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Should iShares Morningstar Small-Cap Value ETF (ISCV) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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The iShares Morningstar Small-Cap Value ETF (ISCV - Free Report) was launched on 06/28/2004, and is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Small Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $409.58 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Small Cap Value

Sitting at a market capitalization below $2 billion, small cap companies tend to be high-potential stocks compared to its large and mid cap counterparts, but come with higher risk.

Value stocks are known for their lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, but investors should also note their lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. While value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in nearly all markets when you consider long-term performance, growth stocks are more likely to outpace value stocks in strong bull markets.

Costs

Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts, other things remaining the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.06%, making it the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.14%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector--about 26.20% of the portfolio. Consumer Discretionary and Industrials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Toll Brothers Inc (TOL - Free Report) accounts for about 0.63% of total assets, followed by Dicks Sporting Inc (DKS - Free Report) and East West Bancorp Inc (EWBC - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 5.1% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

ISCV seeks to match the performance of the MORNINGSTAR US SML CP BRD VLUE EXTD INDX before fees and expenses. The Morningstar US Small Cap Broad Value Extended Index comprises of small-capitalization U.S. equities that exhibit value characteristics.

The ETF has added roughly 0.69% so far this year and it's up approximately 16.55% in the last one year (as of 06/04/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $47.77 and $61.20.

The ETF has a beta of 1.25 and standard deviation of 21.27% for the trailing three-year period. With about 1125 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

IShares Morningstar Small-Cap Value ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, ISCV is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Value area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF (IWN - Free Report) and the Vanguard Small-Cap Value ETF (VBR - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF has $11.71 billion in assets, Vanguard Small-Cap Value ETF has $28.31 billion. IWN has an expense ratio of 0.24% and VBR charges 0.07%.

Bottom-Line

While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency.

To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.

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