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Is Nuveen ESG Mid-Cap Value ETF (NUMV) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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The Nuveen ESG Mid-Cap Value ETF (NUMV - Free Report) made its debut on 12/13/2016, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Value category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.

Market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, and are a good option for investors who believe in market efficiency.

But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.

Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.

This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

Because the fund has amassed over $307.72 million, this makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Value. NUMV is managed by Nuveen. NUMV, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the TIAA ESG USA Mid-Cap Value Index.

The TIAA ESG USA Mid-Cap Value Index comprises of equity securities issued by mid- capitalization companies listed on US exchanges. It uses a rules-based methodology that seeks to provide investment exposure that generally replicates mid-cap value benchmarks through a portfolio of securities that adhere to predetermined ESG, controversial business involvement and low-carbon screening criteria.

Cost & Other Expenses

For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund's return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.

With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.31%.

It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 2.29%.

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.

NUMV's heaviest allocation is in the Financials sector, which is about 14.60% of the portfolio. Its Industrials and Real Estate round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Vici Properties Inc (VICI - Free Report) accounts for about 2.53% of total assets, followed by Oneok Inc (OKE - Free Report) and Baker Hughes Co (BKR - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 22.08% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has lost about -5.70% and is down about -10.30% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 05/24/2023), respectively. NUMV has traded between $26.97 and $34.85 during this last 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 1.07 and standard deviation of 20.85% for the trailing three-year period. With about 84 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

Nuveen ESG Mid-Cap Value ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Mid Cap Value segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.

IShares ESG Aware MSCI EAFE ETF (ESGD - Free Report) tracks MSCI EAFE ESG Focus Index and the iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF (ESGU - Free Report) tracks MSCI USA ESG Focus Index. IShares ESG Aware MSCI EAFE ETF has $7.32 billion in assets, iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF has $13.41 billion. ESGD has an expense ratio of 0.20% and ESGU charges 0.15%.

Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Style Box - Mid Cap Value.

Bottom Line

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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