Legg Mason ETF Investment Trust
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Prospectus   LOGO LOGO   August 1, 2023
 
ROYCE
QUANT SMALL‑CAP QUALITY VALUE ETF
 
 
NASDAQ (Ticker Symbol): SQLV
 
The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined whether this Prospectus is accurate or complete. Any statement to the contrary is a crime.
 
INVESTMENT PRODUCTS: NOT FDIC INSURED • NO BANK GUARANTEE • MAY LOSE VALUE
 

Contents       
Investment objective      2  
Fees and expenses of the fund      2  
Principal investment strategies      3  
Principal risks      3  
Performance      7  
Management      8  
Purchase and sale of fund shares      8  
Tax information      8  
Payments to broker/dealers and other financial intermediaries      8  
More on the fund’s investment strategies, investments and risks      9  
Tax advantaged product structure      15  
More on fund management      16  
Shareholder information      18  
Dividends, other distributions and taxes      20  
Creations and redemptions      21  
Financial highlights      23  
Investment objective
Royce Quant Small‑Cap Quality Value ETF (the “fund”) seeks to achieve long-term growth of capital.
Fees and expenses of the fund
The accompanying table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the fund. You may also be subject to additional fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example below. The management agreement between Legg Mason ETF Investment Trust (the “Trust”) and Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC (“LMPFA” or the “manager”) (the “Management Agreement”) provides that the manager will pay all operating expenses of the fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future Rule 12b‑1 fees (if any), acquired fund fees and expenses, extraordinary expenses and the management fee payable to the manager under the Management Agreement. The manager will also pay all subadvisory fees of the fund.
 
Shareholder fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)     
     None
  
Annual fund operating expenses (%)     
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)     
Management fees    0.60    
Distribution and/or service (12b‑1) fees    0.00    
Other expenses    None    
Total annual fund operating expenses    0.60    
Example:
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example assumes:
 
 
You invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated
 
 
Your investment has a 5% return each year and the fund’s operating expenses remain the same (except that any applicable fee waiver or expense reimbursement is reflected only through its expiration date)
You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions and other charges when buying or selling shares of the fund, which are not reflected in the example.
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
 
Number of years you own your shares ($)                     
       1 year      3 years      5 years      10 years
Royce Quant Small‑Cap Quality Value ETF      61      192      335      750
Portfolio turnover. The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher 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, affect the fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 51% of the average value of its portfolio.
 
2     Royce Quant Small-Cap Quality Value ETF

Principal investment strategies
The fund primarily invests in equity securities of small-capitalization companies that are traded in the United States and meet certain criteria using a proprietary methodology created by the fund’s subadviser, Royce & Associates, LP (Royce & Associates, LP primarily conducts its business under the name Royce Investment Partners (“Royce” or the “subadviser”)). Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, if any, in equity securities of small-capitalization companies or other instruments with similar characteristics. Small-capitalization companies are U.S.-headquartered companies listed on U.S. exchanges with market capitalizations that are between the 1001st and 3000th largest companies based on descending market capitalization at the time of investment. As of March 31, 2023, the universe was comprised of companies with capitalizations ranging from $50 million to $3.9 billion.
Royce uses a quantitative investment process that seeks to identify stocks with lower than average valuation, higher than average profitability, and higher than average debt coverage (i.e., available cash flow to pay current debt obligations) as compared with other stocks included in the investment universe while maintaining a comparable risk profile. The fund’s investment universe includes common stocks of U.S.-headquartered companies listed on U.S. exchanges, and excludes royalty companies, American depositary receipts and global depositary receipts, master limited partnerships, stocks with a share price less than or equal to $1.00 at the time of purchase, and stocks deemed by Royce to have insufficient trading volume. The universe is then refined to include stocks with market capitalizations that are between the 1001st and 3000th largest companies based on descending market capitalization at the time of investment. From that universe, real estate investment trusts are excluded.
From the universe of eligible companies, Royce selects securities using its proprietary, rules-based multi-factor scoring system, with all factors described herein measured and determined by Royce, in an effort to identify companies which combine favorable attributes of quality and value, as defined by Royce, compared with companies within the same market sector. Royce ranks the securities in the investment universe within each sector according to the quality and value factors, which yields a model score that determines the securities that are selected for inclusion in the fund’s portfolio. Sector allocations are determined by the number of companies in each sector. For quality factors, Royce focuses on a company’s profitability (as measured by return on invested capital), the historic stability of its profitability (as measured by variance of return on assets), and debt coverage (as measured by cash flow relative to debt). The debt coverage ratio is used in an attempt to limit the fund’s exposure to companies that Royce believes may have higher financial risk. For value factors, Royce focuses on the free cash flow of a company (i.e., net cash from operating activities minus capital expenditures) compared to its enterprise value. Enterprise value is determined by adding the company’s outstanding debt (including preferred stock and minority interests) to the company’s market capitalization and then subtracting cash and cash equivalents from the total value.
After the securities are scored by quality and value factors, each security’s momentum score, which is based on the price performance over the most recent 30 days, is used to determine the timing of when the security may be bought or sold for the fund (i.e., the momentum score is used by Royce to try to determine the opportune time to buy or sell). For example, if a security selected for inclusion in the fund’s portfolio according to the quality and value factors has exhibited high momentum, Royce may temporarily delay purchasing such security. Conversely, if a security selected for removal from the fund’s portfolio according to the quality and value factors has exhibited high momentum, Royce will typically sell such security as soon as is practicable.
Position weights of securities within the fund’s portfolio are determined by Royce by calculating a composite score based on company fundamentals that include book value, revenue, free cash flow, and dividends paid. By using fundamental factors to weight stocks rather than market capitalization, Royce seeks to have lower exposure to overvalued companies while still maintaining broad diversification within the fund’s portfolio. Royce generally seeks to limit the weight of individual securities in the fund’s portfolio to no more than 3% of its net assets and to limit sector exposures within the portfolio to no more than 25% of its net assets, each measured at time of investment. Although the fund primarily invests in equity securities of small-capitalization companies, the fund may continue to hold or, in some cases, build positions in companies with higher market capitalizations.
Royce’s proprietary, rules-based multi-factor scoring system may incorporate information and data obtained from third-party providers as supplementary to Royce’s own proprietary research and analysis. Royce has the right to change the third-party service providers that support this process at any time.
Royce may seek to sell a security if: (i) the security no longer meets its quality and value criteria; (ii) the security reaches its position size limit in the fund’s portfolio; (iii) there are adverse policy changes that could affect the security’s outlook; or (iv) better investment opportunities become available. The fund may engage in active and frequent trading to achieve its investment objective, resulting in high portfolio turnover.
Principal risks
Risk is inherent in all investing. The value of your investment in the fund, as well as the amount of return you receive on your investment, may fluctuate significantly. You may lose part or all of your investment in the fund or your investment may not perform as well as other similar investments. An investment in the fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or by any bank or government agency. The following is a summary description of certain risks of investing in the fund.
Market events risk. The market values of securities or other assets will fluctuate, sometimes sharply and unpredictably, due to changes in general market conditions, overall economic trends or events, governmental actions or intervention, actions taken by the U.S. Federal Reserve or foreign central banks, market disruptions caused by trade disputes or other factors, political developments, armed conflicts, economic sanctions and countermeasures in response to sanctions, major cybersecurity events, investor sentiment, the global and domestic effects of a pandemic, and other
 
Royce Quant Small-Cap Quality Value ETF       3  

factors that may or may not be related to the issuer of the security or other asset. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are increasingly interconnected. Economic, financial or political events, trading and tariff arrangements, public health events, terrorism, wars, natural disasters and other circumstances in one country or region could have profound impacts on global economies or markets. As a result, whether or not the fund invests in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to the countries or markets directly affected, the value and liquidity of the fund’s investments may be negatively affected. Other securities or markets could be similarly affected by past or future geopolitical or other events or conditions. Furthermore, events involving limited liquidity, defaults, non‑performance or other adverse developments that affect one industry, such as the financial services industry, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds, have in the past and may in the future lead to market-wide liquidity problems, may spread to other industries, and could negatively affect the value and liquidity of the fund’s investments.
The fallout from the COVID‑19 pandemic and its subsequent variants, and the long-term impact on economies, markets, industries and individual issuers, are not known. Some sectors of the economy and individual issuers have experienced or may experience particularly large losses. Periods of extreme volatility in the financial markets; reduced liquidity of many instruments; and disruptions to supply chains, consumer demand and employee availability, may continue for some time. The U.S. government and the Federal Reserve, as well as certain foreign governments and central banks, have taken extraordinary actions to support local and global economies and the financial markets in response to the COVID‑19 pandemic. This and other government intervention into the economy and financial markets may not work as intended, and have resulted in a large expansion of government deficits and debt, the long term consequences of which are not known. In addition, the COVID‑19 pandemic, and measures taken to mitigate its effects, could result in disruptions to the services provided to the fund by its service providers.
Stock market and equity securities risk. The stock markets are volatile and the market prices of the fund’s equity securities may decline generally. Equity securities may include warrants, rights, exchange traded and over‑the‑counter common stocks, preferred stock, trust certificates, limited partnership interests and shares of other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds. Equity securities may have greater price volatility than other asset classes, such as fixed income securities, and may fluctuate in price based on actual or perceived changes in a company’s financial condition and overall market and economic conditions and perceptions. If the market prices of the equity securities owned by the fund fall, the value of your investment in the fund will decline.
Volatility risk. The market prices of the securities or other assets in the fund’s portfolio may fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. The price of a security may fluctuate due to factors affecting markets generally or particular industries. The market price of a security or other asset may also be more volatile than the market as a whole. This volatility may affect the fund’s net asset value. Securities or other assets in the fund’s portfolio may be subject to price volatility and the prices may not be any less volatile than the market as a whole and could be more volatile. Events or financial circumstances affecting individual securities or sectors may increase the volatility of the fund.
Asset class risk. Securities in the fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general financial markets, a particular financial market or other asset classes.
Small capitalization company risk. The fund will be exposed to additional risks as a result of its investments in the securities of small capitalization companies. Small capitalization companies may fall out of favor with investors; may have limited product lines, operating histories, markets or financial resources; or may be dependent upon a limited management group. The prices of securities of small capitalization companies generally are more volatile than those of large capitalization companies and are more likely to be adversely affected than large capitalization companies by changes in earnings results and investor expectations or poor economic or market conditions, including those experienced during a recession. Securities of small capitalization companies may underperform large capitalization companies, may be harder to sell at times or at prices the portfolio managers believe appropriate and may have greater potential for losses.
Portfolio management risk. The value of your investment may decrease if the subadviser’s judgment about the attractiveness or value of, or market trends affecting, a particular security, industry, sector or region, or about market movements, is incorrect or does not produce the desired results, or if there are imperfections, errors or limitations in the models, tools and data used by the subadviser. In addition, the fund’s investment strategies or policies may change from time to time. Those changes may not lead to the results intended by the subadviser and could have an adverse effect on the value or performance of the fund.
Quantitative model risk. The fund, LMPFA, and Royce cannot offer any assurance that the quantitative methodology used to determine the composition of the fund’s portfolio will achieve its intended results or maximize returns or minimize risks. When a model or data used in managing the fund contains an error, is incorrect, or incomplete, any investment decision made in reliance on the model or data may not produce the desired results and the fund may realize losses. Royce may use information and data from third-party providers, which may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable, and different third-party providers may provide different or inconsistent information and data.
Valuation risk. The sales price the fund could receive upon the sale of any particular portfolio investment may differ from the fund’s valuation of the investment, particularly for securities that trade in thin or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. These differences may increase significantly and affect fund investments more broadly during periods of market volatility. Authorized Participants who purchase or redeem fund shares on days when the fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares or lower or higher redemption proceeds than they would have received if the fund had not fair-valued securities or had used a different valuation methodology. The fund’s ability to value its investments may be impacted by technological issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third party service providers. The valuation of the fund’s investments involves subjective judgment.
 
4     Royce Quant Small-Cap Quality Value ETF

Quality stocks risk. The fund invests in stocks that Royce believes are quality stocks based on a number of factors. There is no guarantee that the past performance of these stocks will continue or that Royce will be successful in evaluating individual stocks. Companies that issue these stocks may experience lower than expected profitability or may experience negative growth, as well as increased leverage, resulting in lower than expected or negative returns to fund shareholders. Many factors can affect a stock’s quality and performance, and the impact of these factors on a stock or its price can be difficult to predict.
Value investing risk. The value approach to investing involves the risk that stocks may remain undervalued for long periods, undervaluation may become more severe, or perceived undervaluation may actually represent intrinsic value. Value stocks may underperform the overall equity market for an extended period while the market favors growth stocks. A value stock may not increase in price as anticipated by Royce if other investors fail to recognize the company’s value and bid up the price or the factors that Royce believes will increase the price of the security do not occur or do not have the anticipated effect. Value stocks may go in and out of favor over time and Royce may sell a security prior to the security realizing a gain in connection with changed market perception regarding the value of the security.
Issuer risk. The market price of a security can go up or down more than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole, due to factors specifically relating to the security’s issuer, such as disappointing earnings reports by the issuer, unsuccessful products or services, loss of major customers, changes in management, corporate actions, negative perception in the marketplace, or major litigation or changes in government regulations affecting the issuer or the competitive environment. An individual security may also be affected by factors relating to the industry or sector of the issuer. The fund may experience a substantial or complete loss on an individual security. A change in financial condition or other event affecting a single issuer may adversely impact the industry or sector of the issuer or securities markets as a whole.
Illiquidity risk. Some assets held by the fund may be or become impossible or difficult to sell and some assets that the fund wants to invest in may be impossible or difficult to purchase, particularly during times of market turmoil or due to adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer. These illiquid assets may also be difficult to value. Markets may become illiquid when, for instance, there are few, if any, interested buyers or sellers or when dealers are unwilling or unable to make a market for certain securities. If the fund is forced to sell an illiquid asset to meet redemption requests or other cash needs, or to try to limit losses, the fund may be forced to sell at a substantial loss or may not be able to sell at all. The fund may not receive its proceeds from the sale of certain securities for an extended period (for example, several weeks or even longer).
Small fund risk. When the fund’s size is small, the fund may experience low trading volume and wide bid/ask spreads. In addition, the fund may face the risk of being delisted if the fund does not meet certain conditions of the listing exchange. If the fund does not attract additional assets, the fund’s expenses will continue to be spread over a small asset base.
Authorized Participant concentration risk. Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the fund. “Authorized Participants” are broker-dealers that are permitted to create and redeem shares directly with the fund and who have entered into agreements with the fund’s distributor. A limited number of institutions act as Authorized Participants in respect of the fund. To the extent that these institutions exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the fund and no other Authorized Participant steps forward to create or redeem, in either of these cases, fund shares may trade at a premium or discount to net asset value and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting.
Market trading risk. The fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruptions in the creation/redemption process. Any of these factors, among others, may lead to the fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to net asset value.
Absence of active market. Although shares of the fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants. Authorized Participants are not obligated to execute purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. In periods of market volatility, market makers and/or Authorized Participants may be less willing to transact in fund shares. The absence of an active market for the fund’s shares may contribute to the fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to net asset value.
Shares of the fund may trade at prices other than net asset value. Shares of the fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the fund’s most recent net asset value. The net asset value of the fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value of the fund’s holdings. The trading price of the fund’s shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for fund shares and the underlying value of the fund’s portfolio holdings or net asset value. As a result, the trading prices of the fund’s shares may deviate significantly from net asset value during periods of market volatility, including during periods of high redemption requests or other unusual market conditions. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND’S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NET ASSET VALUE.
Trading issues risk. Trading in fund shares on NASDAQ may be halted in certain circumstances. There can be no assurance that the requirements of NASDAQ necessary to maintain the listing of the fund will continue to be met.
Portfolio turnover risk. The subadviser will sell a security when it believes it is appropriate to do so, regardless of how long the fund has held the security. The fund’s portfolio turnover rate may exceed 100% per year because of the anticipated use of certain investment strategies. The rate of portfolio turnover will not be a limiting factor for the subadviser in making decisions on when to buy or sell securities. High turnover will increase the fund’s transaction costs and may increase your tax liability if the transactions result in capital gains.
 
Royce Quant Small-Cap Quality Value ETF       5  

Assets under management risk. From time to time, a third party, LMPFA and/or affiliates of LMPFA or the fund may invest in the fund and hold its investment for a period of time in order for the fund to achieve size or scale. There can be no assurance that any such entity will not redeem its investment, that it will not redeem at an inopportune time for the fund or that the size of the fund will be maintained at a level necessary to enable the fund to remain viable. Such redemption may cause the fund to sell assets (or invest cash) at disadvantageous times or prices, increase or accelerate taxable gains or transaction costs and may negatively affect the fund’s net asset value, market price, performance, or ability to satisfy redemptions in a timely manner.
Cybersecurity risk. Cybersecurity incidents, whether intentionally caused by third parties or otherwise, may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to fund assets, fund or customer data (including private shareholder information) or proprietary information, cause the fund, the manager, the subadviser, Authorized Participants, the relevant listing exchange and/or their service providers (including, but not limited to, fund accountants, custodians, sub‑custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches, data corruption or loss of operational functionality, or prevent fund investors from purchasing, redeeming or exchanging shares, receiving distributions or receiving timely information regarding the fund or their investment in the fund. The fund, the manager, and the subadviser have limited ability to prevent or mitigate cybersecurity incidents affecting third party service providers, and such third party service providers may have limited indemnification obligations to the fund, the manager, and/or the subadviser. Cybersecurity incidents may result in financial losses to the fund and its shareholders, and substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent or mitigate any future cybersecurity incidents. Issuers of securities in which the fund invests are also subject to cybersecurity risks, and the value of these securities could decline if the issuers experience cybersecurity incidents.
Because technology is frequently changing, new ways to carry out cyber attacks are always developing. Therefore, there is a chance that some risks have not been identified or prepared for, or that an attack may not be detected, which puts limitations on the fund’s ability to plan for or respond to a cyber attack. Like other funds and business enterprises, the fund, the manager, the subadviser, Authorized Participants, the relevant listing exchange and their service providers are subject to the risk of cyber incidents occurring from time to time.
These and other risks are discussed in more detail in the Prospectus or in the Statement of Additional Information.
 
6     Royce Quant Small-Cap Quality Value ETF

Performance
The accompanying bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The bar chart shows changes in the fund’s performance from year to year. The table shows the average annual total returns of the fund and also compares the fund’s performance with the average annual total returns of an index or other benchmark. The fund makes updated performance information, including its current net asset value, available at www.franklintempleton.com/etfproducts (select fund), or by calling the fund at 1‑877‑721‑1926.
The fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future.
Prior to May 10, 2022, the fund operated as an index based ETF that sought to track the investment results of the Royce Small‑Cap Quality Value Index.
 
LOGO
Best Quarter (12/31/2020): 31.89    Worst Quarter (03/31/2020): (35.79)
The year‑to‑date return as of the most recent calendar quarter, which ended June 30, 2023, was 7.57
 
Average annual total returns (%)
(for periods ended December 31, 2022)                          
     1 year      5 years      Since
inception
     Inception
date
Return before taxes    (12.85)      6.24      7.20      07/12/2017
Return after taxes on distributions    (13.10)      5.92      6.89       
Return after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares    (7.43)      4.84      5.63       
Russell 2000 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)    (20.44)      4.13      5.32       
After‑tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after‑tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after‑tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their fund shares through tax‑advantaged arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares are higher than returns before taxes for certain periods shown because they reflect the tax benefit of capital losses realized on the sale of fund shares.
 
Royce Quant Small-Cap Quality Value ETF       7  

Management
Investment manager: Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC (“LMPFA”)
Subadviser: Royce & Associates, LP (Royce & Associates, LP primarily conducts its business under the name Royce Investment Partners (“Royce” or the “subadviser”))
Portfolio managers: Primary responsibility for the day‑to‑day management of the fund lies with the following portfolio managers.
 
Portfolio manager    Title      Portfolio manager of the fund since      
   
George Necakov, CFA
   Portfolio Manager      2017     
   
Michael Connors
   Assistant Portfolio Manager      2017     
Purchase and sale of fund shares
The fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”). Individual shares of the fund are listed on a national securities exchange and are redeemable only by Authorized Participants in aggregated blocks of shares or multiples thereof (“Creation Units”).
Individual shares of the fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer at market prices. Because fund shares trade at market prices rather than at net asset value, fund shares may trade at a price greater than net asset value (a premium) or less than net asset value (a discount).
When buying or selling shares in the secondary market, you may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the fund (ask) (the “bid‑ask spread”).
The fund will only issue or redeem Creation Units to Authorized Participants who have entered into agreements with the fund’s distributor. The fund generally will issue or redeem Creation Units in return for a designated portfolio of securities (and an amount of cash) that the fund specifies each day.
You may access recent information, including information on the fund’s net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid‑ask spreads, on the fund’s website at www.franklintempleton.com/etfproducts.
Tax information
The fund’s distributions are generally taxable and will be taxed as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax‑advantaged account, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case your distributions may be taxed when withdrawn from such tax‑advantaged account.
Payments to broker/dealers and other financial intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), LMPFA or other related companies pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the fund. 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.
 
8     Royce Quant Small-Cap Quality Value ETF

More on the fund’s investment strategies, investments and risks
Introduction
The fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”), and the shares of the fund are listed for trading on NASDAQ. The market price for a share of the fund may be different from the fund’s most recent net asset value (“NAV”).
ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly traded securities. Unlike shares of a mutual fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the fund at NAV solely by 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.
Investment objective
The fund seeks to achieve long-term growth of capital.
Principal investment strategies
The fund primarily invests in equity securities of small-capitalization companies that are traded in the United States and meet certain criteria using a proprietary methodology created by Royce. Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, if any, in equity securities of small-capitalization companies or other instruments with similar characteristics. Small-capitalization companies are U.S.-headquartered companies listed on U.S. exchanges with market capitalizations that are between the 1001st and 3000th largest companies based on descending market capitalization at the time of investment. As of March 31, 2023, the universe was comprised of companies with capitalizations ranging from $50 million to $3.9 billion.
Royce uses a quantitative investment process that seeks to identify stocks with lower than average valuation, higher than average profitability, and higher than average debt coverage (i.e., available cash flow to pay current debt obligations) as compared with other stocks included in the investment universe while maintaining a comparable risk profile. The fund’s investment universe includes common stocks of U.S.-headquartered companies listed on U.S. exchanges, and excludes royalty companies, American depositary receipts and global depositary receipts, master limited partnerships, stocks with a share price less than or equal to $1.00 at the time of purchase, and stocks deemed by Royce to have insufficient trading volume. The universe is then refined to include stocks with market capitalizations that are between the 1001st and 3000th largest companies based on descending market capitalization at the time of investment. From that universe, real estate investment trusts are excluded.
From the universe of eligible companies, Royce selects securities using its proprietary, rules-based multi-factor scoring system, with all factors described herein measured and determined by Royce, in an effort to identify companies which combine favorable attributes of quality and value, as defined by Royce, compared with companies within the same market sector. Royce ranks the securities in the investment universe within each sector according to the quality and value factors, which yields a model score that determines the securities that are selected for inclusion in the fund’s portfolio. Sector allocations are determined by the number of companies in each sector. For quality factors, Royce focuses on a company’s profitability (as measured by return on invested capital), the historic stability of its profitability (as measured by variance of return on assets), and debt coverage (as measured by cash flow relative to debt). The debt coverage ratio is used in an attempt to limit the fund’s exposure to companies that Royce believes may have higher financial risk. For value factors, Royce focuses on the free cash flow of a company (i.e., net cash from operating activities minus capital expenditures) compared to its enterprise value. Enterprise value is determined by adding the company’s outstanding debt (including preferred stock and minority interests) to the company’s market capitalization and then subtracting cash and cash equivalents from the total value.
After the securities are scored by quality and value factors, each security’s momentum score, which is based on the price performance over the most recent 30 days, is used to determine the timing of when the security may be bought or sold for the fund (i.e., the momentum score is used by Royce to try to determine the opportune time to buy or sell). For example, if a security selected for inclusion in the fund’s portfolio according to the quality and value factors has exhibited high momentum, Royce may temporarily delay purchasing such security. Conversely, if a security selected for removal from the fund’s portfolio according to the quality and value factors has exhibited high momentum, Royce will typically sell such security as soon as is practicable.
Position weights of securities within the fund’s portfolio are determined by Royce by calculating a composite score based on company fundamentals that include book value, revenue, free cash flow, and dividends paid. By using fundamental factors to weight stocks rather than market capitalization, Royce seeks to have lower exposure to overvalued companies while still maintaining broad diversification within the fund’s portfolio. Royce generally seeks to limit the weight of individual securities in the fund’s portfolio to no more than 3% of its net assets and to limit sector exposures within the portfolio to no more than 25% of its net assets, each measured at time of investment. Although the fund primarily invests in equity securities of small-capitalization companies, the fund may continue to hold or, in some cases, build positions in companies with higher market capitalizations.
Royce’s proprietary, rules-based multi-factor scoring system may incorporate information and data obtained from third-party providers as supplementary to Royce’s own proprietary research and analysis. Royce has the right to change the third-party service providers that support this process at any time.
 
Royce Quant Small-Cap Quality Value ETF       9  

Royce may seek to sell a security if: (i) the security no longer meets its quality and value criteria; (ii) the security reaches its position size limit in the fund’s portfolio; (iii) there are adverse policy changes that could affect the security’s outlook; or (iv) better investment opportunities become available. The fund may engage in active and frequent trading to achieve its investment objective, resulting in high portfolio turnover.
Important information
The fund’s investment objective is non‑fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) without shareholder approval and on notice to shareholders.
There is no assurance that the fund will meet its investment objective.
The fund’s 80% investment policy may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval upon 60 days’ prior notice to shareholders.
The fund’s other investment strategies and policies may be changed from time to time without shareholder approval, unless specifically stated otherwise in this Prospectus or in the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”).
More on the fund’s investments
Other investments
The fund may also use other strategies and invest in other investments that are described, along with their risks, in the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”). However, the fund might not use all of the strategies and techniques or invest in all of the types of investments described in this Prospectus or in the SAI.
Cash management
The fund may hold cash pending investment, and may invest in money market funds and other money market instruments (e.g., short-term U.S. government securities, high grade commercial paper, bank obligations or repurchase agreements) for cash management purposes. The amount of assets the fund may hold for cash management purposes will depend on market conditions and the need to meet expected redemption requests.
Defensive investing
The fund may depart from its principal investment strategies in response to adverse market, economic or political conditions by taking temporary defensive positions, including by investing in any type of money market instruments and short-term debt securities or holding cash without regard to any percentage limitations. If a significant amount of the fund’s assets is used for defensive investing purposes, the fund will be less likely to achieve its investment objective. Although the subadviser has the ability to take defensive positions, it may choose not to do so for a variety of reasons, even during volatile market conditions.
Percentage and other limitations
The fund’s compliance with its investment limitations and requirements described in this Prospectus is usually determined at the time of investment. If such a percentage limitation is complied with at the time of an investment, any subsequent change resulting from a change in asset values or characteristics will not constitute a violation of that limitation.
More on risks of investing in the fund
Following is more information on the principal risks summarized above and additional risks of investing in the fund.
Market events risk. The market values of securities or other assets will fluctuate, sometimes sharply and unpredictably, due to changes in general market conditions, overall economic trends or events, governmental actions or intervention, actions taken by the U.S. Federal Reserve or foreign central banks, market disruptions caused by trade disputes or other factors, political developments, armed conflicts, economic sanctions and countermeasures in response to sanctions, major cybersecurity events, investor sentiment, the global and domestic effects of a pandemic, and other factors that may or may not be related to the issuer of the security or other asset. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are increasingly interconnected. Economic, financial or political events, trading and tariff arrangements, public health events, terrorism, wars, natural disasters and other circumstances in one country or region could have profound impacts on global economies or markets. As a result, whether or not the fund invests in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to the countries or markets directly affected, the value and liquidity of the fund’s investments may be negatively affected. Other securities or markets could be similarly affected by past or future geopolitical or other events or conditions. Furthermore, events involving limited liquidity, defaults, non‑performance or other adverse developments that affect one industry, such as the financial services industry, or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds, have in the past and may in the future lead to market-wide liquidity problems, may spread to other industries, and could negatively affect the value and liquidity of the fund’s investments.
The fallout from the COVID‑19 pandemic and its subsequent variants, and the long-term impact on economies, markets, industries and individual issuers, are not known. Some sectors of the economy and individual issuers have experienced or may experience particularly large losses. Periods of extreme volatility in the financial markets; reduced liquidity of many instruments; and disruptions to supply chains, consumer demand and employee availability, may continue for some time. The U.S. government and the Federal Reserve, as well as certain foreign governments and central banks, have taken extraordinary actions to support local and global economies and the financial markets in response to the COVID‑19 pandemic. This and
 
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other government intervention into the economy and financial markets may not work as intended, and have resulted in a large expansion of government deficits and debt, the long term consequences of which are not known. In addition, the COVID‑19 pandemic, and measures taken to mitigate its effects, could result in disruptions to the services provided to the fund by its service providers.
Stock market and equity securities risk. The stock markets are volatile and the market prices of the fund’s equity securities may decline generally. Equity securities may include warrants, rights, exchange traded and over‑the‑counter common stocks, preferred stock, trust certificates, limited partnership interests and shares of other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds. Equity securities may have greater price volatility than other asset classes, such as fixed income securities, and may fluctuate in price based on actual or perceived changes in a company’s financial condition and overall market and economic conditions and perceptions. If the market prices of the equity securities owned by the fund fall, the value of your investment in the fund will decline.
Volatility risk. The value of the securities or other assets in the fund’s portfolio may fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. The value of a security or other asset may fluctuate due to factors affecting markets generally or particular industries. The value of a security may also be more volatile than the market as a whole. This volatility may affect the fund’s net asset value. Securities or other assets in the fund’s portfolio may be subject to price volatility and the prices may not be any less volatile than the market as a whole and could be more volatile. Events or financial circumstances affecting individual securities or sectors may increase the volatility of the fund.
Asset class risk. Securities in the fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general financial markets, a particular financial market or other asset classes. This may cause the fund to underperform other investment vehicles that invest in different asset classes.
Small capitalization company risk. The fund will be exposed to additional risks as a result of its investments in the securities of small capitalization companies. Small capitalization companies may fall out of favor with investors; may have limited product lines, operating histories, markets or financial resources; or may be dependent upon a limited management group. The prices of securities of small capitalization companies generally are more volatile than those of large capitalization companies and are more likely to be adversely affected than large capitalization companies by changes in earnings results and investor expectations or poor economic or market conditions, including those experienced during a recession. Securities of small capitalization companies may underperform large capitalization companies, may be harder to sell at times or at prices the portfolio managers believe appropriate and may have greater potential for losses.
Portfolio management risk. The value of your investment may decrease if the subadviser’s judgment about the attractiveness or value of, or market trends affecting, a particular security, industry, sector or region, or about market movements, is incorrect or does not produce the desired results, or if there are imperfections, errors or limitations in the models, tools and data used by the subadviser. In addition, the fund’s investment strategies or policies may change from time to time. Those changes may not lead to the results intended by the subadviser and could have an adverse effect on the value or performance of the fund.
Quantitative model risk. The fund, LMPFA, and Royce cannot offer any assurance that the quantitative methodology used to determine the composition of the fund’s portfolio will achieve its intended results or maximize returns or minimize risks. When a model or data used in managing the fund contains an error, is incorrect, or incomplete, any investment decision made in reliance on the model or data may not produce the desired results and the fund may realize losses. Royce may use information and data from third-party providers, which may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable, and different third-party providers may provide different or inconsistent information and data.
Valuation risk. Many factors may influence the price at which the fund could sell any particular portfolio investment. The sales price may well differ—higher or lower—from the fund’s last valuation, and such differences could be significant, particularly for illiquid securities and securities that trade in relatively thin markets and/or markets that experience extreme volatility. These differences may increase significantly and affect fund investments more broadly during periods of market volatility. If market conditions make it difficult to value some investments, the fund may value these investments using more subjective methods, such as fair value methodologies. Valuation methodologies may be further impacted by technological issues and/or errors by pricing vendors or their personnel. Authorized Participants who purchase or redeem fund shares on days when the fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received if the fund had not fair-valued securities or had used a different valuation methodology. The value of non‑U.S. securities, certain fixed income securities and currencies, as applicable, may be materially affected by events after the close of the markets in which they are traded, but before the fund determines its net asset value. The fund’s ability to value its investments may be impacted by technological issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third party service providers. The valuation of the fund’s investments involves subjective judgment.
Quality stocks risk. The fund invests in stocks that Royce believes are high quality based on a number of factors. There is no guarantee, however, that the past performance of these stocks will continue, and Royce may be unsuccessful in evaluating the quality of individual stocks. Profitability and other measures of a stock’s quality can be adversely affected by market, regulatory, political, environmental and other factors, and the degree to which these factors affect a stock’s performance can be difficult to predict. The price of a stock also may be affected by factors other than those factors considered by Royce.
Value investing risk. The value approach to investing involves the risk that stocks may remain undervalued for long periods, undervaluation may become more severe, or perceived undervaluation may actually represent intrinsic value. Value stocks may underperform the overall equity market for an extended period while the market favors growth stocks. A value stock may not increase in price as anticipated by Royce if other investors fail to recognize the company’s value and bid up the price or the factors that Royce believes will increase the price of the security do not occur or do not
 
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have the anticipated effect. Value stocks may go in and out of favor over time and Royce may sell a security prior to the security realizing a gain in connection with changed market perception regarding the value of the security.
Issuer risk. The market price of a security can go up or down more than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the value of the market as a whole, due to factors specifically relating to the security’s issuer, such as disappointing earnings reports by the issuer, unsuccessful products or services, loss of major customers, changes in management, corporate actions, negative perception in the marketplace, or major litigation or changes in government regulations affecting the issuer or the competitive environment. An individual security may also be affected by factors relating to the industry or sector of the issuer. The fund may experience a substantial or complete loss on an individual security. A change in financial condition or other event affecting a single issuer may adversely impact the industry or sector of the issuer or securities markets as a whole.
Illiquidity risk. Illiquidity risk exists when particular investments are or may become impossible or difficult to sell or impossible or difficult to purchase. Although most of the fund’s investments must be liquid at the time of investment, investments may become illiquid after purchase by the fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. Markets may become illiquid when, for instance, there are few, if any, interested buyers or sellers or when dealers are unwilling or unable to make a market for certain securities, including U.S. Treasury securities. As a general matter, dealers have been less willing to make markets for fixed income securities. When the fund holds illiquid investments, the portfolio may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the fund is forced to sell these investments to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, or to try to limit losses, the fund may be forced to sell at a substantial loss or may not be able to sell at all. The fund may experience heavy redemptions that could cause the fund to liquidate its assets at inopportune times or at a loss or depressed value, which could cause the value of your investment to decline. In addition, when there is illiquidity in the market for certain investments, the fund, due to limitations on illiquid investments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector.
Small fund risk. When the fund’s size is small, the fund may experience low trading volume and wide bid/ask spreads. In addition, the fund may face the risk of being delisted if the fund does not meet certain conditions of the listing exchange. If the fund were to be required to delist from the listing exchange, the value of the fund may rapidly decline. In addition, any resulting liquidation of the fund could cause the fund to incur elevated transaction costs for the fund and negative tax consequences for its shareholders. Shareholders of smaller funds may bear proportionally higher expenses than those of a fund with greater assets.
Authorized Participant concentration risk. Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the fund. “Authorized Participants” are broker-dealers that are permitted to create and redeem shares directly with the fund and who have entered into agreements with the fund’s distributor. A limited number of institutions act as Authorized Participants in respect of the fund. To the extent that these institutions exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the fund and no other Authorized Participant steps forward to create or redeem, in either of these cases, fund shares may trade at a premium or discount to net asset value and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting.
Market trading risk.
Absence of active market. Although shares of the fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants. Authorized Participants are not obligated to execute purchase or redemption orders for Creation Units. In periods of market volatility, market makers and/or Authorized Participants may be less willing to transact in fund shares. The absence of an active market for the fund’s shares may contribute to the fund’s shares trading at a premium or discount to net asset value.
Risk of secondary listings. The fund’s shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non‑U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the fund’s primary listing is maintained, and may otherwise be made available to non‑U.S. investors through funds or structured investment vehicles similar to depositary receipts. There can be no assurance that the fund’s shares will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the fund’s shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The fund’s shares may be less actively traded in certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.
Secondary market trading risk. Shares of the fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be experienced at times when the fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.
Secondary market trading in fund shares may be halted by a stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to “circuit breaker” rules on the stock exchange or market.
Shares of the fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility and price decreases associated with being sold short.
Shares of the fund may trade at prices other than net asset value. Shares of the fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the fund’s most recent net asset value. The net asset value of the fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in
 
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the market value of the fund’s holdings. The trading price of the fund’s shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for fund shares and the underlying value of the fund’s portfolio holdings or net asset value. As a result, the trading prices of the fund’s shares may deviate significantly from net asset value during periods of market volatility, including during periods of high redemption requests or other unusual market conditions. Additionally, in stressed market conditions, the market for the fund’s shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the fund’s portfolio holdings, which may cause a significant variance in the market price of the fund’s shares and their underlying value and wider bid/ask spreads. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND’S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NET ASSET VALUE. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at net asset value, the subadviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the net asset value of the fund are not likely to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed‑end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their net asset values). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely that the fund’s shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the fund’s next calculated net asset value, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the fund’s net asset value due to timing reasons, supply and demand imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading prices for shares of the fund that differ significantly from its net asset value. Authorized Participants may be less willing to create or redeem fund shares if there is a lack of an active market for such shares or its underlying investments, which may contribute to the fund’s shares trading at a discount to net asset value.
Costs of buying or selling fund shares. Buying or selling fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission and other charges. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread”; that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for fund shares (the “bid” price) and the price at which they are willing to sell fund shares (the “ask” price). There may also be regulatory and other charges that are incurred as a result of trading activity. The spread varies over time for shares of the fund based on trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally narrower if the fund has more trading volume and market liquidity and wider if the fund has less trading volume and market liquidity. In addition, increased market volatility may cause increased spreads. Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in fund shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly trading in fund shares.
Trading issues risk. Trading in shares of the fund on NASDAQ may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of NASDAQ, make trading in shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in shares on NASDAQ is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to NASDAQ’s “circuit breaker” rules. There can be no assurance that the requirements of NASDAQ necessary to maintain the listing of the fund will continue to be met or will remain unchanged.
Financial services sector risk. Companies in the financial services sector of an economy are subject to extensive and increasing governmental regulation and intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge, the amount of capital they must maintain and, potentially, their size. Governmental regulation may change frequently and may have significant adverse consequences for companies in the financials sector, including effects not intended by such regulation. The impact of more stringent capital requirements, or recent or future regulation in various countries of any individual financial company or of the financials sector as a whole, cannot be predicted. Certain risks may impact the value of investments in the financials sector more severely than those of investments outside this sector, including the risks associated with companies that operate with substantial financial leverage. Companies in the financials sector may also be adversely affected by increases in interest rates and loan losses, decreases in the availability of money or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades and adverse conditions in other related markets. Insurance companies, in particular, may be subject to severe price competition and/or rate regulation, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability. The financial services sector is particularly sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates. The financials sector is also a target for cyber attacks, and may experience technology malfunctions and disruptions. In recent years, cyber attacks and technology failures have become increasingly frequent in this sector and have reportedly caused losses to companies in this sector, which may negatively impact a fund. Interconnectedness or interdependence among financial services companies increases the risk that the financial distress or failure of one financial services company may materially and adversely affect a number of other financial services companies or the financial services sector as a whole.
Consumer discretionary sector risk. The success of consumer product manufacturers and retailers is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, interest rates, exchange rates, competition, inflation, trade and tariff arrangements, supply chain disruptions, consumer confidence, changes in demographics and consumer preferences. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability. Changes in demographics and consumer preferences also can affect the demand for, and success or, consumer discretionary products in the marketplace.
Industrials sector risk. The value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand related to their specific products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, world events, economic conditions, trading and tariff arrangements, trade disruptions, commodity prices and availability, and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of companies in the industrials sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. Aerospace and defense companies, a component of the industrials sector, can be significantly affected by government spending policies because companies involved in this industry rely, to a significant extent, on government demand for their products and services. Thus, the financial condition of, and investor interest in, aerospace and defense companies are heavily influenced by governmental defense
 
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spending policies, which are typically under pressure from efforts to control government budgets. Transportation stocks, a component of the industrials sector, are cyclical and can be significantly affected by economic changes, fuel prices, labor relations and insurance costs. Transportation companies in certain countries may also be subject to significant government regulation and oversight, which may adversely affect their businesses.
Portfolio turnover risk. The subadviser will sell a security when it believes it is appropriate to do so, regardless of how long the fund has held the security. The fund’s portfolio turnover rate may exceed 100% per year because of the anticipated use of certain investment strategies. The rate of portfolio turnover will not be a limiting factor for the subadviser in making decisions on when to buy or sell securities. High turnover will increase the fund’s transaction costs and may increase your tax liability if the transactions result in capital gains.
Assets under management risk. From time to time, a third party, LMPFA and/or affiliates of LMPFA or the fund may invest in the fund and hold its investment for a period of time in order for the fund to achieve size or scale. There can be no assurance that any such entity will not redeem its investment, that it will not redeem at an inopportune time for the fund or that the size of the fund will be maintained at a level necessary to enable the fund to remain viable. Such redemption may cause the fund to sell assets (or invest cash) at disadvantageous times or prices, increase or accelerate taxable gains or transaction costs and may negatively affect the fund’s net asset value, market price, performance, or ability to satisfy redemptions in a timely manner.
Cybersecurity risk. Cybersecurity incidents, whether intentionally caused by third parties or otherwise, may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to fund assets, fund or customer data (including private shareholder information) or proprietary information, cause the fund, the manager, the subadviser, Authorized Participants, the relevant listing exchange and/or their service providers (including, but not limited to, fund accountants, custodians, sub‑custodians, transfer agents and financial intermediaries) to suffer data breaches, data corruption or loss of operational functionality, or prevent fund investors from purchasing, redeeming or exchanging shares, receiving distributions or receiving timely information regarding the fund or their investment in the fund. The fund, the manager, and the subadviser have limited ability to prevent or mitigate cybersecurity incidents affecting third party service providers, and such third party service providers may have limited indemnification obligations to the fund, the manager, and/or the subadviser. Cybersecurity incidents may result in financial losses to the fund and its shareholders, and substantial costs may be incurred in order to prevent or mitigate any future cybersecurity incidents. Issuers of securities in which the fund invests are also subject to cybersecurity risks, and the value of these securities could decline if the issuers experience cybersecurity incidents.
Because technology is frequently changing, new ways to carry out cyber attacks are always developing. Therefore, there is a chance that some risks have not been identified or prepared for, or that an attack may not be detected, which puts limitations on the fund’s ability to plan for or respond to a cyber attack. Like other funds and business enterprises, the fund, the manager, the subadviser, Authorized Participants, the relevant listing exchange and their service providers are subject to the risk of cyber incidents occurring from time to time.
Cash management and defensive investing risk. The value of the investments held by the fund for cash management or defensive investing purposes can fluctuate. Like other fixed income securities, they are subject to risk, including market, interest rate and credit risk. If the fund holds cash uninvested, the cash will be subject to the credit risk of the depository institution holding the cash and the fund will not earn income on the cash. If a significant amount of the fund’s assets is used for cash management or defensive investing purposes, the fund will be less likely to achieve its investment objective. Defensive investing may not work as intended and the value of an investment in the fund may still decline.
Operational risk. Your ability to transact with the fund or the valuation of your investment may be negatively impacted because of the operational risks arising from factors such as processing errors and human errors, inadequate or failed internal or external processes, failures in systems and technology (including those due to cybersecurity incidents), changes in personnel, and errors caused by third party service providers or trading counterparties. It is not possible to identify all of the operational risks that may affect the fund or to develop processes and controls that eliminate or mitigate the occurrence of such failures. The fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.
Redemptions by affiliated funds and by other significant investors. The fund may be an investment option for mutual funds and ETFs that are managed by LMPFA and its affiliates, including Franklin Templeton investment managers, unaffiliated mutual funds and ETFs and other investors with substantial investments in the fund. As a result, from time to time, the fund may experience relatively large redemptions and could be required to liquidate its assets at inopportune times or at a loss or depressed value, which could cause the value of your investment to decline.
Risk of investing in the United States. The fund has significant exposure to U.S. issuers. A decrease in imports or exports, tariffs and trade disruptions, supply chain disruptions, changes in trade regulations, trade treaties or diplomatic relations and/or an economic recession in the United States may have a material adverse effect on the U.S. economy and the securities listed on U.S. exchanges. Policy and legislative changes in the United States may have a significant effect on aspects of financial and other regulation, the U.S. markets generally, as well as the value of certain securities. In addition, a continued rise in the U.S. public debt level or U.S. austerity measures may adversely affect U.S. economic growth and the securities to which the fund has exposure.
Cash transactions risk. ETFs generally are able to make in‑kind redemptions and avoid being taxed on gain on the distributed portfolio securities at the fund level. To the extent that the fund effects redemptions partly or entirely in cash, rather than in‑kind, it may be required to sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. If the fund recognizes gain on these sales, this generally will cause the fund to recognize gain it might not otherwise have recognized, or to recognize such gain sooner than would otherwise be required if it were to distribute portfolio securities in‑kind. The fund generally intends to distribute these gains to shareholders to avoid being taxed on this gain at the fund level and otherwise comply with the special tax rules that apply to it. This strategy may cause shareholders to be subject to tax on gains they would not otherwise be subject to, or at an earlier date than, if they had made an investment in a different ETF. Moreover, cash transactions may
 
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have to be carried out over several days if the securities market is relatively illiquid and may involve considerable brokerage fees and taxes. These brokerage fees and taxes, which will be higher than if the fund sold and redeemed its shares principally in‑kind, could be imposed on the fund and thus decrease the fund’s NAV to the extent they are not offset by the creation and redemption transaction fees paid by purchasers and redeemers of Creation Units.
Please note that there are other factors that could adversely affect your investment and that could prevent the fund from achieving its investment objective. More information about risks appears in the SAI. Before investing, you should carefully consider the risks that you will assume.
Portfolio holdings
On each business day, before the opening of regular trading on the fund’s primary listing exchange, the fund will disclose on www.franklintempleton.com/etfproducts (click on the name of the fund) information about the fund’s portfolio holdings, including the identities and quantities of such portfolio holdings, that will form the basis for the fund’s calculation of its net asset value per share at the end of the business day. A description of the fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of its portfolio holdings is available in the SAI.
Tax advantaged product structure
Unlike many conventional mutual funds which are only bought and sold at closing net asset values, the shares of the fund have been designed to be created and redeemed principally in‑kind (although under some circumstances its shares are created and redeemed entirely or partially for cash) in Creation Units at each day’s market close. These in‑kind arrangements are designed to mitigate adverse effects on the fund’s portfolio that could arise from frequent cash purchase and redemption transactions that affect the net asset value of the fund. Moreover, in contrast to conventional mutual funds, where frequent redemptions can have an adverse tax impact on taxable shareholders because of the need to sell portfolio securities—which, in turn, may generate taxable gain—the in‑kind redemption mechanism of the fund, to the extent used, generally is not expected to result in a taxable distribution for shareholders whose shares are not being redeemed or sold.
 
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More on fund management
Legg Mason Partners Fund Advisor, LLC (“LMPFA” or the “manager”) is the fund’s investment manager. LMPFA, with offices at 280 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10017, also serves as the investment manager of other Legg Mason-sponsored funds. LMPFA provides administrative and certain oversight services to the fund. As of March 31, 2023, LMPFA’s total assets under management were approximately $190.69 billion.
Royce & Associates, LP (Royce & Associates, LP primarily conducts its business under the name Royce Investment Partners (“Royce” or the “subadviser”)) provides the day‑to‑day portfolio management of the fund except for any portion of the fund’s cash and short-term instruments that is allocated to Western Asset Management Company (“Western Asset”). Royce, with offices at 745 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10151, has been investing in smaller-company securities with a value approach for more than 45 years. As of March 31, 2023, Royce’s total assets under management were approximately $11.75 billion.
Western Asset manages the portion of the fund’s cash and short-term instruments allocated to it. Western Asset, established in 1971, has offices at 385 East Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, California 91101 and 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, New York 10018. Western Asset acts as investment adviser to institutional accounts, such as corporate pension plans, mutual funds and endowment funds. As of March 31, 2023, the total assets under management of Western Asset and its supervised affiliates were approximately $397.45 billion.
LMPFA and Western Asset are indirect, wholly-owned subsidiaries of Franklin Resources, Inc. (“Franklin Resources”), and Royce is a majority owned subsidiary of Franklin Resources. Franklin Resources, whose principal executive offices are at One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, California 94403, is a global investment management organization operating, together with its subsidiaries, as Franklin Templeton. As of March 31, 2023, Franklin Templeton’s asset management operations had aggregate assets under management of approximately $1.42 trillion.
Portfolio managers
Primary responsibility for the day‑to‑day management of the fund lies with the following portfolio managers.
 
Portfolio manager                    Title and recent biography                    Portfolio manager of the fund since
 
  George Necakov, CFA
  
Portfolio Manager, Principal, and Director of Quantitative Strategies of Royce. Mr. Necakov joined Royce in 1994 and has been involved in portfolio management since 1998. He holds a bachelor’s degree from New York University.
 
  
 
2017
 
  Michael Connors
  
Assistant Portfolio Manager and Director of Portfolio Analytics of Royce. Mr. Connors joined Royce in 2003 and has been involved in quantitative research since 2014. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Mount Saint Mary College and a Masters of Business Administration from Zicklin School of Business—Baruch College.
 
  
 
2017
The SAI provides information about the compensation of the portfolio managers, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers and any fund shares held by the portfolio managers.
Management fee
Pursuant to the management agreement and subject to the general supervision of the Board, 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 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 management agreement.
The fund pays management fees at an annual rate as follows:
 
Name of fund   Management fee
Royce Quant Small‑Cap Quality Value ETF   0.60% of average daily net assets
For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, the fund paid LMPFA an effective management fee of 0.60% of the fund’s average daily net assets for management services.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the fund’s management agreement and subadvisory agreements is available in the fund’s Semi-Annual Report for the period ended September 30, 2022.
 
16     Royce Quant Small-Cap Quality Value ETF

Additional information
The fund enters into contractual arrangements with various parties, including, among others, the fund’s manager and the subadviser, who provide services to the fund. Shareholders are not parties to, or intended (or “third-party”) beneficiaries of, those contractual arrangements.
This Prospectus and the SAI provide information concerning the fund that you should consider in determining whether to purchase shares of the fund. The fund may make changes to this information from time to time. Neither this Prospectus nor the SAI is intended to give rise to any contract rights or other rights in any shareholder, other than rights conferred by federal or state securities laws.
Distribution
Franklin Distributors, LLC (“Franklin Distributors”), an indirect, wholly-owned broker/dealer subsidiary of Franklin Resources, located at One Franklin Parkway, San Mateo, CA 94403-1906, serves as the distributor of Creation Units for the fund on an agency basis. Franklin Distributors does not maintain a secondary market in the fund’s shares. Franklin Distributors has no role in determining the fund’s policies or the securities that are purchased or sold by the fund.
The Board has adopted a distribution and service plan (“Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b‑1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). Under the Plan, the fund is authorized to pay distribution fees in connection with the sale and distribution of its shares and pay service fees in connection with the provision of ongoing services to shareholders of the fund and the maintenance of shareholder accounts in an amount up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year. No Rule 12b‑1 fees are currently paid by the fund, and there are no current plans to impose these fees.
Additional payments
Franklin Templeton or its affiliates make payments to broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, “intermediaries”) related to marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems, or their making shares of the fund available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the fund. Rather, such payments are made by Franklin Templeton or its affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the fund. A financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments to an intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the fund over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the fund’s SAI. Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from Franklin Templeton or its affiliates.
 
Royce Quant Small-Cap Quality Value ETF       17  

Shareholder information
Additional shareholder information, including how to buy and sell shares of the fund, is available free of charge by calling toll-free: 1‑877‑721‑1926 or visiting our website at www.franklintempleton.com/etfliterature.
Purchasing and selling shares
Shares of the fund may be acquired or redeemed directly from the fund only in Creation Units or multiples thereof, as discussed in the “Creations and redemptions” section of this Prospectus. Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the fund. Once created, shares of the fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
Shares of the fund are listed for trading on the secondary market on NASDAQ. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like other publicly traded shares. There is no minimum investment. Although shares are generally purchased and sold in “round lots” of 100 shares, brokerage firms typically permit investors to purchase or sell shares in smaller “odd lots” at no per‑share price differential. The fund’s shares trade on NASDAQ as follows:
 
Name of fund   Ticker symbol
Royce Quant Small‑Cap Quality Value ETF   SQLV
Share prices are reported in dollars and cents per share
Buying or selling fund shares on an exchange or other secondary market involves two types of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the fund through a broker, you may incur a brokerage commission and other charges. The commission is frequently a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the “spread,” that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread varies over time for shares of the fund based on the fund’s trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the fund has high trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the fund has little trading volume and market liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The fund’s spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.
Authorized Participants may acquire shares directly from the fund and may tender their shares for redemption directly to the fund, at net asset value per share only in Creation Units.
The fund’s primary listing exchange is NASDAQ. NASDAQ is open for trading Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends and the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in SEC rules or in exemptive relief as applicable. In order for a registered investment company to invest in shares of the fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1), the registered investment company must generally enter into an agreement with the fund.
Frequent purchases and redemptions of fund shares
The Board has evaluated the risks of frequent purchases and redemptions of fund shares (“market timing”) activities by the fund’s shareholders. The Board noted that the fund’s shares can only be purchased and redeemed directly from the fund in Creation Units by Authorized Participants and that the vast majority of trading in the fund’s shares occurs on the secondary market. Because the secondary market trades do not involve the fund directly, it is unlikely those trades would cause many of the harmful effects of market timing, including dilution, disruption of portfolio management, increases in the fund’s trading costs and the realization of capital gains.
With respect to trades directly with the fund, to the extent they are effected in‑kind, those trades do not cause any of the harmful effects (as previously noted) that may result from frequent cash trades. To the extent that the fund permits or requires trades to be effected in whole or in part in cash, the Board noted that those trades could result in dilution to the fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact the fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective. However, the Board noted that direct trading by Authorized Participants is critical to ensuring that the fund’s shares trade at or close to net asset value. The fund also employs fair valuation pricing to minimize potential dilution from market timing. The fund imposes transaction fees on in‑kind purchases and redemptions of fund shares to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the fund in effecting in‑kind trades. These fees may increase if an investor substitutes cash in part or in whole for securities, reflecting the fact that the fund’s trading costs increase in those circumstances. Given this structure, the Board determined that it is not necessary to apply policies and procedures to the fund to detect and deter market timing.
Book entry
Shares are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding shares of the fund and is recognized as the owner of all shares for all purposes.
 
18     Royce Quant Small-Cap Quality Value ETF

Investors owning shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all shares. Participants in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other stocks that you hold in book entry or “street name” form.
Fund share trading prices
The trading prices of the fund’s shares in the secondary market generally differ from the fund’s daily net asset value and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and underlying securities held by the fund, economic conditions and other factors.
Calculation of net asset value
The fund’s net asset value per share is the value of its assets minus its liabilities divided by the number of shares outstanding.
The fund calculates its net asset value every day the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) is open. The fund generally values its securities and other assets and calculates its net asset value as of the scheduled close of regular trading on the NYSE, normally at 4:00 p.m. (Eastern time). If the NYSE closes at a time other than the scheduled closing time, the fund will calculate its net asset value as of the scheduled closing time. The NYSE is closed on certain holidays listed in the SAI.
Valuation of the fund’s securities and other assets is performed in accordance with the valuation policy approved by the Board. The fund’s manager serves as the fund’s valuation designee for purposes of compliance with Rule 2a‑5 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. Under the valuation policy, assets are valued as follows:
 
 
Equity securities and certain derivative instruments that are traded on an exchange are valued at the closing price (which may be reported at a different time than the time at which the fund’s NAV is calculated) or, if that price is unavailable or deemed by the manager not representative of market value, the last sale price. Where a security is traded on more than one exchange (as is often the case overseas), the security is generally valued at the price on the exchange considered by the manager to be the primary exchange. In the case of securities not traded on an exchange, or if exchange prices are not otherwise available, the prices are typically determined by independent third party pricing services that use a variety of techniques and methodologies.
 
 
The valuations for fixed income 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 fair valuation techniques and methodologies.
 
 
The valuations of securities traded on foreign markets and certain fixed income securities will generally be based on prices determined as of the earlier closing time of the markets on which they primarily trade, unless a significant event has occurred. 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). Foreign markets are open for trading on weekends and other days when the fund does not price its shares. Therefore, the value of the fund’s shares may change on days when you will not be able to purchase or sell the fund’s shares.
 
 
Investments in ETFs and closed‑end funds listed on an exchange are valued at the closing sale or official closing price on that exchange. Investments in open‑end funds other than ETFs are valued at the net asset value per share of the class of the underlying fund held by the fund as determined on each business day.
 
 
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. When such prices or quotations are not available, or when the manager believes that they are unreliable, the manager will price securities in accordance with the valuation policy. The valuation policy permits, among other things, the use of a formula or other method that takes into consideration market indices, yield curves and other specific adjustments to determine fair value. These determinations are subject to the Board’s oversight. Fair value of a security is the amount, as determined by the manager in good faith, that the fund might reasonably expect to receive upon a current sale of the security. The fund may also use fair value procedures if the manager determines that a significant event has occurred between the time at which a market price is determined and the time at which the fund’s net asset value is calculated.
Many factors may influence the price at which the fund could sell any particular portfolio investment. The sales price may well differ—higher or lower—from the fund’s last valuation, and such differences could be significant, particularly for securities that trade in relatively thin markets and/or markets that experience extreme volatility. Moreover, valuing securities using fair value methodologies involves greater reliance on judgment than valuing securities based on market quotations. A fund that uses fair value methodologies may value those securities higher or lower than another fund using market quotations or its own fair value methodologies to price the same securities. There can be no assurance that a fund could obtain the value assigned to a security if it were to sell the security at approximately the time at which the fund determines its net asset value.
Premium/Discount Information
Information regarding how often the shares of the fund traded on the applicable exchange at a price above (at a premium) or below (at a discount) the NAV of the fund for the most recently completed calendar year, and the most recently completed calendar quarters since that year, can be found at www.franklintempleton.com/etfproducts (select fund).
 
Royce Quant Small-Cap Quality Value ETF       19  

Dividends, other distributions and taxes
Dividends and other distributions
The fund generally pays dividends quarterly from its net investment income, if any, and from short-term capital gain (if any). Shares will generally begin to earn dividends on the settlement date of purchase. The fund generally distributes long-term capital gain, if any, once in December and at such other times as are necessary. The fund may pay additional distributions and dividends in order to avoid a federal tax.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the fund are distributed on a pro rata basis to beneficial owners of such shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners then of record with proceeds received from the fund.
The Board reserves the right to revise the dividend policy or postpone the payment of dividends if warranted in the Board’s judgment due to unusual circumstances.
Reinvestment of distributions
Distributions are paid in cash. No dividend reinvestment service is provided by the fund. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by beneficial owners of the fund for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial owners should contact their broker to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require beneficial owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares of the fund purchased in the secondary market.
Taxes
The following discussion is very general, applies only to shareholders who are U.S. persons, and does not address shareholders subject to special rules, such as those who hold fund shares through an IRA, 401(k) plan or other tax‑advantaged account. Except as specifically noted, the discussion is limited to federal income tax matters, and does not address state, local, foreign or non‑income taxes. Further information regarding taxes, including certain federal income tax considerations relevant to non‑U.S. persons, is included in the SAI. Because each shareholder’s circumstances are different and special tax rules may apply, you should consult your tax professional about federal, state, local and/or foreign tax considerations that may be relevant to your particular situation.
In general, selling shares and receiving dividends and distributions are taxable events. Distributions of investment income that the fund reports as “qualified dividend income” may be eligible to be taxed to noncorporate shareholders at the reduced rates applicable to long-term capital gain if certain requirements are satisfied. Distributions of net capital gain reported by the fund as capital gain dividends are taxable to you as long-term capital gain regardless of how long you have owned your shares. Noncorporate shareholders ordinarily pay tax at reduced rates on long-term capital gain.
If the fund redeems Creation Units in cash, it may recognize more capital gains than it will if it redeems Creation Units in‑kind. If the fund realizes capital gains in excess of realized capital losses in any fiscal year, it generally expects to make capital gain distributions. You may receive distributions that are attributable to appreciation of portfolio securities that happened before you made your investment but had not been realized at the time you made your investment, or that are attributable to capital gains or other income that, although realized by the fund, had not yet been distributed at the time you made your investment. Unless you purchase shares through a tax‑advantaged account, these distributions will be taxable to you even though they economically represent a return of a portion of your investment. You may want to avoid buying shares when the fund is about to declare a dividend or capital gain distribution. You should consult your tax professional before buying shares no matter when you are investing.
A Medicare contribution tax is imposed at the rate of 3.8% on all or a portion of net investment income of U.S. individuals if their income exceeds specified thresholds, and on all or a portion of undistributed net investment income of certain estates and trusts. Net investment income generally includes for this purpose dividends and capital gain distributions paid by the fund and gain on the redemption, sale or exchange of fund shares.
A dividend declared by the fund in October, November or December and paid during January of the following year will, in certain circumstances, be treated as paid on December 31 for tax purposes.
Capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of fund shares held for one year or less is generally treated as short-term gain or loss, except that any capital loss on the sale of shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that capital gain dividends were paid with respect to such shares.
By law, if you do not provide your proper taxpayer identification number and certain required certifications, you may be subject to backup withholding on any distributions of income, captial gains or proceeds from the sale of your shares. Withholding is also imposed if the IRS requires it. When whithholding is required, the amount will be 24% of any distributions or proceeds paid.
Fund distributions and gains from the sale of your fund shares generally are subject to state and local taxes.
 
20     Royce Quant Small-Cap Quality Value ETF

Creations and redemptions
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the fund are “created” at NAV by market makers, large investors and institutions only in block‑size Creation Units or multiples thereof. Each “creator” or “Authorized Participant” enters into an authorized participant agreement with Franklin Distributors, the fund’s distributor. Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation Units directly with the fund.
The fund may issue or redeem Creation Units in return for a specified amount of cash or a designated portfolio of securities and/or cash that the fund specifies each day. To the extent cash is used, an Authorized Participant must transfer cash in an amount equal to the value of the Creation Unit(s) purchased and the applicable transaction fee. An Authorized Participant also may effect a creation transaction by depositing into the fund a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) and a specified amount of cash approximating the holdings of the fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units (a “Creation Basket”). The composition of each Creation Basket will be determined in accordance with board-approved policies and procedures applicable to the construction of creation and redemption baskets, and subject to acceptance by Franklin Distributors. Creation and redemption baskets may differ and the fund will accept “custom baskets.” More information regarding custom baskets is contained in the fund’s SAI.
Redemption proceeds will be paid in cash or in kind. If redemption proceeds are paid in kind, shares will be redeemed in Creation Units for a designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) held by the fund (“Fund Securities”) and a specified amount of cash. The composition of redemption proceeds will be determined in accordance with board-approved policies and procedures applicable to the construction of creation and redemption baskets. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not redeemable by the fund.
The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of net asset value after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.
In the event of a system failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the fund’s instructions or may not be executed at all, or the fund may not be able to place or change orders.
To the extent the fund engages in in‑kind transactions, the fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “1933 Act”). Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a “qualified institutional buyer,” as such term is defined in Rule 144A under the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
Information about the procedures regarding creation and redemption of Creation Units (including the cut‑off times for receipt of creation and redemption orders) is included in the fund’s SAI.
Because new shares may be created and issued on an ongoing basis, at any point during the life of the fund a “distribution,” as such term is used in the 1933 Act, may be occurring. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner that could render them statutory underwriters subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
Broker-dealers should also note that dealers who are not “underwriters” but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary secondary transactions), and thus dealing with shares that are part of an “unsold allotment” within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the 1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Costs associated with creations and redemptions. Authorized Participants are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. The standard creation and redemption transaction fees are set forth in the table below. The standard creation transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant creates a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Similarly, the standard redemption transaction fee is charged to the Authorized Participant on the day such Authorized Participant redeems a Creation Unit, and is the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by the Authorized Participant on the applicable business day. Creations and redemptions for cash (when cash creations and redemptions (in whole or in part) are available or specified) are also subject to an additional charge (as shown in the table below). This charge is intended to compensate for brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, market impact and other costs and expenses related to cash transactions. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to acquire or dispose of fund shares may pay fees for such services.
The following table shows, as of March 31, 2023, the standard creation and redemption transaction fees, the additional charge for creations and the maximum additional charge for redemptions (as described above):
 
Royce Quant Small-Cap Quality Value ETF       21  

     
Standard
Creation/
Redemption
Transaction
Fee ($)
  
Additional
Charge for
Creations* (%)
  
Maximum
Additional Charge
for
Redemptions** (%)
Royce Quant Small‑Cap Quality Value ETF    550    2.0    2.0
 
*
This amount, reflected as a percentage of the NAV per Creation Unit, generally will be equal to the costs and expenses incurred by a fund in connection with such cash transactions and is not subject to a maximum limit.
**
As a percentage of the NAV per Creation Unit inclusive of the standard redemption transaction fee.
 
22     Royce Quant Small-Cap Quality Value ETF

Financial highlights
The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand the performance of the fund for the past five years, unless otherwise noted. Total return represents the rate that a shareholder would have earned (or lost) on a fund share assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. Unless otherwise noted, this information has been audited by the fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, whose report, along with the fund’s financial statements, is incorporated by reference into the fund’s SAI (see back cover) and is included in the fund’s annual report. The fund’s annual report is available upon request by calling toll-free 1‑877‑721‑1926 or via the following hyperlink: (https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1645194/000119312523155401/d765228dncsr.htm).
 
For a share of beneficial interest outstanding throughout each year ended March 31, unless otherwise noted:  
      20231     20221,2     20211,3     20201,3     20191,3     20181,3  
Net asset value, beginning of period    $ 38.64     $ 37.85     $ 22.80     $ 26.21     $ 30.06     $ 24.95  
Income (loss) from operations:             
Net investment income
     0.47       0.36       0.35       0.35       0.35       0.31  
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)
     (3.15)       0.82       15.03       (3.42)       (3.77)       4.91  
Total income (loss) from operations
     (2.68)       1.18       15.38       (3.07)       (3.42)       5.22  
Less distributions from:             
Net investment income
     (0.44)       (0.39)       (0.33)       (0.34)       (0.43)       (0.11)  
Return of capital
     (0.02)                                
Total distributions
     (0.46)       (0.39)       (0.33)       (0.34)       (0.43)       (0.11)  
Net asset value, end of period    $ 35.50     $ 38.64     $ 37.85     $ 22.80     $ 26.21     $ 30.06  
Total return, based on NAV4
     (6.88)     3.15     67.77     (11.71)     (11.29)     20.97
Net assets, end of period (000s)    $ 24,849     $ 19,320     $ 17,031     $ 11,402     $ 10,483     $ 4,509  
Ratios to average net assets:             
Gross expenses
     0.60     0.60 %5       0.60     0.60     0.60     0.60
Net expenses
     0.60       0.60 5       0.60       0.60       0.60       0.60  
Net investment income
     1. 33      1.39 5       1.13       1.46       1.30       1.12  
Portfolio turnover rate6      51     73     99     95     87     80
 
1
Per share amounts have been calculated using the average shares method.
 
2
For the period August 1, 2021 through March 31, 2022.
 
3
For the year ended July 31.
 
4
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.
 
5
Annualized.
 
6
Portfolio turnover excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in‑kind fund share transactions.
 
Royce Quant Small-Cap Quality Value ETF       23  

Royce Quant Small‑Cap Quality Value ETF
You may visit www.franklintempleton.com/etfliterature for a free copy of a Prospectus, Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) or an Annual or Semi-Annual Report.
Shareholder reports Additional information about the fund’s investments is available in the fund’s Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to shareholders. In the fund’s Annual Report, you will find a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the fund’s performance during its last fiscal period. The independent registered public accounting firm’s report and financial statements in the fund’s Annual Report are incorporated by reference into (are legally a part of) this Prospectus.
The fund sends only one report to a household if more than one account has the same last name and same address. Contact your Service Agent or the fund if you do not want this policy to apply to you.
Statement of additional information The SAI provides more detailed information about the fund and is incorporated by reference into (is legally a part of) this Prospectus.
You can make inquiries about the fund or obtain shareholder reports or the SAI (without charge) by contacting your Service Agent, by calling the fund at 1‑877‑721‑1926, or by writing to the fund at BNY Mellon, Attn: Legg Mason Funds, 4400 Computer Drive, Westborough, MA 01581.
Reports and other information about the fund are available on the EDGAR Database on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of this information may be obtained for a duplicating fee by electronic request at the following E‑mail address: [email protected].
If someone makes a statement about the fund that is not in this Prospectus, you should not rely upon that information. Neither the fund nor the Distributor is offering to sell shares of the fund to any person to whom the fund may not lawfully sell its shares.
 
 
(Investment Company Act
file no. 811‑23096)
ETFF387009ST 08/23