If you're interested in broad exposure to the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, look no further than the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF (GSSC Quick QuoteGSSC - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 06/28/2017.

The fund is sponsored by Goldman Sachs Funds. It has amassed assets over $439.51 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Small Cap Blend

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.

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 0.20%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.41%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. 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 18.90% of the portfolio. Industrials and Information Technology round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Usd U.s. Dollar (USD Quick QuoteUSD - Free Report) accounts for about 0.37% of total assets, followed by Synaptics Inc (SYNA Quick QuoteSYNA - Free Report) and Lattice Semiconductor Corp (LSCC Quick QuoteLSCC - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 2.96% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

GSSC seeks to match the performance of the Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Small Cap Equity Index before fees and expenses. The Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Small Cap Equity Index is designed to deliver exposure to equity securities of small capitalization U.S. issuers.

The ETF has lost about -18.80% so far this year and is down about -15.94% in the last one year (as of 06/28/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $51.07 and $70.38.

The ETF has a beta of 0.94 and standard deviation of 29.36% for the trailing three-year period. With about 1323 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta U.S. Small Cap Equity 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, GSSC is a sufficient 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 Quick QuoteIWM - Free Report) and the iShares Core S&P SmallCap ETF (IJR Quick QuoteIJR - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 2000 ETF has $53.68 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P SmallCap ETF has $61.55 billion. IWM has an expense ratio of 0.19% and IJR charges 0.06%.

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.