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Is Nuveen ESG Mid-Cap Growth ETF (NUMG) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Making its debut on 12/13/2016, smart beta exchange traded fund Nuveen ESG Mid-Cap Growth ETF (NUMG - Free Report) provides investors broad exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Growth category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

The ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on market capitalization weighted indexes that are designed to represent the market or a particular segment of the market.

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.

On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.

These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.

Methodologies like equal-weighting, one of the simplest options out there, fundamental weighting, and volatility/momentum based weighting are all choices offered to investors in this space, but not all of them can deliver superior returns.

Fund Sponsor & Index

The fund is managed by Nuveen. NUMG has been able to amass assets over $589.86 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Growth. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the TIAA ESG USA Mid-Cap Growth Index.

The Nuveen ESG USA Mid-Cap Growth Index composes of equity securities issued by mid-capitalization companies listed on U.S. exchanges.

Cost & Other Expenses

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 cousins, other things remaining the same.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.31% for NUMG, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

NUMG's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 0.15%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

For NUMG, it has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector --about 30.60% of the portfolio --while Industrials and Healthcare round out the top three.

When you look at individual holdings, Trade Desk Inc/the (TTD - Free Report) accounts for about 4.02% of the fund's total assets, followed by Grainger W.w. Inc. (GWW - Free Report) and Fair Isaac Corp (FICO - Free Report) .

NUMG's top 10 holdings account for about 31.83% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has added roughly 19.70% so far this year and is up about 31.33% in the last one year (as of 11/28/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $38.82 and $50.89.

The ETF has a beta of 1.10 and standard deviation of 24.01% for the trailing three-year period. With about 47 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.

Alternatives

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

IShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF (ESGU - Free Report) tracks MSCI USA ESG Focus Index and the JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF (JEPQ - Free Report) tracks ----------------------------------------. IShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF has $14.33 billion in assets, JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF has $19.15 billion. ESGU has an expense ratio of 0.15% and JEPQ charges 0.35%.

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 Growth.

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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