The fund has the lowest Morningstar Sustainability Rating of 1 globe, indicating that the ESG risk of holdings in its portfolio is rather high compared to those of its peers in the US Equity Large Cap Blend category. Funds with 4 or 5 globes tend to hold securities that are less exposed to ESG risk. ESG risk measures the degree to which material environmental, social, and governance issues, such as climate change, biodiversity, human capital, as well as bribery and corruption, could affect valuations. ESG risk differs from impact, which is about driving positive environmental and social outcomes for society’s benefit.
One area to watch is the strategy’s carbon risk exposure. Although Gabelli Commercial Aerospace & Dfns ETF's 12-month asset-weighted Carbon Risk Score of 27.0 is classed as medium, it is situated at the higher end of the medium carbon risk band, indicating that the fund's portfolio holdings would fare worse than its peers in the transition to a low-carbon economy. Investors concerned about the transition risks may prefer to consider funds with negligible or low carbon risk. These funds invest in companies that tend to operate in sectors less exposed to the transition (such as healthcare and IT) and/or companies in more carbon-intensive sectors (such as industrials and utilities) but that consider climate change in their business strategy and products, and therefore are positively aligned with the transition.
Currently, the fund's involvement in fossil fuels is negligible, and compares favorably with 8.8% for its average peer.
The fund has a modest level of exposure (8.26%) to companies with high or severe controversies. Companies with controversies are involved in incidents such as corruption, employee abuses, and that pose some degree of business risks to the company. Severe and high controversies can have significant financial repercussions, ranging from legal penalties to consumer boycotts. In addition, they controversies can damage the reputation of both companies themselves and their shareholders.