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Should iShares Morningstar SmallCap Value ETF (ISCV) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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

The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $339.96 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.

While 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. Considering long-term performance, value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in almost all markets; however, they are more likely to underperform growth 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 2.26%.

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 24.50% of the portfolio. Industrials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Webster Financial Corp (WBS - Free Report) accounts for about 0.58% of total assets, followed by Bjs Wholesale Club Holdings Inc (BJ - Free Report) and Tenet Healthcare Corp (THC - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 4.17% 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 lost about -15.25% so far this year and is down about -10.55% in the last one year (as of 07/07/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $49.29 and $62.28.

The ETF has a beta of 1.25 and standard deviation of 32.13% for the trailing three-year period. With about 1229 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

IShares Morningstar SmallCap 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 SmallCap Value ETF (VBR - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF has $11.45 billion in assets, Vanguard SmallCap Value ETF has $21.76 billion. IWN has an expense ratio of 0.24% and VBR charges 0.07%.

Bottom-Line

Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are 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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