Designed to provide broad exposure to the Mid Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, the iShares Russell Mid-Cap ETF (IWR Quick QuoteIWR - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 07/17/2001.

The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $36.50 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Mid Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Mid Cap Blend

With market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion, mid cap companies usually contain higher growth prospects than large cap companies, and are considered less risky than their small cap counterparts. Thus, companies that fall under this category provide a stable and growth-heavy investment.

Typically holding a combination of both growth and value stocks, blend ETFs also demonstrate qualities seen in value and growth investments.

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 0.19%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.30%.

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 Industrials sector--about 17.20% of the portfolio. Financials and Information Technology round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Arthur J Gallagher (AJG Quick QuoteAJG - Free Report) accounts for about 0.56% of total assets, followed by Aflac Inc (AFL Quick QuoteAFL - Free Report) and Palantir Technologies Inc Class A (PLTR Quick QuotePLTR - Free Report) .

The top 10 holdings account for about 4.96% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

IWR seeks to match the performance of the Russell MidCap Index before fees and expenses. The Russell Midcap Index measures the performance of the mid-capitalization sector of the U.S. equity market.

The ETF has added roughly 14.43% so far this year and was up about 28.93% in the last one year (as of 10/01/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $64.84 and $88.18.

The ETF has a beta of 1.09 and standard deviation of 19.05% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 818 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

IShares Russell Mid-Cap 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, IWR is a sufficient option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Blend area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF (VO Quick QuoteVO - Free Report) and the iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH Quick QuoteIJH - Free Report) track a similar index. While Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF has $69.57 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF has $90.78 billion. VO has an expense ratio of 0.04% and IJH charges 0.05%.

Bottom-Line

While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency.

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.