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Is Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Value ETF (NULV) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Designed to provide broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Value category of the market, the Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Value ETF (NULV - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund launched on 12/13/2016.

What Are Smart Beta ETFs?

Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.

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.

If you're the kind of investor who would rather try and beat the market through good stock selection, then smart beta funds are your best choice; this fund class is known for tracking 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.

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

The fund is managed by Nuveen. NULV has been able to amass assets over $1.94 billion, making it one of the average sized ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Value. This particular fund seeks to match the performance of the TIAA ESG USA Large-Cap Value Index before fees and expenses.

The Nuveen ESG USA Large-Cap Value Index composes of equity securities issued by large capitalization companies listed on U.S. exchanges.

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.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.26%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

NULV's 12-month trailing dividend yield is 1.80%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Most ETFs are very transparent products, and disclose their holdings on a daily basis. ETFs also offer diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk, though it's still important for investors to research a fund's holdings.

Representing 21.7% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector; Information Technology and Healthcare round out the top three.

When you look at individual holdings, International Business Ma (IBM) accounts for about 2.6% of the fund's total assets, followed by Bank Of America Corp (BAC) and Procter & Gamble Co/the (PG).

Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 22.21% of NULV's total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

The ETF has added about 16.05% and was up about 12.95% so far this year and in the past one year (as of 12/17/2025), respectively. NULV has traded between $36.02 and $46.14 during this last 52-week period.

NULV has a beta of 0.87 and standard deviation of 12.73% for the trailing three-year period. With about 105 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .

Alternatives

Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Value ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large 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 $11.76 billion in assets, iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF has $15.27 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 - Large 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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