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Should Schwab U.S. SmallCap ETF (SCHA) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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Launched on 11/03/2009, the Schwab U.S. SmallCap ETF (SCHA - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Charles Schwab. It has amassed assets over $13.65 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Small Cap Blend

With more potential comes more risk, and small cap companies, with market capitalization below $2 billion, epitomizes this way of thinking.

Blend ETFs are aptly named, since they tend to hold a mix of growth and value stocks, as well as show characteristics of both kinds of equities.

Costs

Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.04%, making it the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.54%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

ETFs offer a diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector--about 17.80% of the portfolio. Industrials and Healthcare round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Alcoa Corp (AA - Free Report) accounts for about 0.41% of total assets, followed by Zoominfo Technologies Inc Class A (ZI - Free Report) and Builders Firstsource Inc (BLDR - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 3.31% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

SCHA seeks to match the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Small-Cap Total Stock Market Index before fees and expenses. The Dow Jones U.S. Small-Cap Total Stock Market Index includes the small-cap portion of the Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index actually available to investors in the marketplace.

The ETF has lost about -23.26% so far this year and is down about -22.92% in the last one year (as of 07/05/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $37.88 and $55.07.

The ETF has a beta of 1.18 and standard deviation of 29.95% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 1795 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Schwab U.S. SmallCap 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, SCHA is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Blend area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM - Free Report) and the iShares Core S&P SmallCap ETF (IJR - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 2000 ETF has $52.10 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P SmallCap ETF has $60.50 billion. IWM has an expense ratio of 0.19% and IJR charges 0.06%.

Bottom-Line

An increasingly popular option among retail and institutional investors, passively managed ETFs offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; they 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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