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Is iShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF (EUSA) a Strong ETF Right Now?

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Launched on 05/05/2010, the iShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF (EUSA - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Blend 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.

Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.

There are some investors, though, who think it's possible to beat the market with great stock selection; this group likely invests in another class of funds known as smart beta, which track non-cap weighted strategies.

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.

Even though this space provides many choices to investors--think one of the simplest methodologies like equal-weighting and more complicated ones like fundamental and volatility/momentum based weighting--not all have been able to deliver first-rate results.

Fund Sponsor & Index

The fund is managed by Blackrock, and has been able to amass over $1.88 billion, which makes it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Blend. This particular fund, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA Equal Weighted Index.

The MSCI USA Equal Weighted Index represents the MSCI USA Index, measures the performance of equity securities in the top 85% by market capitalization of equity securities listed on stock exchanges in the United States.

Cost & Other Expenses

For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund's return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.

Annual operating expenses for EUSA are 0.09%, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.41%.

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.

For EUSA, it has heaviest allocation in the Industrials sector --about 16.8% of the portfolio --while Information Technology and Financials round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Okta Class A (OKTA) accounts for about 0.31% of total assets, followed by Strategy Inc Class A (MSTR) and Illumina Inc (ILMN).

EUSA's top 10 holdings account for about 2.8% of its total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, EUSA has added roughly 12.02%, and was up about 12.34% in the last one year (as of 10/26/2026). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $98.57 and $119.67.

EUSA has a beta of 0.97 and standard deviation of 13.91% for the trailing three-year period, which makes the fund a medium risk choice in the space. With about 519 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .

Alternatives

iShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All Cap Blend segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.

iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (ITOT) tracks S&P Total Market Index and the Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) tracks CRSP US Total Market Index. iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF has $95.82 billion in assets, Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF has $687.36 billion. ITOT has an expense ratio of 0.03% and VTI changes 0.03%.

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 Blend

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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