Looking for broad exposure to the Small Cap Growth segment of the US equity market? You should consider the iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF (IJT Quick QuoteIJT - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on July 24, 2000.

The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $7.16 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.

Why Small Cap Growth

There's a lot of potential to investing in small cap companies, but with market capitalization below $2 billion, that high potential comes with even higher risk.

Qualities of growth stocks include faster growth rates compared to the broader market, as well as higher valuations and higher than average sales and earnings growth rates. Additionally, growth stocks have a greater level of risk associated with them. Even though growth stocks are more likely to outperform their value counterparts in strong bull markets, value stocks have a record of delivering better returns in almost all markets than growth stocks.

Costs

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 counterparts, other things remaining the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.18%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.79%.

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 to the Information Technology sector -- about 19.7% of the portfolio. Industrials and Healthcare round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Viavi Solutions Inc (VIAV) accounts for about 1.21% of total assets, followed by Formfactor Inc (FORM) and Primoris Services Corp (PRIM).

Performance and Risk

IJT seeks to match the performance of the S&P SmallCap 600 Growth Index before fees and expenses. The S&P SmallCap 600 Growth Index measures the performance of the small-capitalization growth sector of the U.S. equity market.

The ETF return is roughly 12.83% so far this year and was up about 32.46% in the last one year (as of 04/29/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $120.96 and $160.46.

The ETF has a beta of 1.05 and standard deviation of 19.79% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 363 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, IJT is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Growth area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF (IWO) and the Vanguard Small-Cap Growth Index Fund ETF Shares (VBK) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF has $13.53 billion in assets, Vanguard Small-Cap Growth Index Fund ETF Shares has $21.89 billion. IWO has an expense ratio of 0.24% and VBK charges 0.05%.

Bottom-Line

Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.

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.