Designed to provide broad exposure to the Small Cap Value segment of the US equity market, the WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap ETF (EES) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 02/23/2007.
The fund is sponsored by Wisdomtree. It has amassed assets over $525.58 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.
Carrying lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, value stocks 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 0.38%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.13%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Consumer Discretionary sector--about 23.10% of the portfolio. Financials and Industrials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Michaels Cos Inc/the (MIK) accounts for about 1.45% of total assets, followed by Range Resources Corp (RRC) and Cleveland-Cliffs Inc (CLF).
The top 10 holdings account for about 9.89% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
EES seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Earnings Index before fees and expenses. The WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Earnings Index is a fundamentally weighted index that measures the performance of earnings-generating companies within the small-capitalization segment of the U.S. Stock Market.
The ETF has added about 16% so far this year and was up about 24.40% in the last one year (as of 02/12/2021). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $19.73 and $44.96.
The ETF has a beta of 1.44 and standard deviation of 30.64% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 836 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
WisdomTree 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, EES is a sufficient 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) and the Vanguard SmallCap Value ETF (VBR) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF has $14.12 billion in assets, Vanguard SmallCap Value ETF has $19.73 billion. IWN has an expense ratio of 0.24% 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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Should WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap ETF (EES) Be on Your Investing Radar?
Designed to provide broad exposure to the Small Cap Value segment of the US equity market, the WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap ETF (EES) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 02/23/2007.
The fund is sponsored by Wisdomtree. It has amassed assets over $525.58 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.
Carrying lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios, value stocks 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 0.38%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.13%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
While ETFs offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, a deep look into a fund's holdings is a valuable exercise. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Consumer Discretionary sector--about 23.10% of the portfolio. Financials and Industrials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Michaels Cos Inc/the (MIK) accounts for about 1.45% of total assets, followed by Range Resources Corp (RRC) and Cleveland-Cliffs Inc (CLF).
The top 10 holdings account for about 9.89% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
EES seeks to match the performance of the WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Earnings Index before fees and expenses. The WisdomTree U.S. SmallCap Earnings Index is a fundamentally weighted index that measures the performance of earnings-generating companies within the small-capitalization segment of the U.S. Stock Market.
The ETF has added about 16% so far this year and was up about 24.40% in the last one year (as of 02/12/2021). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $19.73 and $44.96.
The ETF has a beta of 1.44 and standard deviation of 30.64% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 836 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
WisdomTree 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, EES is a sufficient 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) and the Vanguard SmallCap Value ETF (VBR) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF has $14.12 billion in assets, Vanguard SmallCap Value ETF has $19.73 billion. IWN has an expense ratio of 0.24% 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.