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

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A smart beta exchange traded fund, the Nuveen ESG Mid-Cap Value ETF (NUMV - Free Report) debuted on 12/13/2016, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Value 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 work great for investors who believe in market efficiency. They provide a low-cost, convenient and transparent way of replicating market returns.

However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: 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.

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

NUMV is managed by Nuveen, and this fund has amassed over $396.66 million, which makes it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Mid Cap Value. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the TIAA ESG USA Mid-Cap Value Index before fees and expenses.

The Nuveen ESG USA Mid-Cap Value Index primarily 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 this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.

It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 1.65%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

Representing 18.4% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Industrials sector; Financials and Real Estate round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, United Rentals Inc. (URI) accounts for about 2.42% of total assets, followed by Ferguson Enterprises Inc (FERG) and Cardinal Health Inc. (CAH).

NUMV's top 10 holdings account for about 20.07% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

Year-to-date, the Nuveen ESG Mid-Cap Value ETF has gained about 9.53% so far, and it's up approximately 8.32% over the last 12 months (as of 08/26/2025). NUMV has traded between $30.28 $38.41 in this past 52-week period.

The ETF has a beta of 0.99 and standard deviation of 17.37% for the trailing three-year period. With about 99 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .

Alternatives

Nuveen ESG Mid-Cap Value ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Mid Cap Value segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF (ESGV) tracks FTSE US ALL CAP CHOICE INDEX and the iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF (ESGU) tracks MSCI USA ESG Focus Index. Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF has $11.1 billion in assets, iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF has $14.22 billion. ESGV has an expense ratio of 0.09% and ESGU changes 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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