If you're interested in broad exposure to the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, look no further than the JPMorgan Diversified Return U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF (JPSE Quick QuoteJPSE - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on November 15, 2016.

The fund is sponsored by J.P. Morgan. It has amassed assets over $595.80 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.

Why Small Cap Blend

Sitting at a market capitalization below $2 billion, small cap companies tend to be high-potential stocks compared to its large and mid cap counterparts, but come with higher risk.

Blend ETFs usually hold a mix of growth and value stocks as well as stocks that exhibit both value and growth characteristics.

Costs

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 0.29%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.33%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Real Estate sector -- about 12.1% of the portfolio. Financials and Industrials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Enova International Inc (ENVA) accounts for about 0.42% of total assets, followed by Protagonist Therapeutics (PTGX) and 10x Genomics Inc Common (TXG).

The top 10 holdings account for about 3.91% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

JPSE seeks to match the performance of the Russell 2000 Diversified Factor Index before fees and expenses. The JP Morgan Diversified Factor US Small Cap Equity Index utilizes a rules-based approach that combines risk-based portfolio construction with multi-factor security selection, including value, quality and momentum factors.

The ETF return is roughly 19.49% so far this year and is up about 21.47% in the last one year (as of 08/31/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $47.44 and $61.27.

The ETF has a beta of 0.99 and standard deviation of 18.07% for the trailing three-year period. With about 564 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

JPMorgan Diversified Return U.S. Small Cap Equity 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, JPSE is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Blend area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

The Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap ETF (VB) and the iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR) track a similar index. While Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap ETF has $81.40 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF has $110.10 billion. VB has an expense ratio of 0.03% and IJR charges 0.06%.

Bottom-Line

While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency.

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.