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Should iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Value ETF (IJS) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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Launched on 07/24/2000, the iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Value ETF (IJS - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Small Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $7.15 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Small Cap Value

Small cap companies have market capitalization below $2 billion. They usually have higher potential than large and mid cap companies with stocks but higher risk.

Value stocks have lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios. They also have lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. When you look at long-term performance, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in nearly all markets. But in strong bull markets, growth stocks are more likely to be winners.

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 0.18%, making it one of the cheaper products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.48%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector--about 21.40% of the portfolio. Industrials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Comerica Inc (CMA - Free Report) accounts for about 1.08% of total assets, followed by Robert Half (RHI - Free Report) and Blk Csh Fnd Treasury Sl Agency (XTSLA).

Performance and Risk

IJS seeks to match the performance of the S&P SmallCap 600 Value Index before fees and expenses. The S&P SmallCap 600 Value Index measures the performance of the small capitalization value sector of the U.S. equity market.

The ETF has added about 3.92% so far this year and is up about 14.35% in the last one year (as of 08/29/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $82.10 and $108.74.

The ETF has a beta of 1.16 and standard deviation of 22.01% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 491 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

IShares S&P Small-Cap 600 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, IJS 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 Avantis U.S. Small Cap Value ETF (AVUV - Free Report) and the Vanguard Small-Cap Value ETF (VBR - Free Report) track a similar index. While Avantis U.S. Small Cap Value ETF has $12.97 billion in assets, Vanguard Small-Cap Value ETF has $29.77 billion. AVUV has an expense ratio of 0.25% and VBR charges 0.07%.

Bottom-Line

Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.

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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