Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Is iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF (IUSG) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

The iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF (IUSG - Free Report) made its debut on 07/24/2000, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund that provides broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Growth category of the market.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

Products that are based on market cap weighted indexes, which are strategies designed to reflect a specific market segment or the market as a whole, have traditionally dominated the ETF industry.

Market cap weighted indexes work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide a low-cost, convenient and transparent way of replicating market returns.

There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track non-cap weighted strategies.

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.

While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

Because the fund has amassed over $21.05 billion, this makes it the largest ETF in the Style Box - All Cap Growth. IUSG is managed by Blackrock. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the S&P 900 Growth Index before fees and expenses.

The S&P 900 Growth Index measures the performance of the large and mid-capitalization growth sector of the U.S. equity market.

Cost & Other Expenses

When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor. And, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins in the long term if all other factors remain equal.

Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.04% for this ETF, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 0.82%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

ETFs offer diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk, but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

IUSG's heaviest allocation is in the Information Technology sector, which is about 47.10% of the portfolio. Its Consumer Discretionary and Telecom round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL - Free Report) accounts for about 11.73% of total assets, followed by Nvidia Corp (NVDA - Free Report) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT - Free Report) .

IUSG's top 10 holdings account for about 56.89% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF return is roughly 34.46% and is up about 34.96% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 12/19/2024), respectively. IUSG has traded between $100.95 and $144.97 during this last 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 1.07 and standard deviation of 21.50% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 494 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

IShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.

IShares Morningstar Growth ETF (ILCG - Free Report) tracks MORNINGSTAR US LARGE-MID CP BRD GRWTH ID and the Fidelity Blue Chip Growth ETF (FBCG - Free Report) tracks ----------------------------------------. IShares Morningstar Growth ETF has $2.44 billion in assets, Fidelity Blue Chip Growth ETF has $2.85 billion. ILCG has an expense ratio of 0.04% and FBCG charges 0.59%.

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 - All 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.

Published in