497K 1 aces-497k_062918.htm SUMMARY PROSPECTUS aces-497k_062918

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ALPS Clean Energy ETF

ALPS ETF TRUST

Cboe BZX Ticker: ACES

Summary Prospectus June 29, 2018

Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s prospectus and other information about the Fund online at www.alpsfunds.com/regulatory-reports/ACES. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 866.759.5679, by sending an e-mail request to info@alpsfunds.com, or by contacting your financial intermediary. The Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, each dated June 29, 2018, along with the Fund’s most recent annual report, when available, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus and may be obtained, free of charge, at the website, phone number or e-mail address noted above.

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Fund seeks investment results that correspond (before fees and expenses) generally to the performance of its underlying index, the CIBC Atlas Clean Energy Index (ticker symbol NACEX) (the “Underlying Index”).

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund (“Shares”). Investors purchasing or selling Shares in the secondary market may be subject to costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker. These costs are not included in the expense example below.

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management fees

0.65%

Other expenses(1)

0.00%

Total annual Fund operating expenses

0.65%

(1) “Other Expenses” are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year and are calculated as a percentage of the Fund’s net assets.

Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the costs of investing in other funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same each year.

One Year

Three Years

Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

$66

$208

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

The Fund will pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it purchases and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover will cause the Fund to incur additional transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, may affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, there is no portfolio turnover to report.

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

The Fund employs a “passive management” – or indexing – investment approach designed to track the performance of the Underlying Index. The Underlying Index utilizes a rules-based methodology developed by CIBC National Trust Company (the “Index Provider”), which is designed to provide exposure to a diverse set of U.S. and Canadian companies involved in the clean energy sector including renewables and clean technology. The clean energy sector is comprised of companies that provide the products and services that enable the evolution of a more sustainable energy sector. Clean energy business segments include, but are not limited to, the following activities: (i) renewable energy sources, including solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity, geothermal energy, biomass, biofuels, and tidal/wave energy, (ii) clean technologies, including electric vehicles, energy storage, lithium, fuel cell, LED, smart grid, and energy efficiency technologies and (iii) other emerging clean energy activities and technologies.

The Underlying Index is compiled by the Index Provider and may be comprised of U.S. or Canadian companies. In order to be eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index’s, a company’s stock must be traded on one or more major U.S. or Canadian securities exchanges, be based in the U.S. or in Canada, have a minimum float-adjusted market capitalization of at least $100 million, and have a minimum median average daily trading liquidity of greater than $1 million over the last 60 trading days prior to the selection date, and the company must derive a majority of its value from clean energy business segments (as defined above). Such eligible companies shall be defined as the “Index Universe.” All equity securities meeting the above criteria are selected for inclusion in the Index Universe.

From the Index Universe, it is the intent of the Index Provider to include at least 25 stocks that meet the Index criteria. The eligible stocks that are selected for inclusion in the Index’s portfolio are weighted according to each stock’s float-adjusted market-capitalization. The index weight of the largest stock is capped at 5% as of the rebalance date, and the excess weight is redistributed proportionally over the remainder of the Underlying Index. As of May 21, 2018, the Underlying Index consisted of 32 securities.

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ALPS Clean Energy ETF 

Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in securities issued by companies in the consumer discretionary sector in order to track the Underlying Index’s allocation to that sector. These companies may be adversely affected by fluctuations in supply and demand and changes in consumer spending.

Industrials Sector Risk. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in securities issued by companies in the industrials sector in order to track the Underlying Index’s allocation to that sector. Stock prices for the types of companies included in the industrial sector are affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrial sector products in general. Government regulation, world events and economic conditions, technological developments and liabilities for environmental damage and general civil liabilities will likewise affect the performance of these companies.

Utilities Sector Risk. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in securities issued by companies in the utilities sector in order to track the Underlying Index’s allocation to that sector. Stock prices for companies in the utilities sector are affected by supply and demand, operating costs, governmental regulation, environmental factors, liabilities for environmental damage and general civil liabilities, and rate caps or rate changes. The value of regulated utility equity securities may tend to have an inverse relationship to the movement of interest rates. In addition, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, government intervention or other factors may render a utility company’s equipment unusable or obsolete and negatively impact profitability. Companies in the utilities sector may be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates, domestic and international competition, difficulty in raising adequate amounts of capital and governmental limitation on rates charged to customers.

Information Technology Sector Risk. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in securities issued by companies in the information technology sector in order to track the Underlying Index’s allocation to that sector. Market or economic factors impacting information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology advances could have a major effect on the value of stocks in the information technology sector.

Micro-Capitalization Company Risk. Micro-cap stocks involve substantially greater risks of loss and price fluctuations because their earnings and revenues tend to be less predictable (and some companies may be experiencing significant losses), and their share prices tend to be more volatile. The shares of micro-cap companies tend to trade less frequently than those of larger, more established companies, which can adversely affect the pricing of these securities and the future ability to sell these securities.

The Underlying Index is reconstituted and rebalanced quarterly on the third Friday in March, June, September and December. The Index Provider’s Index Committee reviews and approves all changes to the Underlying Index as well as regularly reviews the constituent criteria and index construction guidelines based on a proprietary, rules-based research process.

The Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets in securities that comprise the Underlying Index.

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS

Investors should consider the following risk factors and special considerations associated with investing in the Fund, which may cause you to lose money.

Investment Risk. An investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk including the possible loss of the entire principal amount that you invest.

Common Stock Risk. Common stock held by the Fund may fall in value due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. Common stock is subordinated to preferred stocks, bonds and other debt instruments in a company’s capital structure, in terms of priority to corporate income, and therefore will be subject to greater dividend risk. In addition, common stock generally has greater price volatility than fixed income securities.

Clean Energy Sector Risk. Obsolescence of existing technology, short product cycles, falling prices and profits, competition from new market entrants and general economic conditions can significantly affect companies in the clean energy sector. In addition, intense competition and legislation resulting in more strict government regulations and enforcement policies and specific expenditures for cleanup efforts can significantly affect this sector. Risks associated with hazardous materials, fluctuations in energy prices and supply and demand of alternative energy fuels, energy conservation, the success of exploration projects and tax and other government regulations can significantly affect companies in the clean energy sector. Also, supply and demand for specific products or services, the supply and demand for oil and gas, the price of oil and gas, production spending, government regulation, world events and economic conditions may affect this sector. Currently, certain valuation methods used to value companies involved in the clean energy sector, particularly those companies that have not yet traded publicly, have not been in widespread use for a significant period of time. As a result, the use of these valuation methods may serve to increase further the volatility of certain clean energy company share prices.

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Non-Diversified Fund Risk. The Fund is considered non-diversified and can invest a greater portion of its assets in securities of individual issuers than a diversified fund. As a result, changes in the market value of a single investment could cause greater fluctuations in share price than would occur in a diversified fund.

Fluctuation of Net Asset Value. The net asset value (“NAV”) of the Fund’s Shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund’s holdings. The market prices of the Shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV as well as the relative supply of and demand for Shares on the Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (the “Cboe BZX”). The Adviser cannot predict whether the Shares will trade below, at or above their NAV.

Index Management Risk. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund is not “actively” managed. Therefore, it would not necessarily sell a security because the security’s issuer was in financial trouble unless that security is removed from the Underlying Index.

New Fund Risk. The Fund currently has fewer assets than larger funds, and like other relatively new funds, large inflows and outflows may impact the Fund’s market exposure for limited periods of time. This impact may be positive or negative, depending on the direction of market movement during the period affected.

FUND PERFORMANCE

As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not yet commenced investment operations. When the Fund has completed a full calendar year of investment operations, this section will include charts that show annual total returns, highest and lowest quarterly returns and average annual total returns (before and after taxes) compared to the Underlying Index and a benchmark index selected for the Fund. Updated performance information, when available, will be available online at www.alpsfunds.com or by calling 866.759.5679.

INVESTMENT ADVISER

ALPS Advisors, Inc. is the investment adviser to the Fund.

PORTFOLIO MANAGERS

Ryan Mischker, Vice President, Portfolio Management & Research of ALPS Advisors, Inc. and Andrew Hicks, Vice President of Index Management of ALPS Advisors, Inc., are responsible for the day to day management of the Fund. Messrs. Mischker and Hicks have each served in such capacity since the Fund’s inception in 2018.

Small- and Mid-Capitalization Company Risk. Smaller and mid-size companies often have narrower markets, less liquidity, more limited managerial and financial resources and a less diversified product offering than larger, more established companies. As a result, their performance can be more volatile, which may increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.

Large Capitalization Company Risk. The large capitalization companies in which the Fund invests may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole.

Concentration Risk. The Fund seeks to track the Underlying Index, which itself may have concentration in certain regions, economies, countries, markets, industries or sectors. Underperformance or increased risk in such concentrated areas may result in underperformance or increased risk in the Fund.

Canadian Investment Risk. The Fund may be subject to risks relating to its investment in Canadian securities. The Canadian economy may be significantly affected by the U.S. economy, given that the United States is Canada’s largest trading partner and foreign investor. Any negative changes in commodity markets could have a great impact on the Canadian economy. Because the Fund will invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies and the income received by the Fund will generally be in foreign currency, changes in currency exchange rates may negatively impact the Fund’s return.

Growth Investment Risk. Growth stocks tend to be more volatile than certain other types of stocks and their prices usually fluctuate more dramatically than the overall stock market. A stock with growth characteristics can have sharp price declines due to decreases in current or expected earnings.

Non-Correlation Risk. The Fund’s return may not match the return of the Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses incurred by the Fund not applicable to the Underlying Index, costs in buying and selling securities, asset valuation differences and differences between the Fund’s portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from legal restrictions, cash flows or operational inefficiencies.

Issuer-Specific Risk. The value of an individual security or particular type of security can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.

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ALPS Clean Energy ETF 

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF SHARES

The Trust will issue and redeem Shares at NAV only in a large specified number of Shares called a “Creation Unit” or multiples thereof. A Creation Unit consists of 50,000 Shares. Creation Unit transactions are typically conducted in exchange for the deposit or delivery of in-kind securities in the Underlying Index and/or cash.

Individual Shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through brokers. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on Cboe BZX under the ticker symbol ACES and because Shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, Shares of the Fund may trade at a price greater than or less than NAV.

TAX INFORMATION

The Fund’s distributions are taxable and will generally be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains.

PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

If you purchase Shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, the Adviser or other related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Shares or related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.