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Is Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF (NULG) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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Launched on 12/13/2016, the Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF (NULG - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.
Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.
However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.
By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.
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
Because the fund has amassed over $3.04 billion, this makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Growth. NULG is managed by Nuveen. NULG, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the TIAA ESG USA Large-Cap Growth Index.
The Nuveen ESG USA Large-Cap Growth 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.
With one of the cheaper products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.26%.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.10%.
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 Information Technology sector - about 50.7% of the portfolio. Consumer Discretionary and Industrials round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Nvidia Corp (NVDA) accounts for about 17.08% of the fund's total assets, followed by Broadcom Inc (AVGO) and Eli Lilly And Company (LLY).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 44.65% of NULG's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF has added about 16.35% so far, and is up about 14.74% over the last 12 months (as of 09/30/2026). NULG has traded between $87.55 $118.36 in this past 52-week period.
The fund has a beta of 1.21 and standard deviation of 19.26% for the trailing three-year period. With about 78 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF Shares (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 Shares has $13.48 billion in assets, iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF has $17.96 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 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 Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF (NULG) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Launched on 12/13/2016, the Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF (NULG - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
For a long time now, the ETF industry has been flooded with products based on market capitalization weighted indexes, which are designed to represent the broader market or a particular market segment.
Because market cap weighted indexes provide a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns, they work well for investors who believe in market efficiency.
However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.
By attempting to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance, non-cap weighted indexes are based on certain fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such.
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
Because the fund has amassed over $3.04 billion, this makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Large Cap Growth. NULG is managed by Nuveen. NULG, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the TIAA ESG USA Large-Cap Growth Index.
The Nuveen ESG USA Large-Cap Growth 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.
With one of the cheaper products in the space, this ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.26%.
The fund has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.10%.
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 Information Technology sector - about 50.7% of the portfolio. Consumer Discretionary and Industrials round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Nvidia Corp (NVDA) accounts for about 17.08% of the fund's total assets, followed by Broadcom Inc (AVGO) and Eli Lilly And Company (LLY).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 44.65% of NULG's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF has added about 16.35% so far, and is up about 14.74% over the last 12 months (as of 09/30/2026). NULG has traded between $87.55 $118.36 in this past 52-week period.
The fund has a beta of 1.21 and standard deviation of 19.26% for the trailing three-year period. With about 78 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
Nuveen ESG Large-Cap Growth ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Large Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF Shares (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 Shares has $13.48 billion in assets, iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF has $17.96 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 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.