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Should iShares Morningstar Mid-Cap Value ETF (IMCV) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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Launched on 06/28/2004, the iShares Morningstar Mid-Cap Value ETF (IMCV - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Mid Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $535.92 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Mid Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Mid Cap Value

Mid cap companies, with market capitalization in the range of $2 billion and $10 billion, offer investors many things that small and large companies don't, including less risk and higher growth opportunities. These types of companies, then, have a good balance of stability and growth potential.

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

Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain 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 2.32%.

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.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector--about 15.50% of the portfolio. Industrials and Utilities round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Newmont (NEM - Free Report) accounts for about 1.09% of total assets, followed by Biogen Inc (BIIB - Free Report) and Dow Inc (DOW - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 9.56% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

IMCV seeks to match the performance of the MORNINGSTAR US MID CAP BROAD VALUE INDEX before fees and expenses. The Morningstar US Mid Cap Broad Value Index comprises of mid-capitalization U.S. equities that exhibit value characteristics.

The ETF has gained about 5.78% so far this year and it's up approximately 11.56% in the last one year (as of 07/12/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $55.94 and $68.24.

The ETF has a beta of 1.09 and standard deviation of 19.73% for the trailing three-year period. With about 339 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

IShares Morningstar Mid-Cap 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, IMCV is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Value area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF (IWS - Free Report) and the Vanguard Mid-Cap Value ETF (VOE - Free Report) track a similar index. While iShares Russell Mid-Cap Value ETF has $12.98 billion in assets, Vanguard Mid-Cap Value ETF has $16.51 billion. IWS has an expense ratio of 0.23% and VOE charges 0.07%.

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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