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Is Janus Henderson Small Cap Growth Alpha ETF (JSML) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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A smart beta exchange traded fund, the Janus Henderson Small Cap Growth Alpha ETF (JSML - Free Report) debuted on 02/23/2016, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Small 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.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.
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
The fund is managed by Janus Henderson. JSML has been able to amass assets over $235.57 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Small Cap Growth. JSML, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the Janus Small Cap Growth Alpha Index.
The Janus Henderson Small Cap Growth Alpha Index selects small-sized capitalization stocks that are poised for smart growth by evaluating each company performance in three critical areas: growth, profitability, and capital efficiency.
Cost & Other Expenses
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.
With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.30%.
JSML's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 1.60%.
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 in the Industrials sector - about 21.2% of the portfolio. Information Technology and Financials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Primoris Services Corporation (PRIM) accounts for about 2.36% of total assets, followed by Sterling Infrastructure Inc. (STRL) and Clear Secure Inc. Class A (YOU).
The top 10 holdings account for about 21.37% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, JSML has added roughly 13.88%, and is up roughly 12.88% in the last one year (as of 10/20/2025). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $54.00 and $77.10.
JSML has a beta of 1.28 and standard deviation of 22.28% for the trailing three-year period. With about 115 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
Janus Henderson Small Cap Growth Alpha ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Small Cap Growth segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF (IWO) tracks Russell 2000 Growth Index and the Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF (VBK) tracks CRSP U.S. Small Cap Growth Index. iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF has $13.15 billion in assets, Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF has $20.49 billion. IWO has an expense ratio of 0.24% and VBK changes 0.07%.
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 - Small 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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Is Janus Henderson Small Cap Growth Alpha ETF (JSML) a Strong ETF Right Now?
A smart beta exchange traded fund, the Janus Henderson Small Cap Growth Alpha ETF (JSML - Free Report) debuted on 02/23/2016, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Small 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.
Non-cap weighted indexes try to choose stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, which is based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a mix of other such characteristics.
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
The fund is managed by Janus Henderson. JSML has been able to amass assets over $235.57 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Small Cap Growth. JSML, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the Janus Small Cap Growth Alpha Index.
The Janus Henderson Small Cap Growth Alpha Index selects small-sized capitalization stocks that are poised for smart growth by evaluating each company performance in three critical areas: growth, profitability, and capital efficiency.
Cost & Other Expenses
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.
With on par with most peer products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.30%.
JSML's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 1.60%.
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 in the Industrials sector - about 21.2% of the portfolio. Information Technology and Financials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Primoris Services Corporation (PRIM) accounts for about 2.36% of total assets, followed by Sterling Infrastructure Inc. (STRL) and Clear Secure Inc. Class A (YOU).
The top 10 holdings account for about 21.37% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, JSML has added roughly 13.88%, and is up roughly 12.88% in the last one year (as of 10/20/2025). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $54.00 and $77.10.
JSML has a beta of 1.28 and standard deviation of 22.28% for the trailing three-year period. With about 115 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
Janus Henderson Small Cap Growth Alpha ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Small Cap Growth segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF (IWO) tracks Russell 2000 Growth Index and the Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF (VBK) tracks CRSP U.S. Small Cap Growth Index. iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF has $13.15 billion in assets, Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF has $20.49 billion. IWO has an expense ratio of 0.24% and VBK changes 0.07%.
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 - Small 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.