Should iShares U.S. Small-Cap Equity Factor ETF (SMLF) Be on Your Investing Radar?

Yahoo

26-05-2025

Looking for broad exposure to the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market? You should consider the iShares U.S. Small-Cap Equity Factor ETF (SMLF), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 04/28/2015.
The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $1.68 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
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.
Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.15%, making it one of the cheaper products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.40%.
ETFs offer a diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Industrials sector--about 18.40% of the portfolio. Financials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Emcor Group Inc (EME) accounts for about 0.92% of total assets, followed by Carvana Class A (CVNA) and Duolingo Inc Class A (DUOL).
SMLF seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA Small Cap Diversified Multiple-Factor Index before fees and expenses. The STOXX U.S. Small-Cap Equity Factor Index (USD) composed of U.S. small-capitalization stocks that have favourable exposure to target style factors subject to constraints.
The ETF has lost about -4.41% so far this year and was up about 5.56% in the last one year (as of 05/26/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $54.28 and $74.15.
The ETF has a beta of 1.07 and standard deviation of 21.74% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 863 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
IShares U.S. Small-Cap Equity Factor 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, SMLF is a sufficient 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 iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) and the iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 2000 ETF has $63.70 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF has $76.05 billion. IWM has an expense ratio of 0.19% and IJR charges 0.06%.
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.
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iShares U.S. Small-Cap Equity Factor ETF (SMLF): ETF Research Reports
EMCOR Group, Inc. (EME) : Free Stock Analysis Report
iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM): ETF Research Reports
iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR): ETF Research Reports
Carvana Co. (CVNA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Duolingo, Inc. (DUOL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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