectations at the end of 2018. However, in the first quarter of 2019, the deadline for Brexit was delayed after Parliament voted a third time against Prime Minister Theresa May’s negotiated deal. While employment levels remained high, new hiring and business sentiment continued to fall amid uncertainty about trade with Europe and other markets. The resignation of Theresa May in July 2019 and hawkish position of her successor, Boris Johnson, added to Brexit uncertainty. U.K. equity markets rallied in September 2019 as Parliament passed the Benn Act, a bill that reduces the probability of a no-deal Brexit by forcing the Prime Minister to seek a three-month extension in case no deal is reached by October 19, 2019. The timeline for a Brexit deal has been fluid, yet support is building along with a somewhat brighter forecast for the U.K.’s economy.

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report  

 

 3 


Fund overview (cont’d)

 

Across the smaller regions, resource-based Australia, Canada & New Zealand outperformed the MSCI EAFE Index overall throughout the reporting period, in a period of industrial commodity strength, while developed Asia ex-Japan modestly underperformed.

The Fund uses a passive investment approach to achieve its investment objective, and therefore made no change in investment approach in response to market conditions.

Performance review

For the twelve months ended October 31, 2019, Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF generated a 12.65% return on a net asset value (“NAV”)vii basis and 14.33% based on its market priceviii per share.

The performance table shows the Fund’s total return for the twelve months ended October 31, 2019 based on its NAV and market price as of October 31, 2019. The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the QS International Low Volatility High Dividend Hedged Index, which returned 12.71% for the same period. The Fund’s broad-based market index, the MSCI World ex-US IMI Local Index (Net), returned 10.19% over the same time frame. The Lipper International Multi-Cap Value Funds Category Averageix returned 4.99% for the same period. Please note that Lipper performance returns are based on each fund’s NAV.

 

 

Performance Snapshot as of October 31, 2019
(unaudited)
 
  6 months     12 months  
Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF:    

$27.15 (NAV)

    5.00     12.65 %*† 

$27.44 (Market Price)

    5.19     14.33 %*‡ 
QS International Low Volatility High Dividend Hedged Index     4.97     12.71
MSCI World ex-US IMI Local Index (Net)     2.53     10.19
Lipper International Multi-Cap Value Funds Category Average     0.52     4.99

The performance shown represents past performance. Past performance is no guarantee of future results and current performance may be higher or lower than the performance shown. Principal value and investment returns will fluctuate so shares, when redeemed or sold in the market, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance data current to the most recent month-end is available at www.leggmason.com/etf.

Investors buy and sell shares of an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) at market price (not NAV) in the secondary market throughout the trading day. These shares are not individually available for direct purchase from or direct redemption to the ETF. Market price returns shown are typically based upon the mid-point between the bid and ask on the Fund’s principal trading market when the Fund’s NAV is determined, which is typically 4:00 p.m. Eastern time (US). These returns do not represent investors’ returns had they traded shares at other times. Performance figures for periods shorter than one year represent cumulative figures and are not annualized.

 

 

 4 

   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report


Information showing the number of days the market price of the Fund’s shares was greater than the Fund’s NAV and the number of days it was less than the Fund’s NAV (i.e., premium or discount) for various time periods is available by visiting the Fund’s website at www.leggmason.com/etf.

As of the Fund’s current prospectus dated March 1, 2019, the gross total annual fund operating expense ratio for the Fund was 0.40%.

* Total returns are based on changes in NAV or market price, respectively. Returns reflect the deduction of all Fund expenses. Returns do not reflect the deduction of brokerage commissions or taxes that investors pay on distributions or the sale of shares.

† Total return assumes the reinvestment of all distributions at NAV.

‡ Total return assumes the reinvestment of all distributions at market price.

Q. What were the leading contributors to performance?

A. Looking at the Underlying Index by country, the leading contributors to performance for the reporting period were Switzerland, Spain and Italy, all with strong double-digit returns. The leading contributor at the sector level was the Utilities sector, which had the highest total return in the Underlying Index. The Communication Services and Real Estate sectors were also strong contributors to performance during the reporting period, both with double digit returns.

The Fund employed a currency hedging strategy to reduce the volatility associated with exposure to shifts in relative value between the U.S. dollar and the currency of local markets. The currency hedge was additive to overall unhedged performance during the reporting period as the currency of local markets depreciated versus the U.S. dollar.

Q. What were the leading detractors from performance?

A. Leading detractors from performance in the Underlying Index at the country level were the France, Sweden and Germany, all with negative returns. At the sector level, the Consumer Staples and Information Technology sectors were the leading detractors during the reporting period.

Looking for additional information?

The Fund’s daily NAV is available on-line at www.leggmason.com/etf. The Fund is traded under the symbol “LVHI” and its closing market price is available on most financial websites. In a continuing effort to provide information concerning the Fund, shareholders may call 1-877-721-1926 (toll free), Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Eastern time, for the Fund’s current NAV, market price and other information.

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report  

 

 5 


Fund overview (cont’d)

 

Thank you for your investment in Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF. As always, we appreciate that you have chosen us to manage your assets and we remain focused on achieving the Fund’s investment goals.

Sincerely,

QS Investors, LLC

November 18, 2019

RISKS: Equity securities are subject to market and price fluctuations. Dividends are not guaranteed, and a company may reduce or eliminate its dividend at any time. International investments are subject to special risks including currency fluctuations, social, economic and political uncertainties, which could increase volatility. Currency investing contains heightened risks that include market, political, regulatory, and national conditions, and may not be suitable for all investors. In rising markets, the value of large-cap stocks may not rise as much as smaller-cap stocks. Small- and mid-cap stocks involve greater risks and volatility than large-cap stocks. The Fund may focus its investments in certain industries, increasing its vulnerability to market volatility. There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the index it seeks to track. The Fund does not seek to outperform the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. Derivatives, such as options and futures, can be illiquid, may disproportionately increase losses and have a potentially large impact on Fund performance. Distributions are not guaranteed and are subject to change. Please see the Fund’s prospectus for a more complete discussion of these and other risks and the Fund’s investment strategies.

The mention of sector breakdowns is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as a recommendation to purchase or sell any securities. The information provided regarding such sectors is not a sufficient basis upon which to make an investment decision. Investors seeking financial advice regarding the appropriateness of investing in any securities or investment strategies discussed should consult their financial professional. The Fund’s top five sector holdings (as a percentage of net assets) as of October 31, 2019 were: Communication Services (20.8%), Financials (19.8%), Consumer Discretionary (13.0%), Utilities (14.9%) and Energy (8.9%). The Fund’s composition may differ over time.

All investments are subject to risk including the possible loss of principal. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified financial market sector or rules-based investment process. Unlike a fund, an index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by a fund. These expenses negatively impact fund performance. All index performance reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes. Please note that an investor cannot invest directly in an index.

The information provided is not intended to be a forecast of future events, a guarantee of future results or investment advice. Views expressed may differ from those of the firm as a whole.

 

 

 6 

   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report


 

 

 

 

 

i  

MSCI World ex-US IMI Index captures large, mid and small cap representation across 22 of 23 Developed Markets (DM) countries — excluding the United States. The MSCI World ex-US IMI Local Index calculates performance utilizing local currencies taking out the effect of the converting to the U.S. dollar.

 

ii 

The European Central Bank (“ECB”) is responsible for the monetary system of the European Union and the euro currency.

 

iii 

Gross domestic product (“GDP”) is the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period of time.

 

iv 

The MSCI EAFE Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index designed to measure developed market equity performance, excluding the U.S. and Canada.

 

v 

The yield curve is the graphical depiction of the relationship between the yield on bonds of the same credit quality but different maturities.

 

vi

The Group of Twenty (“G-20”) Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors was established in 1999 to bring together systemically important industrialized and developing economies to discuss key issues in the global economy.

 

vii 

Net Asset Value (“NAV”) is calculated by subtracting total liabilities from total assets and dividing the result by the number of shares outstanding.

 

viii 

Market Price is determined by supply and demand. It is the price at which an investor purchases or sells shares of the Fund. The Market Price may differ from the Fund’s NAV.

 

ix 

Lipper, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reuters, provides independent insight on global collective investments. Returns are based on the period ended October 31, 2019, including the reinvestment of all distributions, including returns of capital, if any, calculated among the 209 funds for the six-month period and among the 207 funds for the twelve-month period in the Fund’s Lipper category.

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report  

 

 7 


Fund at a glance (unaudited)

 

Investment breakdown (%) as a percent of total investments

 

 

LOGO

 

The bar graph above represents the composition of the Fund’s investments as of October 31, 2019 and October 31, 2018 and does not include derivatives such as futures contracts and forward foreign currency contracts. The composition of the Fund’s investments is subject to change at any time.

 

Amount represents less than 0.1%.

 

*

Prior year percentages have been restated to reflect correct classifications.

 

 

 8 

   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report


Fund expenses (unaudited)

 

Example

As a shareholder of the Fund, you may incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, such as brokerage commissions paid on purchases and sales of Fund shares; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees; and other Fund expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other funds.

This example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested on May 1, 2019 and held for the six months ended October 31, 2019.

Actual expenses

The table below titled “Based on Actual Total Return” provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information provided in this table, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. To estimate the expenses you paid on your account, divide your ending account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 ending account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During the Period”.

Hypothetical example for comparison purposes

The table below titled “Based on Hypothetical Total Return” provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5.00% per year before expenses, which is not the Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use the information provided in this table to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare the 5.00% hypothetical example relating to the Fund with the 5.00% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table below are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as brokerage commissions paid on purchases and sales of Fund shares. Therefore, the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transaction costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

Based on actual total return1           Based on hypothetical total return1    
Actual
Total
Return2
  Beginning
Account
Value
  Ending
Account
Value
  Annualized
Expense
Ratio
  Expenses
Paid During
the Period3
      Hypothetical
Annualized
Total Return
  Beginning
Account
Value
  Ending
Account
Value
  Annualized
Expense
Ratio
  Expenses
Paid During
the Period3
    5.00%       $ 1,000.00     $ 1,050.00       0.40 %     $ 2.07         5.00 %       $1,000.00       $ 1,023.19       0.40 %     $ 2.04

 

1  

For the six months ended October 31, 2019.

 

2 

Assumes the reinvestment of all distributions, including returns of capital, if any, at net asset value. Total return is not annualized, as it may not be representative of the total return for the year. Performance figures may reflect fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements. In the absence of fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, the total return would have been lower. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

 

3 

Expenses (net of fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements) are equal to the Fund’s annualized expense ratio multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent fiscal half-year (184), then divided by 365.

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report  

 

 9 


Fund performance (unaudited)

 

Net Asset Value       
Average annual total returns1          
Twelve Months Ended 10/31/19      12.65
Inception* through 10/31/19      8.39  
Cumulative total returns1        
Inception date of 7/27/16 through 10/31/19      30.07

 

Market Price       
Average annual total returns2        
Twelve Months Ended 10/31/19      14.33
Inception* through 10/31/19      8.65  
Cumulative total returns2        
Inception date of 7/27/16 through 10/31/19      31.08

All figures represent past performance and are not a guarantee of future results. Investment returns and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. The returns shown do not reflect the deduction of brokerage commissions or taxes that investors would pay on distributions or the sale of shares. Performance figures may reflect fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements. In the absence of fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, the total return would have been lower.

Investors buy and sell shares of the Fund at market price, not NAV, in the secondary market throughout the trading day. These shares are not individually available for direct purchase from or direct redemption to the Fund. The Fund’s per share NAV is the value of one share of the Fund and is calculated by dividing the value of total assets less total liabilities by the number of shares outstanding. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market price return is typically based upon the mid-point between the bid and ask on the Fund’s principal trading market when the Fund’s NAV is determined, which is typically 4:00 p.m. Eastern time (US). These returns do not represent investors’ returns had they traded shares at other times. NAV and market price returns assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at NAV and market price, respectively. As with other exchange-traded funds, NAV returns and market price returns may differ because of factors such as the supply and demand for Fund shares and investors’ assessment of the underlying value of the Fund’s portfolio securities.

 

1 

Assumes the reinvestment of all distributions, including returns of capital, if any, at net asset value.

 

2 

Assumes the reinvestment of all distributions, including returns of capital, if any, at market price.

 

*

Inception date of the Fund is July 27, 2016.

 

 

 10 

   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report


Historical performance

Value of $10,000 invested in

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF vs. QS International Low Volatility High Dividend Hedged Index and MSCI World ex-US IMI Local Index (Net)† — July 27, 2016 — October 31, 2019

 

LOGO

All figures represent past performance and are not a guarantee of future results. Investment returns and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost. NAV returns assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at NAV. The returns shown do not reflect the deduction of brokerage commissions or taxes that investors would pay on distributions or the sale of shares. Performance figures may reflect fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements. In the absence of fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, the total return would have been lower.

 

Hypothetical illustration of $10,000 invested Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF on July 27, 2016 (inception date), assuming the reinvestment of all distributions, including returns of capital, if any, at net asset value through October 31, 2019. The hypothetical illustration also assumes a $10,000 investment in the QS International Low Volatility High Dividend Hedged Index and MSCI World ex-US IMI Local Index (Net). The Fund’s per share NAV is the value of one share of the Fund and is calculated by dividing the value of total assets less total liabilities by the number of shares outstanding. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund. The QS International Low Volatility High Dividend Hedged Index (the “Underlying Index”) is an index composed of publicly traded equity securities of developed markets outside of the United States with relatively high yield and low price and earnings volatility. The Underlying Index is based on a proprietary methodology created and sponsored by QS Investors, LLC, the Fund’s subadviser. The MSCI World ex-US IMI Local Index (Net) captures large-, mid- and small-cap representation across 22 of 23 developed markets. The local version of the index calculates performance utilizing local currencies taking out the effect of converting to the U.S. dollar. The indices are not subject to the same management and trading expenses as a fund. An index is a statistical composite that tracks a specified financial market, sector, or rules-based investment process. Unlike a fund, an index does not actually hold a portfolio of securities and therefore does not incur the expenses incurred by a fund. These expenses negatively impact fund performance. All index performance reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes. Please note that an investor cannot invest directly in an index.

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report  

 

 11 


Schedule of investments

October 31, 2019

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF

 

Security                 Shares     Value  
Common Stocks — 100.1%                                
Communication Services — 20.8%                                

Diversified Telecommunication Services — 17.3%

                               

BCE Inc.

                    26,650     $ 1,266,856  

BT Group PLC

                    555,213       1,470,657  

CITIC Telecom International Holdings Ltd.

                    88,447       33,629  

HKT Trust & HKT Ltd.

                    145,393       226,316  

Proximus SADP

                    10,973       337,023  

Singapore Telecommunications Ltd.

                    344,800       836,063  

Swisscom AG, Registered Shares

                    2,488       1,270,790  

Telefonica SA

                    187,274       1,436,410  

Telia Co. AB

                    217,788       959,603  

Telstra Corp. Ltd.

                    328,605       790,109  

TELUS Corp.

                    18,710       666,918  

Total Diversified Telecommunication Services

                            9,294,374  

Media — 0.9%

                               

Atresmedia Corp. de Medios de Comunicacion SA

                    9,428       39,423  

Eutelsat Communications SA

                    9,177       174,051  

Mediaset Espana Comunicacion SA

                    16,141       98,682  

Metropole Television SA

                    1,717       30,209  

RTL Group SA

                    3,084       156,757  

Total Media

                            499,122  

Wireless Telecommunication Services — 2.6%

                               

NTT DOCOMO Inc.

                    49,700       1,367,721  

Total Communication Services

                            11,161,217  
Consumer Discretionary — 12.9%                                

Auto Components — 0.5%

                               

Bridgestone Corp.

                    6,300       263,585  

Automobiles — 9.0%

                               

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG

                    16,080       1,232,634  

Daimler AG, Registered Shares

                    22,529       1,317,299  

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.

                    154,500       985,267  

Toyota Motor Corp.

                    19,000       1,325,545  

Total Automobiles

                            4,860,745  

Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure — 0.1%

                               

Marston’s PLC

                    21,811       34,800  

Household Durables — 2.9%

                               

Barratt Developments PLC

                    69,480       567,493  

Crest Nicholson Holdings PLC

                    17,829       89,607  

 

See Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

 12 

   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report


Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF

 

 

Security                 Shares     Value  

Household Durables — continued

                               

Persimmon PLC

                    27,136     $ 799,545  

Redrow PLC

                    16,866       131,384  

Total Household Durables

                            1,588,029  

Multiline Retail — 0.3%

                               

Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd.

                    50,034       140,986  

Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods — 0.1%

                               

Li & Fung Ltd.

                    330,188       36,230  

Pacific Textiles Holdings Ltd.

                    42,387       30,826  

Total Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods

                            67,056  

Total Consumer Discretionary

                            6,955,201  
Consumer Staples — 3.9%                                

Tobacco — 3.9%

                               

British American Tobacco PLC

                    21,377       747,422  

Japan Tobacco Inc.

                    58,100       1,319,954  

Scandinavian Tobacco Group A/S

                    2,954       34,920  

Total Consumer Staples

                            2,102,296  
Energy — 8.9%                                

Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels — 8.9%

                               

Eni SpA

                    65,117       985,831  

Paz Oil Co. Ltd.

                    205       31,411  

Repsol SA

                    76,744       1,258,606  

Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Class A Shares

                    41,748       1,206,309  

Total SA

                    23,523       1,236,985  

Z Energy Ltd.

                    11,641       40,014  

Total Energy

                            4,759,156  
Financials — 19.8%                                

Banks — 12.6%

                               

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce

                    15,275       1,305,234  

Commonwealth Bank of Australia

                    25,779       1,397,036  

National Australia Bank Ltd.

                    66,664       1,314,005  

Nordea Bank Abp

                    147,001       1,077,679  

Svenska Handelsbanken AB, Class A Shares

                    36,402       365,218  

Swedbank AB, Class A Shares

                    53,722       753,055  

Westpac Banking Corp.

                    30,596       594,642  

Total Banks

                            6,806,869  

Capital Markets — 0.5%

                               

Bolsas y Mercados Espanoles SHMSF SA

                    2,023       56,108  

IGM Financial Inc.

                    3,973       112,357  

Jupiter Fund Management PLC

                    23,491       104,141  

Total Capital Markets

                            272,606  

 

See Notes to Financial Statements.

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report  

 

 13 


Schedule of investments (cont’d)

October 31, 2019

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF

 

 

Security                 Shares     Value  

Insurance — 6.4%

                               

Legal & General Group PLC

                    227,630     $ 776,736  

Poste Italiane SpA

                    45,007       546,308  

Power Financial Corp.

                    8,986       210,575  

Sampo oyj, Class A Shares

                    14,620       599,259  

Zurich Insurance Group AG

                    3,335       1,302,906  

Total Insurance

                            3,435,784  

Thrifts & Mortgage Finance — 0.3%

                               

Aareal Bank AG

                    4,404       147,990  

Total Financials

                            10,663,249  
Industrials — 8.4%                                

Aerospace & Defense — 0.3%

                               

Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd.

                    51,200       150,107  

Air Freight & Logistics — 0.1%

                               

Oesterreichische Post AG

                    1,599       58,870  

Construction & Engineering — 0.8%

                               

Skanska AB, Class B Shares

                    19,588       417,813  

Industrial Conglomerates — 1.4%

                               

CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd.

                    79,392       734,389  

Marine — 1.1%

                               

Kuehne + Nagel International AG, Registered Shares

                    3,810       615,276  

Professional Services — 1.8%

                               

Adecco Group AG, Registered Shares

                    16,588       983,092  

Road & Rail — 0.3%

                               

ComfortDelGro Corp. Ltd.

                    115,700       195,532  

Trading Companies & Distributors — 1.3%

                               

Marubeni Corp.

                    96,200       681,467  

Transportation Infrastructure — 1.3%

                               

Aena SME SA

                    3,827       702,348  

Total Industrials

                            4,538,894  
Information Technology — 2.5%                                

Communications Equipment — 0.1%

                               

VTech Holdings Ltd.

                    8,008       70,295  

IT Services — 0.1%

                               

Tieto oyj

                    1,443       41,052  

Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals — 2.3%

                               

Canon Inc.

                    44,000       1,205,569  

Total Information Technology

                            1,316,916  

 

See Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

 14 

   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report


Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF

 

 

Security                 Shares     Value  
Materials — 1.5%                                

Paper & Forest Products — 1.5%

                               

Navigator Co. SA

                    23,539     $ 84,876  

UPM-Kymmene oyj

                    21,793       708,492  

Total Materials

                            793,368  
Real Estate — 6.5%                                

Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) — 6.0%

                               

Artis Real Estate Investment Trust

                    4,189       39,520  

Ascendas Real Estate Investment Trust

                    194,000       451,875  

CapitaLand Mall Trust

                    160,900       300,295  

Charter Hall Retail REIT

                    17,742       53,905  

Cromwell Property Group

                    57,396       52,394  

Daiwa House REIT Investment Corp.

                    38       110,550  

Dream Global Real Estate Investment Trust

                    6,356       80,662  

Frontier Real Estate Investment Corp.

                    20       89,265  

H&R Real Estate Investment Trust

                    9,619       163,055  

Hankyu Reit Inc.

                    42       71,447  

Industrial & Infrastructure Fund Investment Corp.

                    70       109,625  

Invesco Office J-Reit Inc.

                    342       68,998  

Japan Logistics Fund Inc.

                    38       96,560  

Japan Rental Housing Investments Inc.

                    53       50,791  

Kenedix Retail REIT Corp.

                    36       99,104  

Keppel DC REIT

                    43,212       63,503  

Mapletree Commercial Trust

                    97,500       166,924  

Mapletree Industrial Trust

                    72,800       136,405  

Mapletree Logistics Trust

                    156,300       192,942  

Mapletree North Asia Commercial Trust

                    66,700       62,733  

Mirai Corp.

                    118       69,312  

Mori Hills REIT Investment Corp., Class C Shares

                    62       102,430  

NIPPON REIT Investment Corp.

                    15       65,076  

RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust

                    11,967       240,642  

Samty Residential Investment Corp.

                    34       38,244  

SmartCentres Real Estate Investment Trust

                    3,983       96,488  

Star Asia Investment Corp.

                    35       38,106  

Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust

                    86,500       118,219  

Total Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

                            3,229,070  

Real Estate Management & Development — 0.5%

                               

Swiss Prime Site AG, Registered Shares

                    2,780       286,240  * 

Total Real Estate

                            3,515,310  

 

See Notes to Financial Statements.

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report  

 

 15 


Schedule of investments (cont’d)

October 31, 2019

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF

 

 

Security                 Shares     Value  
Utilities — 14.9%                                

Electric Utilities — 8.2%

                               

Emera Inc.

                    12,171     $ 504,953  

Endesa SA

                    40,580       1,104,664  

Enel SpA

                    178,701       1,383,613  

Power Assets Holdings Ltd.

                    53,641       382,920  

Red Electrica Corp. SA

                    51,726       1,041,632  

Total Electric Utilities

                            4,417,782  

Gas Utilities — 2.9%

                               

Enagas SA

                    29,955       741,574  

Snam SpA

                    161,219       827,375  

Total Gas Utilities

                            1,568,949  

Independent Power and Renewable Electricity Producers — 0.2%

                               

Capital Power Corp.

                    4,832       116,062  

Multi-Utilities — 2.7%

                               

National Grid PLC

                    119,497       1,393,671  

REN — Redes Energeticas Nacionais SGPS SA

                    11,724       34,793  

Total Multi-Utilities

                            1,428,464  

Water Utilities — 0.9%

                               

United Utilities Group PLC

                    40,794       459,356  

Total Utilities

                            7,990,613  

Total Common Stocks (Cost — $55,813,665)

                            53,796,220  
     Rate                       
Preferred Stocks — 0.1%                                
Consumer Discretionary — 0.1%                                

Automobiles — 0.1%

                               

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (Cost — $115,416)

                  1,433       88,330  
     Expiration
Date
           Rights         
Rights — 0.0%                                

Mapletree Commercial Trust (Cost — $0)

    11/7/19               6,709       444  *(a)  

Total Investments before Short-Term Investments (Cost — $55,929,081)

                            53,884,994  

 

See Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

 16 

   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report


Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF

 

 

Security          Rate     Shares     Value  
Short-Term Investments — 0.3%                                

Invesco Treasury Portfolio, Institutional Class (Cost — $152,758)

            1.632%       152,758     $ 152,758  

Total Investments — 100.5% (Cost — $56,081,839)

 

                    54,037,752  

Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets — (0.5)%

                            (287,241

Total Net Assets — 100.0%

                          $ 53,750,511  

 

*

Non-income producing security.

 

(a) 

Security is valued in good faith in accordance with procedures approved by the Board of Trustees (Note 1).

 

Abbreviation used in this schedule:

REIT   — Real Estate Investment Trust

At October 31, 2019, the Fund had the following open futures contracts:

 

      Number of
Contracts
     Expiration
Date
     Notional
Amount
     Market
Value
     Unrealized
Appreciation
 
Contracts to Buy:                                             
MSCI EAFE Index Futures      2        12/19      $ 184,535      $ 195,720      $ 11,185  

At October 31, 2019, the Fund had the following open forward foreign currency contracts:

 

Currency
Purchased
   

Currency

Sold

    Counterparty   Settlement
Date
    Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 
USD     132,524     CHF     131,070     Bank of New York     11/12/19     $ (423)  
USD     4,121,447     CHF     4,096,698     Bank of New York     11/12/19       (33,921)  
USD     491,406     EUR     441,543     Bank of New York     11/12/19       (1,583)  
USD     15,139,920     EUR     13,747,654     Bank of New York     11/12/19       (209,536)  
USD     245,239     JPY     26,609,491     Bank of New York     11/12/19       (1,074)  
USD     7,769,783     JPY     827,060,030     Bank of New York     11/12/19       114,012  
USD     137,731     AUD     201,142     UBS AG     11/12/19       (891)  
USD     4,217,329     AUD     6,246,174     UBS AG     11/12/19       (87,397)  
USD     151,110     CAD     197,879     UBS AG     11/12/19       553  
USD     4,649,550     CAD     6,191,583     UBS AG     11/12/19       (61,321)  
USD     230,841     GBP     179,097     UBS AG     11/12/19       (996)  
USD     6,890,564     GBP     5,547,395     UBS AG     11/12/19       (290,428)  
USD     45,985     HKD     360,581     UBS AG     11/12/19       (18)  
USD     1,432,620     HKD     11,232,026     UBS AG     11/12/19       (354)  
USD     110,347     SEK     1,064,375     UBS AG     11/12/19       (201)  
USD     3,375,124     SEK     33,134,037     UBS AG     11/12/19       (66,267)  
USD     81,984     SGD     111,755     UBS AG     11/12/19       (142)  
USD     2,517,570     SGD     3,472,864     UBS AG     11/12/19       (34,524)  
Total                                   $ (674,511)  

 

See Notes to Financial Statements.

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report  

 

 17 


Schedule of investments (cont’d)

October 31, 2019

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF

 

 

Abbreviations used in this table:

AUD   — Australian Dollar
CAD   — Canadian Dollar
CHF   — Swiss Franc
EUR   — Euro
GBP   — British Pound
HKD   — Hong Kong Dollar
JPY   — Japanese Yen
SEK   — Swedish Krona
SGD   — Singapore Dollar
USD   — United States Dollar

 

Summary of Investments by Country* (unaudited)       
Japan      15.1
United Kingdom      13.5  
Spain      12.0  
Canada      8.9  
Switzerland      8.2  
Australia      8.0  
Italy      6.9  
Germany      5.2  
Singapore      4.9  
Sweden      4.6  
Finland      4.5  
France      2.7  
Netherlands      2.2  
Hong Kong      1.4  
Belgium      0.6  
Luxembourg      0.3  
Portugal      0.2  
Austria      0.1  
New Zealand      0.1  
Denmark      0.1  
China      0.1  
Israel      0.1  
Short-Term Investments      0.3  
       100.0
*

As a percentage of total investments. Please note that the Fund holdings are as of October 31, 2019 and are subject to change.

 

See Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

 18 

   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report


Statement of assets and liabilities

October 31, 2019

 

Assets:         

Investments, at value (Cost — $56,081,839)

   $ 54,037,752  

Foreign currency, at value (Cost — $58,612)

     58,823  

Dividends and interest receivable

     309,732  

Unrealized appreciation on forward foreign currency contracts

     114,565  

Deposits with brokers for open futures contracts

     25,082  

Receivable from broker — variation margin on open futures contracts

     11,185  

Total Assets

     54,557,139  
Liabilities:         

Unrealized depreciation on forward foreign currency contracts

     789,076  

Investment management fee payable

     17,552  

Total Liabilities

     806,628  
Total Net Assets    $ 53,750,511  
Net Assets:         

Par value (Note 5)

   $ 20  

Paid-in capital in excess of par value

     54,889,760  

Total distributable earnings (loss)

     (1,139,269)  
Total Net Assets    $ 53,750,511  
Shares Outstanding      1,980,000  
Net Asset Value      $27.15  

 

See Notes to Financial Statements.

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report  

 

 19 


Statement of operations

For the Year Ended October 31, 2019

 

Investment Income:         

Dividends

   $ 2,617,215  

Interest

     9,509  

Less: Foreign taxes withheld

     (251,396)  

Total Investment Income

     2,375,328  
Expenses:         

Investment management fee (Note 2)

     192,424  

Total Expenses

     192,424  
Net Investment Income      2,182,904  
Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments, Futures Contracts, Forward
Foreign Currency Contracts and Foreign Currency Transactions (Notes 1, 3 and 4):
        

Net Realized Gain (Loss) From:

        

Investment transactions

     (39,640)  

Futures contracts

     (62,532)  

Forward foreign currency contracts

     2,984,441  

Foreign currency transactions

     (740,880)  

Net Realized Gain

     2,141,389  

Change in Net Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) From:

        

Investments

     2,624,516  

Futures contracts

     51,161  

Forward foreign currency contracts

     (1,279,465)  

Foreign currencies

     6,244  

Change in Net Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

     1,402,456  
Net Gain on Investments, Futures Contracts, Forward Foreign Currency Contracts and Foreign Currency Transactions      3,543,845  
Increase in Net Assets From Operations    $ 5,726,749  

 

See Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

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   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report


Statements of changes in net assets

 

For the Years Ended October 31,    2019      2018  
Operations:                  

Net investment income

   $ 2,182,904      $ 2,436,978  

Net realized gain

     2,141,389        3,945,438  

Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

     1,402,456        (7,245,768)  

Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets From Operations

     5,726,749        (863,352)  
Distributions to Shareholders From (Note 1):                  

Total distributable earnings(a)

     (4,262,512)        (2,641,548)  

Decrease in Net Assets From Distributions to Shareholders

     (4,262,512)        (2,641,548)  
Fund Share Transactions (Note 5):                  

Net proceeds from sale of shares (180,000 and 60,000 shares issued, respectively)

     4,715,742        1,705,829  

Cost of shares repurchased (60,000 and 360,000 shares repurchased, respectively)

     (1,573,406)        (9,955,198)  

Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets From Fund Share Transactions

     3,142,336        (8,249,369)  

Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets

     4,606,573        (11,754,269)  
Net Assets:                  

Beginning of year

     49,143,938        60,898,207  

End of year(b)

   $ 53,750,511      $ 49,143,938  

 

(a)  

Distributions from net investment income and from realized gains are no longer required to be separately disclosed (Note 7). For the year ended October 31, 2018, distributions from net investment income were $2,641,548.

 

(b) 

Parenthetical disclosure of undistributed net investment income is no longer required (Note 7). For the year ended October 31, 2018, end of year net assets included undistributed net investment income of $179,829.

 

See Notes to Financial Statements.

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report  

 

 21 


Financial highlights

 

For a share of beneficial interest outstanding throughout each year ended October 31,
unless otherwise noted:

 

 
     20191     20181     20171     20161,2  
Net asset value, beginning of year     $26.42       $28.19       $25.25       $25.18  
Income (loss) from operations:        

Net investment income

    1.18       1.22       0.85       0.17  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)

    1.85       (1.65)       3.21       0.02  

Total income (loss) from operations

    3.03       (0.43)       4.06       0.19  
Less distributions from:        

Net investment income

    (1.16)       (1.34)       (0.90)       (0.12)  

Net realized gains

    (1.14)             (0.22)        

Total distributions

    (2.30)       (1.34)       (1.12)       (0.12)  
Net asset value, end of year     $27.15       $26.42       $28.19       $25.25  

Total return, based on NAV3

    12.65     (1.49)     16.35     0.75
Net assets, end of year (000s)     $53,751       $49,144       $60,898       $3,030  
Ratios to average net assets:        

Gross expenses

    0.40     0.40     0.40     0.40 %4 

Net expenses

    0.40       0.40       0.40       0.40 4  

Net investment income

    4.54       4.46       3.13       2.57 4  
Portfolio turnover rate5     41     41     31     18

 

1 

Per share amounts have been calculated using the average shares method.

 

2 

For the period July 27, 2016 (inception date) to October 31, 2016.

 

3 

Performance figures may reflect fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements. In the absence of fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements, the total return would have been lower. The total return calculation assumes that distributions are reinvested at NAV. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Total returns for periods of less than one year are not annualized.

 

4 

Annualized.

 

5 

Portfolio turnover excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind fund share transactions.

 

See Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

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   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report


Notes to financial statements

 

1. Organization and significant accounting policies

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF (the “Fund”) is a separate diversified investment series of Legg Mason ETF Investment Trust (the “Trust”). The Trust, a Maryland statutory trust, is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company.

The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”). ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly-traded securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents an ownership interest in an underlying portfolio of securities intended to track an index. Unlike shares of a mutual fund, which can be bought from and redeemed by the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on net asset value (“NAV”), shares of the Fund may be directly purchased from and redeemed by the Fund at NAV solely by certain large institutional investors who have entered into agreements with the Fund’s distributor (“Authorized Participants”). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that change throughout the day.

Shares of the Fund are listed and traded at market prices on the Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. The market price for the Fund’s shares may be different from the Fund’s NAV. The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in blocks of a specified number of shares or multiples thereof (“Creation Units”). Only Authorized Participants may purchase or redeem Creation Units directly with the Fund at NAV. Creation Units are issued and redeemed generally in-kind for a basket of securities and/or cash. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares of the Fund are not redeemable securities. Shareholders who are not Authorized Participants may not redeem shares directly from the Fund at NAV.

The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the QS International Low Volatility High Dividend Hedged Index (the “Underlying Index”). The Underlying Index seeks to provide more stable income through investments in stocks of profitable companies in developed markets outside of the United States with relatively high dividend yields or anticipated dividend yields and lower price and earnings volatility, while mitigating exposure to exchange-rate fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and other international currencies and is based on a proprietary methodology created and sponsored by QS Investors, LLC, the Fund’s subadviser.

The following are significant accounting policies consistently followed by the Fund and are in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Estimates and assumptions are required to be made regarding assets, liabilities and changes in net assets resulting from operations when financial statements are prepared. Changes in the economic environment, financial markets and any other parameters used in determining these estimates could cause actual results to differ. Subsequent events have been evaluated through the date the financial statements were issued.

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report  

 

 23 


Notes to financial statements (cont’d)

 

(a) Investment valuation. Equity securities for which market quotations are available are valued at the last reported sales price or official closing price on the primary market or exchange on which they trade. The valuations for fixed income securities (which may include, but are not limited to, corporate, government, municipal, mortgage-backed, collateralized mortgage obligations and asset-backed securities) and certain derivative instruments are typically the prices supplied by independent third party pricing services, which may use market prices or broker/dealer quotations or a variety of valuation techniques and methodologies. The independent third party pricing services use inputs that are observable such as issuer details, interest rates, yield curves, prepayment speeds, credit risks/spreads, default rates and quoted prices for similar securities. Investments in open-end funds are valued at the closing net asset value per share of each fund on the day of valuation. Futures contracts are valued daily at the settlement price established by the board of trade or exchange on which they are traded. When the Fund holds securities or other assets that are denominated in a foreign currency, the Fund will use the currency exchange rates, generally determined as of 4:00 p.m. (London Time). If independent third party pricing services are unable to supply prices for a portfolio investment, or if the prices supplied are deemed by the manager to be unreliable, the market price may be determined by the manager using quotations from one or more broker/dealers or at the transaction price if the security has recently been purchased and no value has yet been obtained from a pricing service or pricing broker. When reliable prices are not readily available, such as when the value of a security has been significantly affected by events after the close of the exchange or market on which the security is principally traded, but before the Fund calculates its net asset value, the Fund values these securities as determined in accordance with procedures approved by the Fund’s Board of Trustees.

The Board of Trustees is responsible for the valuation process and has delegated the supervision of the daily valuation process to the Legg Mason North Atlantic Fund Valuation Committee (the “Valuation Committee”). The Valuation Committee, pursuant to the policies adopted by the Board of Trustees, is responsible for making fair value determinations, evaluating the effectiveness of the Fund’s pricing policies, and reporting to the Board of Trustees. When determining the reliability of third party pricing information for investments owned by the Fund, the Valuation Committee, among other things, conducts due diligence reviews of pricing vendors, monitors the daily change in prices and reviews transactions among market participants.

The Valuation Committee will consider pricing methodologies it deems relevant and appropriate when making fair value determinations. Examples of possible methodologies include, but are not limited to, multiple of earnings; discount from market of a similar freely traded security; discounted cash-flow analysis; book value or a multiple thereof; risk premium/yield analysis; yield to maturity; and/or fundamental investment analysis. The Valuation Committee will also consider factors it deems relevant and appropriate in light of the facts and circumstances. Examples of possible factors include, but are not limited to, the type of security; the issuer’s financial statements; the purchase price of the security; the discount

 

 

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   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report


from market value of unrestricted securities of the same class at the time of purchase; analysts’ research and observations from financial institutions; information regarding any transactions or offers with respect to the security; the existence of merger proposals or tender offers affecting the security; the price and extent of public trading in similar securities of the issuer or comparable companies; and the existence of a shelf registration for restricted securities.

For each portfolio security that has been fair valued pursuant to the policies adopted by the Board of Trustees, the fair value price is compared against the last available and next available market quotations. The Valuation Committee reviews the results of such back testing monthly and fair valuation occurrences are reported to the Board of Trustees quarterly.

The Fund uses valuation techniques to measure fair value that are consistent with the market approach and/or income approach, depending on the type of security and the particular circumstance. The market approach uses prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions involving identical or comparable securities. The income approach uses valuation techniques to discount estimated future cash flows to present value.

GAAP establishes a disclosure hierarchy that categorizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to value assets and liabilities at measurement date. These inputs are summarized in the three broad levels listed below:

 

 

Level 1 — quoted prices in active markets for identical investments

 

 

Level 2 — other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

 

 

Level 3 — significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The inputs or methodologies used to value securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

The following is a summary of the inputs used in valuing the Fund’s assets and liabilities carried at fair value:

 

ASSETS  
Description   Quoted Prices
(Level 1)
    Other Significant
Observable Inputs
(Level 2)
    Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)
    Total  
Long-Term Investments†:                                

Common Stocks

  $ 53,796,220                 $ 53,796,220  

Preferred Stocks

    88,330                   88,330  

Rights

        $ 444             444  
Total Long-Term Investments     53,884,550       444             53,884,994  
Short-Term Investments†     152,758                   152,758  
Total Investments   $ 54,037,308     $ 444           $ 54,037,752  

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report  

 

 25 


Notes to financial statements (cont’d)

 

ASSETS (cont’d)  
Description   Quoted Prices
(Level 1)
    Other Significant
Observable Inputs
(Level 2)
    Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)
    Total  
Other Financial Instruments:                                

Futures Contracts

  $ 11,185     $           $ 11,185  

Forward Foreign Currency Contracts

        $ 114,565             114,565  
Total Other Financial Instruments   $ 11,185     $ 114,565           $ 125,750  
Total   $ 54,048,493     $ 115,009           $ 54,163,502  
LIABILITIES  
Description   Quoted Prices
(Level 1)
    Other Significant
Observable Inputs
(Level 2)
    Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)
    Total  
Other Financial Instruments:                                

Forward Foreign Currency Contracts

        $ 789,076           $ 789,076  

 

See Schedule of Investments for additional detailed categorizations.

(b) Futures contracts. The Fund uses futures contracts generally to gain or manage exposure to certain asset classes, sectors, or markets or for cash management purposes. A futures contract represents a commitment for the future purchase or sale of an asset at a specified price on a specified date.

Upon entering into a futures contract, the Fund is required to deposit cash or securities with a broker in an amount equal to a certain percentage of the contract amount. This is known as the ‘‘initial margin’’ and subsequent payments (‘‘variation margin’’) are made or received by the Fund each day, depending on the daily fluctuation in the value of the contract. For certain futures, including foreign denominated futures, variation margin is not settled daily, but is recorded as a net variation margin payable or receivable. The daily changes in contract value are recorded as unrealized gains or losses in the Statement of Operations and the Fund recognizes a realized gain or loss when the contract is closed.

Futures contracts involve, to varying degrees, risk of loss in excess of the amounts reflected in the financial statements. In addition, there is the risk that the Fund may not be able to enter into a closing transaction because of an illiquid secondary market.

(c) Forward foreign currency contracts. The Fund enters into a forward foreign currency contract to hedge against foreign currency exchange rate risk on its non-U.S. dollar denominated securities or to facilitate settlement of a foreign currency denominated portfolio transactions. A forward foreign currency contract is an agreement between two parties to buy and sell a currency at a set price with delivery and settlement at a future date. The contract is marked-to-market daily and the change in value is recorded by the Fund as an

 

 

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   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report


unrealized gain or loss. When a forward foreign currency contract is closed, through either delivery or offset by entering into another forward foreign currency contract, the Fund recognizes a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the value of the contract at the time it was opened and the value of the contract at the time it is closed.

Non-deliverable forward foreign currency exchange contracts are settled with the counterparty in cash without the delivery of foreign currency.

Forward foreign currency contracts involve elements of market risk in excess of the amounts reflected on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. The Fund bears the risk of an unfavorable change in the foreign exchange rate underlying the forward foreign currency contract. Risks may also arise upon entering into these contracts from the potential inability of the counterparties to meet the terms of their contracts.

(d) Foreign currency translation. Investment securities and other assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollar amounts based upon prevailing exchange rates on the date of valuation. Purchases and sales of investment securities and income and expense items denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollar amounts based upon prevailing exchange rates on the respective dates of such transactions.

The Fund does not isolate that portion of the results of operations resulting from fluctuations in foreign exchange rates on investments from the fluctuations arising from changes in market prices of securities held. Such fluctuations are included with the net realized and unrealized gain or loss on investments.

Net realized foreign exchange gains or losses arise from sales of foreign currencies, including gains and losses on forward foreign currency contracts, currency gains or losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on securities transactions, and the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest, and foreign withholding taxes recorded on the Fund’s books and the U.S. dollar equivalent of the amounts actually received or paid. Net unrealized foreign exchange gains and losses arise from changes in the values of assets and liabilities, other than investments in securities, on the date of valuation, resulting from changes in exchange rates.

Foreign security and currency transactions may involve certain considerations and risks not typically associated with those of U.S. dollar denominated transactions as a result of, among other factors, the possibility of lower levels of governmental supervision and regulation of foreign securities markets and the possibility of political or economic instability.

(e) Foreign investment risks. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities may involve risks not present in domestic investments. Since securities may be denominated in foreign currencies, may require settlement in foreign currencies or pay interest or dividends in foreign currencies, changes in the relationship of these foreign currencies to the U.S. dollar can significantly affect the value of the investments and earnings of the Fund. Foreign

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report  

 

 27 


Notes to financial statements (cont’d)

 

investments may also subject the Fund to foreign government exchange restrictions, expropriation, taxation or other political, social or economic developments, all of which affect the market and/or credit risk of the investments.

(f) Counterparty risk and credit-risk-related contingent features of derivative instruments. The Fund may invest in certain securities or engage in other transactions, where the Fund is exposed to counterparty credit risk in addition to broader market risks. The Fund may invest in securities of issuers, which may also be considered counterparties as trading partners in other transactions. This may increase the risk of loss in the event of default or bankruptcy by the counterparty or if the counterparty otherwise fails to meet its contractual obligations. The Fund’s subadviser attempts to mitigate counterparty risk by (i) periodically assessing the creditworthiness of its trading partners, (ii) monitoring and/or limiting the amount of its net exposure to each individual counterparty based on its assessment and (iii) requiring collateral from the counterparty for certain transactions. Market events and changes in overall economic conditions may impact the assessment of such counterparty risk by the subadviser. In addition, declines in the values of underlying collateral received may expose the Fund to increased risk of loss.

With exchange traded and centrally cleared derivatives, there is less counterparty risk to the Fund since the exchange or clearinghouse, as counterparty to such instruments, guarantees against a possible default. The clearinghouse stands between the buyer and the seller of the contract; therefore, the credit risk is limited to failure of the clearinghouse. While offset rights may exist under applicable law, the Fund does not have a contractual right of offset against a clearing broker or clearinghouse in the event of a default of the clearing broker or clearinghouse.

The Fund has entered into master agreements, such as an International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. Master Agreement (“ISDA Master Agreement”) or similar agreement, with certain of its derivative counterparties that govern over-the-counter derivatives and provide for general obligations, representations, agreements, collateral posting terms, netting provisions in the event of default or termination and credit related contingent features. The credit related contingent features include, but are not limited to, a percentage decrease in the Fund’s net assets or NAV over a specified period of time. If these credit related contingent features were triggered, the derivatives counterparty could terminate the positions and demand payment or require additional collateral.

Under an ISDA Master Agreement, the Fund may, under certain circumstances, offset with the counterparty certain derivative financial instruments’ payables and/or receivables with collateral held and/or posted and create one single net payment. However, absent an event of default by the counterparty or a termination of the agreement, the terms of the ISDA Master Agreements do not result in an offset of reported amounts of financial assets and financial liabilities in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities across transactions between the Fund and the applicable counterparty. The enforceability of the right to offset may vary by jurisdiction.

 

 

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   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report


Collateral requirements differ by type of derivative. Collateral or margin requirements are set by the broker or exchange clearinghouse for exchange traded derivatives while collateral terms are contract specific for over-the-counter traded derivatives. Cash collateral that has been pledged to cover obligations of the Fund under derivative contracts, if any, will be reported separately in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Securities pledged as collateral, if any, for the same purpose are noted in the Schedule of Investments.

As of October 31, 2019, the Fund held forward foreign currency contracts with credit related contingent features which had a net liability position of $789,076. If a contingent feature in the master agreements would have been triggered, the Fund would have been required to pay this amount to its derivatives counterparties.

(g) Security transactions and investment income. Security transactions are accounted for on a trade date basis. Interest income (including interest income from payment-in-kind securities), adjusted for amortization of premium and accretion of discount, is recorded on the accrual basis. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date for dividends received in cash and/or securities. Foreign dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date or as soon as practicable after the Fund determines the existence of a dividend declaration after exercising reasonable due diligence. The cost of investments sold is determined by use of the specific identification method. To the extent any issuer defaults or a credit event occurs that impacts the issuer, the Fund may halt any additional interest income accruals and consider the realizability of interest accrued up to the date of default or credit event.

(h) Distributions to shareholders. Distributions from net investment income of the Fund, if any, are declared and paid on a quarterly basis. Distributions of net realized gains, if any, are declared at least annually. Distributions to shareholders of the Fund are recorded on the ex-dividend date and are determined in accordance with income tax regulations, which may differ from GAAP.

(i) Federal and other taxes. It is the Fund’s policy to comply with the federal income and excise tax requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), as amended, applicable to regulated investment companies. Accordingly, the Fund intends to distribute its taxable income and net realized gains, if any, to shareholders in accordance with timing requirements imposed by the Code. Therefore, no federal or state income tax provision is required in the Fund’s financial statements.

Management has analyzed the Fund’s tax positions taken on income tax returns for all open tax years and has concluded that as of October 31, 2019, no provision for income tax is required in the Fund’s financial statements. The Fund’s federal and state income and federal excise tax returns for tax years for which the applicable statutes of limitations have not expired are subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service and state departments of revenue.

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report  

 

 29 


Notes to financial statements (cont’d)

 

Under the applicable foreign tax laws, a withholding tax may be imposed on interest, dividends and capital gains at various rates.

(j) Reclassification. GAAP requires that certain components of net assets be reclassified to reflect permanent differences between financial and tax reporting. These reclassifications have no effect on net assets or net asset value per share. During the current year ended, the following reclassifications have been made:

 

        Total Distributable
Earnings (Loss)
       Paid-in
Capital
 
(a)      $ (55,488)        $ 55,488  

 

(a)  

Reclassifications are due to book/tax differences in the treatment of an in-kind distribution of securities.

2. Investment management agreement and other transactions with affiliates

Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC (“LMPFA”) is the Fund’s investment manager and QS Investors, LLC (“QS Investors”) is the Fund’s subadviser. Western Asset Management Company, LLC (“Western Asset”) manages the portion of the Fund’s cash and short-term instruments allocated to it. LMPFA, QS Investors and Western Asset are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Legg Mason, Inc. (“Legg Mason”).

LMPFA provides administrative and certain oversight services to the Fund. LMPFA delegates to the subadviser the day-to-day portfolio management of the Fund. The Fund is responsible for paying interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future 12b-1 fees (if any), acquired fund fees and expenses, extraordinary expenses and the management fee payable to LMPFA under the investment management agreement.

Under the investment management agreement and subject to the general supervision of the Fund’s Board of Trustees, LMPFA provides or causes to be furnished all investment management, supervisory, administrative and other services reasonably necessary for the operation of the Fund, including certain distribution services (provided pursuant to a separate distribution agreement) and investment advisory services (provided pursuant to separate subadvisory agreements) under a unitary fee structure. The Fund pays an investment management fee, calculated daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate of 0.40% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

As compensation for its subadvisory services, LMPFA pays QS Investors monthly 90% of the management fee paid by the Fund to LMPFA, net of (i) all fees and expenses incurred by LMPFA under the investment management agreement (including without limitation any subadvisory fee paid to another subadviser to the Fund) and (ii) expense waivers, if any, and reimbursements. LMPFA pays Western Asset monthly a fee of 0.02% of the portion of the Fund’s average daily net assets allocated to Western Asset for the management of cash and other short-term instruments, net of expense waivers, if any, and reimbursements.

Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC, a wholly-owned broker-dealer subsidiary of Legg Mason, serves as the distributor of Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis.

 

 

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   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report


The Fund’s Board of Trustees has adopted a Rule 12b-1 shareholder services and distribution plan and under that plan, the Fund is authorized to pay service and/or distribution fees calculated at an annual rate of up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets. No service and/or distribution fees are currently paid by the Fund, and there are no current plans to impose these fees.

All officers and one Trustee of the Trust are employees of Legg Mason or its affiliates and do not receive compensation from the Trust.

3. Investments

During the year ended October 31, 2019, the aggregate cost of purchases and proceeds from sales of investments (excluding in-kind transactions and short-term investments) were as follows:

 

Purchases      $ 20,000,560  
Sales        19,516,557  

During the year ended October 31, 2019, in-kind transactions (Note 5) were as follows:

 

Contributions      $ 4,721,640  
Redemptions        1,577,288  
Realized gain (loss)*        58,369  

 

*

Net realized gains on redemptions in-kind are not taxable to the remaining shareholders of the Fund.

The in-kind contributions and in-kind redemptions shown in this table may not agree with the Fund Share Transactions on the Statement of Changes in Net Assets. This table represents the accumulation of the Fund’s daily net shareholder transactions while the Statement of Changes in Net Assets reflects gross shareholder transactions including any cash component of the transactions.

At October 31, 2019, the aggregate cost of investments and the aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation of investments for federal income tax purposes were as follows:

 

      Cost      Gross
Unrealized
Appreciation
     Gross
Unrealized
Depreciation
    

Net

Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)

 
Securities    $ 56,776,332      $ 2,133,295      $ (4,871,875)      $ (2,738,580)  
Futures contracts             11,185               11,185  
Forward foreign currency contracts             114,565        (789,076)        (674,511)  

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report  

 

 31 


Notes to financial statements (cont’d)

 

4. Derivative instruments and hedging activities

Below is a table, grouped by derivative type, that provides information about the fair value and the location of derivatives within the Statement of Assets and Liabilities at October 31, 2019.

 

ASSET DERIVATIVES1  
      Foreign
Exchange Risk
     Equity
Risk
     Total  
Futures contracts2           $ 11,185      $ 11,185  
Forward foreign currency contracts    $ 114,565               114,565  
Total    $ 114,565      $ 11,185      $ 125,750  

 

LIABILITY DERIVATIVES1

 
      Foreign
Exchange
Risk
 
Forward foreign currency contracts    $ 789,076  

 

1  

Generally, the balance sheet location for asset derivatives is receivables/net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) and for liability derivatives is payables/net unrealized appreciation (depreciation).

 

2 

Includes cumulative appreciation (depreciation) of futures contracts as reported in the Schedule of Investments. Only variation margin is reported within the receivables and/or payables on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

The following tables provide information about the effect of derivatives and hedging activities on the Fund’s Statement of Operations for the year ended October 31, 2019. The first table provides additional detail about the amounts and sources of gains (losses) realized on derivatives during the period. The second table provides additional information about the change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) resulting from the Fund’s derivatives and hedging activities during the period.

 

AMOUNT OF REALIZED GAIN (LOSS) ON DERIVATIVES RECOGNIZED  
      Foreign
Exchange Risk
     Equity
Risk
     Total  
Futures contracts           $ (62,532)      $ (62,532)  
Forward foreign currency contracts    $ 2,984,441               2,984,441  
Total    $ 2,984,441      $ (62,532)      $ 2,921,909  

 

CHANGE IN UNREALIZED APPRECIATION (DEPRECIATION) ON DERIVATIVES RECOGNIZED  
      Foreign
Exchange Risk
     Equity
Risk
     Total  
Futures contracts           $ 51,161      $ 51,161  
Forward foreign currency contracts    $ (1,279,465)               (1,279,465)  
Total    $ (1,279,465)      $ 51,161      $ (1,228,304)  

 

 

 32 

   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report


During the year ended October 31, 2019, the volume of derivative activity for the Fund was as follows:

 

        Average Market
Value
 
Futures contracts (to buy)      $ 350,127  
Forward foreign currency contracts (to buy)        210,417  
Forward foreign currency contracts (to sell)        48,036,908  

The following table presents the Fund’s OTC derivative assets and liabilities by counterparty net of amounts available for offset under an ISDA Master Agreement and net of the related collateral pledged (received) by the Fund as of October 31, 2019.

 

Counterparty    Gross Assets
Subject to
Master
Agreements1
     Gross
Liabilities
Subject to
Master
Agreements1
     Net Assets
(Liabilities)
Subject to
Master
Agreements
     Collateral
Pledged
(Received)
     Net
Amount2
 
Bank of New York    $ 114,012      $ (246,537)      $ (132,525)             $ (132,525)  
UBS AG      553        (542,539)        (541,986)               (541,986)  
Total    $ 114,565      $ (789,076)      $ (674,511)             $ (674,511)  

 

1  

Absent an event of default or early termination, derivative assets and liabilities are presented gross and not offset in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

 

2 

Represents the net amount receivable (payable) from (to) the counterparty in the event of default.

5. Fund share transactions

At October 31, 2019, the Trust had an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest authorized with a par value of $0.00001 per share. Fund shares are issued and redeemed by the Fund only in Creation Units or Creation Unit aggregations, where 60,000 shares of the Fund constitute a Creation Unit. Such transactions are generally on an in-kind basis, with a separate cash payment, which is a balancing cash component to equate the transaction to the net asset value per share of the Fund on the transaction date. Transactions in capital shares of the Fund are disclosed in detail in the Statement of Changes in Net Assets. Authorized Participants are subject to standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. Creations and redemptions for cash (when cash creations and redemptions are available or specified) may be subject to an additional variable fee.

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report  

 

 33 


Notes to financial statements (cont’d)

 

6. Income tax information and distributions to shareholders

The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal years ended October 31, was as follows:

 

        2019        2018  
Distributions paid from:                      
Ordinary income      $ 3,510,848        $ 2,641,548  
Net long-term capital gains        751,664           
Total distributions paid      $ 4,262,512        $ 2,641,548  

As of October 31, 2019, the components of accumulated earnings (losses) on a tax basis were as follows:

 

Undistributed ordinary income — net      $ 1,409,285  
Undistributed long-term capital gains — net        224,634  
Total undistributed earnings      $ 1,633,919  
Other book/tax temporary differences(a)        628,290  
Unrealized appreciation (depreciation)(b)        (3,401,478)  
Total accumulated earnings (losses) — net      $ (1,139,269)  

 

(a)  

Other book/tax temporary differences are attributable to the realization for tax purposes of unrealized gains (losses) on certain futures and foreign currency contracts and book/tax differences in the timing of the deductibility of various expenses.

 

(b) 

The difference between book-basis and tax-basis unrealized appreciation (depreciation) is attributable to the tax deferral of losses on wash sales and the realization for tax purposes of unrealized gains on investments in foreign passive investment companies.

7. Recent accounting pronouncements

The Fund has adopted the disclosure provisions of the Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Update No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) Disclosure Framework Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement (“ASU 2018-13”) which introduces new fair value disclosure requirements as well as eliminates and modifies certain existing fair value disclosure requirements. ASU 2018-13 would be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years; however, management has elected to early adopt ASU 2018-13. The impact of the Fund’s adoption was limited to changes in the Fund’s financial statement disclosures regarding fair value, primarily those disclosures related to transfers between levels of the fair value hierarchy.

In August 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission released its Final Rule on Disclosure Update and Simplification (the “Final Rule”) which is intended to simplify an issuer’s disclosure compliance efforts by removing redundant or outdated disclosure requirements without significantly altering the mix of information provided to investors. Effective with the current reporting period, the Fund adopted the Final Rule with the most notable impacts

 

 

 34 

   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report


being that the Fund is no longer required to present the components of distributable earnings on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities or the sources of distributions to shareholders and the amount of undistributed net investment income on the Statements of Changes in Net Assets. The tax components of distributable earnings and distributions to shareholders continue to be disclosed within the Notes to Financial Statements.

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report  

 

 35 


Report of independent registered public accounting firm

 

To the Board of Trustees of Legg Mason ETF Investment Trust and Shareholders of Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the schedule of investments, of Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF (one of the funds constituting Legg Mason ETF Investment Trust, referred to hereafter as the “Fund”) as of October 31, 2019, the related statement of operations for the year ended October 31, 2019, the statement of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period ended October 31, 2019, including the related notes, and financial highlights for each of the three years in the period ended October 31, 2019 (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund as of October 31, 2019, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period ended October 31, 2019 and financial highlights for each of the three years in the period ended October 31, 2019 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

The financial statements and financial highlights of the Fund as of October 31, 2016 and for the period July 27, 2016 (inception date) through October 31, 2016 (not presented herein, other than the financial highlights) were audited by other auditors whose report dated December 21, 2016 expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements and financial highlights.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Fund in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of October 31, 2019 by correspondence with the custodian and brokers; where replies were not received from brokers, we performed other auditing procedures. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Baltimore, Maryland

December 18, 2019

We have served as the auditor of one or more investment companies in Legg Mason investment company group since at least 1973. We have not been able to determine the specific year we began serving as auditor.

 

 

 36 

   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF 2019 Annual Report


Additional information (unaudited)

Information about Trustees and Officers

 

The business and affairs of Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF (the “Fund”) are conducted by management under the supervision and subject to the direction of its Board of Trustees. The business address of each Trustee is c/o Jane Trust, Legg Mason, 100 International Drive, 11th Floor, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. Information pertaining to the Trustees and officers of the Fund is set forth below.

The Statement of Additional Information includes additional information about Trustees and is available, without charge, upon request by calling the Fund at 1-877-721-1926.

 

Independent Trustees    
Paul R. Ades  
Year of birth   1940
Position(s) with Trust   Trustee
Term of office1 and length of time served2   Since 1983
Principal occupation(s) during the past five years   Paul R. Ades, PLLC (law firm) (since 2000)
Number of funds in fund complex overseen by Trustee   44
Other board memberships held by Trustee during the past five years   None
Andrew L. Breech  
Year of birth   1952
Position(s) with Trust   Trustee
Term of office1 and length of time served2   Since 1991
Principal occupation(s) during the past five years   President, Dealer Operating Control Service, Inc. (automotive retail management) (since 1985)
Number of funds in fund complex overseen by Trustee   44
Other board memberships held by Trustee during the past five years   None
Dwight B. Crane  
Year of birth   1937
Position(s) with Trust   Trustee
Term of office1 and length of time served2   Since 1981
Principal occupation(s) during the past five years   Professor Emeritus, Harvard Business School (since 2007); formerly, Professor, Harvard Business School (1969 to 2007); Independent Consultant (since 1969)
Number of funds in fund complex overseen by Trustee   44
Other board memberships held by Trustee during the past five years   None

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF  

 

 37 


Additional information (unaudited) (cont’d)

Information about Trustees and Officers

 

Independent Trustees (cont’d)    
Althea L. Duersten  
Year of birth   1951
Position(s) with Trust   Trustee
Term of office1 and length of time served2   Since 2014
Principal occupation(s) during the past five years   Retired (since 2011); formerly, Chief Investment Officer, North America, JPMorgan Chase (investment bank) and member of JPMorgan Executive Committee (2007 to 2011)
Number of funds in fund complex overseen by Trustee   44
Other board memberships held by Trustee during the past five years   Non-Executive Director, Rokos Capital Management LLP (since 2019)
Stephen R. Gross*  
Year of birth   1947
Position(s) with Trust   Trustee
Term of office1 and length of time served2   Since 1986
Principal occupation(s) during the past five years   Chairman Emeritus (since 2011) and formerly, Chairman, HLB Gross Collins, P.C. (accounting and consulting firm) (1979 to 2011); Executive Director of Business Builders Team, LLC (since 2005); Principal, Gross Consulting Group, LLC (since 2011); CEO, Gross Capital Partners, LLC (since 2014); CEO, Trusted CFO Solutions, LLC (since 2011)
Number of funds in fund complex overseen by Trustee   90
Other board memberships held by Trustee during the past five years   None
Susan M. Heilbron*  
Year of birth   1945
Position(s) with Trust   Trustee
Term of office1 and length of time served2   Since 1994
Principal occupation(s) during the past five years   Retired; formerly, President, Lacey & Heilbron (communications consulting) (1990 to 2002); General Counsel and Executive Vice President, The Trump Organization (1986 to 1990); Senior Vice President, New York State Urban Development Corporation (1984 to 1986); Associate, Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP (1980 to 1984) and (1977 to 1979)
Number of funds in fund complex overseen by Trustee   90
Other board memberships held by Trustee during the past five years   Formerly, Director, Lincoln Savings Bank, FSB (1991 to 1994); Director, Trump Shuttle, Inc. (air transportation) (1989 to 1990); Director, Alexander’s Inc. (department store) (1987 to 1990)

 

 

 38 

   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF


 

 

Independent Trustees (cont’d)    
Frank G. Hubbard  
Year of birth   1937
Position(s) with Trust   Trustee
Term of office1 and length of time served2   Since 1993
Principal occupation(s) during the past five years   President, Fealds, Inc. (business development) (since 2016); formerly, President, Avatar International Inc. (business development) (1998 to 2015)
Number of funds in fund complex overseen by Trustee   44
Other board memberships held by Trustee during the past five years   None
Howard J. Johnson  
Year of birth   1938
Position(s) with Trust   Trustee and Chairman
Term of office1 and length of time served2 Principal occupation(s) during the past five years   From 1981 to 1998 and since 2000 (Chairman since 2013) Retired; formerly, Chief Executive Officer, Genesis Imaging LLC (technology company) (2003 to 2012)
Number of funds in fund complex overseen by Trustee   44
Other board memberships held by Trustee during the past five years   None
Jerome H. Miller  
Year of birth   1938
Position(s) with Trust   Trustee
Term of office1 and length of time served2   Since 1995
Principal occupation(s) during the past five years   Retired; formerly, Vice Chairman, Shearson Lehman Hutton Inc. (1989 to 1992) and Senior Executive Vice President, E.F. Hutton Group Inc. (1986 to 1989)
Number of funds in fund complex overseen by Trustee   44
Other board memberships held by Trustee during the past five years   None
Ken Miller  
Year of birth   1942
Position(s) with Trust   Trustee
Term of office1 and length of time served2   Since 1983
Principal occupation(s) during the past five years   Retired; formerly, President, Young Stuff Apparel Group, Inc. (apparel manufacturer), division of Li & Fung (1963 to 2012)
Number of funds in fund complex overseen by Trustee   44
Other board memberships held by Trustee during the past five years   None

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF  

 

 39 


Additional information (unaudited) (cont’d)

Information about Trustees and Officers

 

Independent Trustees (cont’d)    
Thomas F. Schlafly  
Year of birth   1948
Position(s) with Trust   Trustee
Term of office1 and length of time served2   Since 1983
Principal occupation(s) during the past five years   Chairman, The Saint Louis Brewery, LLC (brewery) (since 2012); formerly, President, The Saint Louis Brewery, Inc. (1989 to 2012); Senior Counsel (since 2017) and formerly, Partner (2009 to 2016), Thompson Coburn LLP (law firm)
Number of funds in fund complex overseen by Trustee   44
Other board memberships held by Trustee during the past five years   Director, Citizens National Bank of Greater St. Louis (since 2006)
 
Interested Trustee and Officer    
Jane Trust, CFA3  
Year of birth   1962
Position(s) with Trust   Trustee, President and Chief Executive Officer
Term of office1 and length of time served2   Since 2015
Principal occupation(s) during the past five years   Senior Managing Director of Legg Mason & Co., LLC (“Legg Mason & Co.”) (since 2018); Managing Director of Legg Mason & Co. (2016 to 2018); Officer and/or Trustee/Director of 145 funds associated with Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC (“LMPFA”) or its affiliates (since 2015); President and Chief Executive Officer of LMPFA (since 2015); formerly, Senior Vice President of LMPFA (2015); Director of ClearBridge, LLC (formerly, Legg Mason Capital Management, LLC) (2007 to 2014); Managing Director of Legg Mason Investment Counsel & Trust Co. (2000 to 2007)
Number of funds in fund complex overseen by Trustee   136
Other board memberships held by Trustee during the past five years   None
 
Additional Officers    

Ted P. Becker

Legg Mason

620 Eighth Avenue, 49th Floor, New York, NY 10018

 
Year of birth   1951
Position(s) with Trust   Chief Compliance Officer
Term of office1 and length of time served2   Since 2007
Principal occupation(s) during the past five years   Director of Global Compliance at Legg Mason (since 2006); Chief Compliance Officer of LMPFA (since 2006); Managing Director of Compliance of Legg Mason & Co. (since 2005); Chief Compliance Officer of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. or its affiliates (since 2006)

 

 

 40 

   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF


 

Additional Officers (cont’d)    

Susan Kerr

Legg Mason

620 Eighth Avenue, 49th Floor, New York, NY 10018

 
Year of birth   1949
Position(s) with Trust   Chief Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer
Term of office1 and length of time served2   Since 2013
Principal occupation(s) during the past five years   Assistant Vice President of Legg Mason & Co. and Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC (“LMIS”) (since 2010); Chief Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. or its affiliates (since 2013) and Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer of LMIS (since 2012); Senior Compliance Officer of LMIS (since 2011); formerly, AML Consultant, DTCC (2010); AML Consultant, Rabobank Netherlands, (2009); First Vice President, Director of Marketing & Advertising Compliance and Manager of Communications Review Group at Citigroup Inc. (1996 to 2008)

Jenna Bailey

Legg Mason

100 First Stamford Place, 5th Floor, Stamford, CT 06902

 
Year of birth   1978
Position(s) with Trust   Identity Theft Prevention Officer
Term of office1 and length of time served2   Since 2015
Principal occupation(s) during the past five years   Identity Theft Prevention Officer of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. or its affiliates (since 2015); Compliance Officer of Legg Mason & Co. (since 2013); Assistant Vice President of Legg Mason & Co. (since 2011); formerly, Associate Compliance Officer of Legg Mason & Co. (2011 to 2013)

Robert I. Frenkel

Legg Mason

100 First Stamford Place, 6th Floor, Stamford, CT 06902

 
Year of birth   1954
Position(s) with Trust   Secretary and Chief Legal Officer
Term of office1 and length of time served2   Since 2007
Principal occupation(s) during the past five years   Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Legg Mason, Inc. (since 2006); Managing Director and General Counsel — U.S. Mutual Funds for Legg Mason & Co. (since 2006) and Legg Mason & Co. predecessors (since 1994); Secretary and Chief Legal Officer of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. or its affiliates (since 2006) and Legg Mason & Co. predecessors (prior to 2006)

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF  

 

 41 


Additional information (unaudited) (cont’d)

Information about Trustees and Officers

 

Additional Officers (cont’d)    

Thomas C. Mandia

Legg Mason
100 First Stamford Place, 6th Floor, Stamford, CT 06902

 
Year of birth   1962
Position(s) with Trust   Assistant Secretary
Term of office1 and length of time served2   Since 2007
Principal occupation(s) during the past five years   Managing Director and Deputy General Counsel of Legg Mason & Co. (since 2005) and Legg Mason & Co. predecessors (prior to 2005); Secretary of LMPFA (since 2006); Assistant Secretary of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. or its affiliates (since 2006) and Legg Mason & Co. predecessors (prior to 2006); Secretary of LM Asset Services, LLC (“LMAS”) (since 2002) and Legg Mason Fund Asset Management, Inc. (“LMFAM”) (since 2013) (formerly registered investment advisers)

Christopher Berarducci**

Legg Mason
620 Eighth Avenue, 49th Floor, New York, NY 10018

 
Year of birth   1974
Position(s) with Trust   Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer
Term of office1 and length of time served2   Since 2014 and 2019
Principal occupation(s) during the past five years   Treasurer (since 2010) and Principal Financial Officer (since 2019) of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. or its affiliates; Director of Legg Mason & Co. (since 2015); formerly, Vice President of Legg Mason & Co. (2011 to 2015); Assistant Controller of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. or its affiliates (prior to 2010)

Jeanne M. Kelly

Legg Mason
620 Eighth Avenue, 49th Floor, New York, NY 10018

 
Year of birth   1951
Position(s) with Trust   Senior Vice President
Term of office1 and length of time served2   Since 2007
Principal occupation(s) during the past five years   Senior Vice President of certain mutual funds associated with Legg Mason & Co. or its affiliates (since 2007); Senior Vice President of LMPFA (since 2006); President and Chief Executive Officer of LMAS and LMFAM (since 2015); Managing Director of Legg Mason & Co. (since 2005) and Legg Mason & Co. predecessors (prior to 2005); formerly, Senior Vice President of LMFAM (2013 to 2015)

 

Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Fund within the meaning of Section 2(a)(19) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).

 

*

Effective February 6, 2019, Mr. Gross and Ms. Heilbron became Trustees on this Board and an additional Board within the Legg Mason fund complex, which is reflected in the “Number of funds in fund complex overseen by Trustee”.

 

 

 42 

   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF


 

**

Effective September 27, 2019, Mr. Berarducci became Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer.

 

1 

Each Trustee and officer serves until his or her respective successor has been duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier death, resignation, retirement or removal.

 

2 

Indicates the earliest year in which the Trustee became a board member for a fund in the Legg Mason fund complex or the officer took such office.

 

3 

Ms. Trust is an “interested person” of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act, because of her position with LMPFA and/or certain of its affiliates.

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF  

 

 43 


Important tax information (unaudited)

 

The following information is provided with respect to the distributions paid during the taxable year ended October 31, 2019:

 

Record date:      12/27/2018        3/8/2019        6/7/2019        9/6/2019  
Payable date:      12/31/2018        3/12/2019        6/11/2019        9/10/2019  
Ordinary income:                                    

Qualified Dividend Income for Individuals*

     54.10      58.99      58.99      58.99
Foreign Source Income*      72.36      66.39      66.39      66.39
Foreign Taxes Paid Per Share      $0.047996        $0.020915        $0.019680        0.011762  
Long-Term Capital Gain Dividend      $0.404120                             
Qualified Short-Term Capital Gain Dividend**      $0.735940                             

 

*

Expressed as a percentage of the cash distributions grossed-up for foreign taxes.

 

**

Qualified Short-Term Capital Gains eligible for exemption from U.S. withholding tax for nonresident shareholders and foreign corporations.

The foreign taxes paid represent taxes incurred by the Fund on income received by the Fund from foreign sources. Foreign taxes paid may be included in the taxable income with an offsetting deduction from gross income or may be taken as a credit for taxes paid to foreign governments. You should consult your tax adviser regarding the appropriate treatment of foreign taxes paid.

Please retain this information for your records.

 

 

 44 

   Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF


Legg Mason

International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF

 

Trustees

Paul R. Ades

Andrew L. Breech

Dwight B. Crane

Althea L. Duersten

Stephen R. Gross*

Susan M. Heilbron*

Frank G. Hubbard

Howard J. Johnson

Chairman

Jerome H. Miller

Ken Miller

Thomas F. Schlafly

Jane Trust

 

*

Effective February 6, 2019, Mr. Gross and Ms. Heilbron became Trustees.

 

Investment manager

Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC

Subadviser

QS Investors, LLC

Custodian

The Bank of New York Mellon

Transfer agent

The Bank of New York Mellon

240 Greenwich Street

New York, NY 10286

Independent registered public accounting firm

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Baltimore, MD

 

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF

The Fund is a separate investment series of Legg Mason ETF Investment Trust, a Maryland statutory trust.

Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF

Legg Mason Funds

620 Eighth Avenue, 49th Floor

New York, NY 10018

 

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. Previously, the Fund filed a complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. The Fund’s Forms N-PORT and N-Q are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. To obtain information on Forms N-PORT and N-Q, shareholders can call the Fund at 1-877-721-1926.

Information on how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the prior 12-month period ended June 30th of each year and a description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies related to portfolio transactions are available (1) without charge, upon request, by calling the Fund at 1-877-721-1926, (2) at www.leggmason.com/etf and (3) on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

 

This report is submitted for the general information of the shareholders of Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF. This report is not authorized for distribution to prospective investors in the Fund unless preceded or accompanied by a current prospectus.

Investors should consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. The prospectus contains this and other important information about the Fund. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.

www.leggmason.com

© 2019 Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC

Member FINRA, SIPC


ETF Index Disclaimers

 

The MSCI World ex-US IMI Index (the “MSCI Index”) was used by QS Investors, LLC (“QS Investors”), the Fund’s subadviser, as the reference universe for selection of the component securities included in the QS International Low Volatility High Dividend Hedged Index (the “Underlying Index”). MSCI Inc. does not in any way sponsor, support, promote or endorse the Underlying Index or Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF (the “Fund”). MSCI Inc. was not and is not involved in any way in the creation, calculation, maintenance or review of the Underlying Index. The MSCI Index was provided on an “as is” basis. MSCI Inc., its affiliates and any other person or entity involved in or related to compiling, computing or creating the MSCI Index (collectively, the “MSCI Parties”) expressly disclaim all warranties (including, without limitation, any warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, timeliness, non-infringement, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose). Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall any MSCI Party have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, punitive, consequential (including without limitation lost profits) or any other damages in connection with the MSCI Index, the Underlying Index or the Fund.

The Fund is not sponsored, promoted, sold or supported in any other manner by Solactive AG nor does Solactive AG offer any express or implicit guarantee or assurance either with regard to the results of using the Underlying Index and/or Underlying Index trade mark or the Underlying Index Price at any time or in any other respect. The Underlying Index is calculated and published by Solactive AG. Solactive AG uses its best efforts to ensure that the Underlying Index is calculated correctly. Irrespective of its obligations towards the Fund, Solactive AG has no obligation to point out errors in the Underlying Index to third parties including but not limited to investors and/or financial intermediaries of the Fund. Neither publication of the Underlying Index by Solactive AG nor the licensing of the Underlying Index or the Underlying Index trade mark for the purpose of use in connection with the Fund constitutes a recommendation by Solactive AG to invest capital in this Fund nor does it in any way represent an assurance or opinion of Solactive AG with regard to any investment in this Fund.

QS Investors does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein, and QS Investors shall not have any liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. QS Investors makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Fund, owners of the shares of the Fund or any other person or entity from the use of the Underlying Index, or any data included therein, either in connection with the Fund or for any other use. QS Investors makes no express or implied warranties, and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall QS Investors have any liability for


any special, punitive, direct, indirect or consequential damages (including lost profits) arising out of matters relating to the use of the Underlying Index, even if notified of the possibility of such damages.


www.leggmason.com

© 2019 Legg Mason Investor Services, LLC Member FINRA, SIPC

ETFF323385 12/19 SR19-3773


ITEM 2.

CODE OF ETHICS.

The registrant has adopted a code of ethics that applies to the registrant’s principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller.

 

ITEM 3.

AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT.

The Board of Trustees of the registrant has determined that Dwight B. Crane possesses the technical attributes identified in Instruction 2(b) of Item 3 to Form N-CSR to qualify as an “audit committee financial expert,” and has designated Dwight B. Crane as the Audit Committee’s financial expert Dwight B. Crane is an “independent” Trustees pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Item 3 to Form N-CSR.

 

ITEM 4.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES.

a) Audit Fees. The aggregate fees billed in the last two fiscal years ending October 31, 2018 and October 31, 2019 (the “Reporting Periods”) for professional services rendered by the Registrant’s principal accountant (the “Auditor”) for the audit of the Registrant’s annual financial statements, or services that are normally provided by the Auditor in connection with the statutory and regulatory filings or engagements for the Reporting Periods, were $140,000 in October 31, 2018 and $90,000 in October 31, 2019.

b) Audit-Related Fees. The aggregate fees billed in the Reporting Period for assurance and related services by the Auditor that are reasonably related to the performance of the Registrant’s financial statements were $52,489 in October 31, 2018 and $0 in October 31, 2019.

In addition, there were no Audit-Related Fees billed in the Reporting Period for assurance and related services by the Auditor to the Registrant’s investment adviser (not including any sub-adviser whose role is primarily portfolio management and is subcontracted with or overseen by another investment adviser), and any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with the investment adviser that provides ongoing services to the Legg Mason ETF Investment Trust (“service affiliates”), that were reasonably related to the performance of the annual audit of the service affiliates. Accordingly, there were no such fees that required pre-approval by the Audit Committee for the Reporting Period.

(c) Tax Fees. The aggregate fees billed in the Reporting Periods for professional services rendered by the Auditor for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning (“Tax Services”) were $0 in October 31, 2018 and $0 in October 31, 2019. These services consisted of (i) review or preparation of U.S. federal, state, local and excise tax returns; (ii) U.S. federal, state and local tax planning, advice and assistance regarding statutory, regulatory or administrative developments, and (iii) tax advice regarding tax qualification matters and/or treatment of various financial instruments held or proposed to be acquired or held.

There were no fees billed for tax services by the Auditors to service affiliates during the Reporting Periods that required pre-approval by the Audit Committee.

d) All Other Fees.

The aggregate fees billed in the Reporting Periods for products and services provided by the Auditor, other than the services reported in paragraphs (a) through (c) for the Item 4 for the Legg Mason ETF Investment Trust, were $0 in October 31, 2018 and $0 in October 31, 2019.


All Other Fees. There were no other non-audit services rendered by the Auditor to Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisors, LLC (“LMPFA”), and any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with LMPFA that provided ongoing services to Legg Mason ETF Investment Trust requiring pre-approval by the Audit Committee in the Reporting Period.

(e) Audit Committee’s pre–approval policies and procedures described in paragraph (c) (7) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X.

(1) The Charter for the Audit Committee (the “Committee”) of the Board of each registered investment company (the “Fund”) advised by LMPFA or one of their affiliates (each, an “Adviser”) requires that the Committee shall approve (a) all audit and permissible non-audit services to be provided to the Fund and (b) all permissible non-audit services to be provided by the Fund’s independent auditors to the Adviser and any Covered Service Providers if the engagement relates directly to the operations and financial reporting of the Fund. The Committee may implement policies and procedures by which such services are approved other than by the full Committee.

The Committee shall not approve non-audit services that the Committee believes may impair the independence of the auditors. As of the date of the approval of this Audit Committee Charter, permissible non-audit services include any professional services (including tax services), that are not prohibited services as described below, provided to the Fund by the independent auditors, other than those provided to the Fund in connection with an audit or a review of the financial statements of the Fund. Permissible non-audit services may not include: (i) bookkeeping or other services related to the accounting records or financial statements of the Fund; (ii) financial information systems design and implementation; (iii) appraisal or valuation services, fairness opinions or contribution-in-kind reports; (iv) actuarial services; (v) internal audit outsourcing services; (vi) management functions or human resources; (vii) broker or dealer, investment adviser or investment banking services; (viii) legal services and expert services unrelated to the audit; and (ix) any other service the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board determines, by regulation, is impermissible.

Pre-approval by the Committee of any permissible non-audit services is not required so long as: (i) the aggregate amount of all such permissible non-audit services provided to the Fund, the Adviser and any service providers controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Adviser that provide ongoing services to the Fund (“Covered Service Providers”) constitutes not more than 5% of the total amount of revenues paid to the independent auditors during the fiscal year in which the permissible non-audit services are provided to (a) the Fund, (b) the Adviser and (c) any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Adviser that provides ongoing services to the Fund during the fiscal year in which the services are provided that would have to be approved by the Committee; (ii) the permissible non-audit services were not recognized by the Fund at the time of the engagement to be non-audit services; and (iii) such services are promptly brought to the attention of the Committee and approved by the Committee (or its delegate(s)) prior to the completion of the audit.

(2) For the Legg Mason ETF Investment Trust, the percentage of fees that were approved by the audit committee, with respect to: Audit-Related Fees were 100% and 100% for October 31, 2018 and October 31, 2019; Tax Fees were 100% and 100% for October 31, 2018 and October 31, 2019; and Other Fees were 100% and 100% for October 31, 2018 and October 31, 2019.


(f) N/A

(g) Non-audit fees billed by the Auditor for services rendered to Legg Mason ETF Investment Trust, LMPFA and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with LMPFA that provides ongoing services to Legg Mason ETF Investment Trust during the reporting period were $678,000 in October 31, 2018 and $472,562 in October 31, 2019.

(h) Yes. Legg Mason ETF Investment Trust’s Audit Committee has considered whether the provision of non-audit services that were rendered to Service Affiliates, which were not pre-approved (not requiring pre-approval), is compatible with maintaining the Accountant’s independence. All services provided by the Auditor to the Legg Mason ETF Investment Trust or to Service Affiliates, which were required to be pre-approved, were pre-approved as required.

 

ITEM 5.

AUDIT COMMITTEE OF LISTED REGISTRANTS.

a) The independent board members are acting as the registrant’s audit committee as specified in Section 3(a)(58)(B) of the Exchange Act. The Audit Committee consists of the following Board members:

Paul R. Ades

Andrew L. Breech

Dwight B. Crane

Althea L. Duersten

Stephen R. Gross*

Susan M. Heilbron*

Frank G. Hubbard

Howard J. Johnson

Jerome H. Miller

Ken Miller

Thomas F. Schlafly

 

  *

Effective February 6, 2019, Mr. Gross and Ms. Heilbron became Trustees.

b) Not applicable.

 

ITEM 6.

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS.

Included herein under Item 1.

 

ITEM 7.

DISCLOSURE OF PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 8.

PORTFOLIO MANAGERS OF CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

Not applicable.


ITEM 9.

PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS.

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 10.

SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS.

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 11.

CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

 

  (a)

The registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a- 3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”)) are effective as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of this report that includes the disclosure required by this paragraph, based on their evaluation of the disclosure controls and procedures required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the 1940 Act and 15d-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

 

  (b)

There were no changes in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the 1940 Act) that occurred during the second fiscal quarter of the period covered by this report that have materially affected, or are likely to materially affect the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

ITEM 12.

DISCLOSURE OF SECURITIES LENDING ACTIVITIES FOR CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 13.

EXHIBITS.

(a) (1) Code of Ethics attached hereto.

Exhibit 99.CODE ETH

(a) (2) Certifications pursuant to section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 attached hereto.

Exhibit 99.CERT

(b) Certifications pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 attached hereto.

Exhibit 99.906CERT


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, there unto duly authorized.

 

Legg Mason ETF Investment Trust
By:  

/s/ Jane Trust

  Jane Trust
  Chief Executive Officer
Date: December 30, 2019

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

By:  

/s/ Jane Trust

  Jane Trust
  Chief Executive Officer
Date: December 30, 2019
By:  

/s/ Christopher Berarducci

  Christopher Berarducci
  Principal Financial Officer
Date: December 30, 2019