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Is iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF (IUSG) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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The iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF (IUSG - Free Report) was launched on 07/24/2000, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Growth category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.
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.
The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is managed by Blackrock. IUSG has been able to amass assets over $31.36 billion, making it the largest ETF in the Style Box - All Cap Growth. IUSG 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
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.
With one of the least expensive products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.04%.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.48%.
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.
For IUSG, it has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector --about 50% of the portfolio --while Telecom and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
Taking into account individual holdings, Nvidia Corp (NVDA) accounts for about 13.82% of the fund's total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT) and Apple Inc (AAPL).
The top 10 holdings account for about 56.56% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, IUSG return is roughly 10.52%, and was up about 30.8% in the last one year (as of 05/19/2026). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $138.89 and $189.64.
IUSG has a beta of 1.16 and standard deviation of 18.37% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 391 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.
WisdomTree U.S. Quality Growth Fund (QGRW) tracks WISDOMTREE U.S. QUALITY GROWTH INDEX and the iShares Morningstar Growth ETF (ILCG) tracks MORNINGSTAR US LARGE-MID CP BRD GRWTH ID. WisdomTree U.S. Quality Growth Fund has $2.47 billion in assets, iShares Morningstar Growth ETF has $3.07 billion. QGRW has an expense ratio of 0.28% and ILCG changes 0.04%.
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.
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Is iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF (IUSG) a Strong ETF Right Now?
The iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF (IUSG - Free Report) was launched on 07/24/2000, and is a smart beta exchange traded fund designed to offer broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Growth category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
On the other hand, some investors who believe that it is possible to beat the market by superior stock selection opt to invest in another class of funds that track non-cap weighted strategies--popularly known as smart beta.
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.
The smart beta space gives investors many different choices, from equal-weighting, one of the simplest strategies, to more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting. However, not all of these methodologies have been able to deliver remarkable returns.
Fund Sponsor & Index
The fund is managed by Blackrock. IUSG has been able to amass assets over $31.36 billion, making it the largest ETF in the Style Box - All Cap Growth. IUSG 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
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.
With one of the least expensive products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.04%.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.48%.
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.
For IUSG, it has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector --about 50% of the portfolio --while Telecom and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
Taking into account individual holdings, Nvidia Corp (NVDA) accounts for about 13.82% of the fund's total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT) and Apple Inc (AAPL).
The top 10 holdings account for about 56.56% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, IUSG return is roughly 10.52%, and was up about 30.8% in the last one year (as of 05/19/2026). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $138.89 and $189.64.
IUSG has a beta of 1.16 and standard deviation of 18.37% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 391 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.
WisdomTree U.S. Quality Growth Fund (QGRW) tracks WISDOMTREE U.S. QUALITY GROWTH INDEX and the iShares Morningstar Growth ETF (ILCG) tracks MORNINGSTAR US LARGE-MID CP BRD GRWTH ID. WisdomTree U.S. Quality Growth Fund has $2.47 billion in assets, iShares Morningstar Growth ETF has $3.07 billion. QGRW has an expense ratio of 0.28% and ILCG changes 0.04%.
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.