Designed to provide broad exposure to the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, the iShares Morningstar Small-Cap ETF (ISCB) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 06/28/2004.
The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $202.84 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
With more potential comes more risk, and small cap companies, with market capitalization below $2 billion, epitomizes this way of thinking.
Typically holding a combination of both growth and value stocks, blend ETFs also demonstrate qualities seen in value and growth investments.
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 counterparts, other things remaining the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.04%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.54%.
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 to the Financials sector--about 18.80% of the portfolio. Industrials and Consumer Discretionary round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Tapestry Inc (TPR) accounts for about 0.33% of total assets, followed by Bjs Wholesale Club Holdings Inc (BJ) and Insmed Inc (INSM).
The top 10 holdings account for about 2.85% of total assets under management.
ISCB seeks to match the performance of the MORNINGSTAR US SMALL CAP EXTENDED INDEX before fees and expenses. The Morningstar US Small Cap Extended Index comprises of small-capitalization U.S. equities.
The ETF has lost about -13.17% so far this year and is up roughly 0.13% in the last one year (as of 04/21/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $47.12 and $64.30.
The ETF has a beta of 1.10 and standard deviation of 22.69% for the trailing three-year period. With about 1597 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
IShares Morningstar Small-Cap 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, ISCB 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 $58.51 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF has $71.55 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 Morningstar Small-Cap ETF (ISCB): ETF Research Reports
BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (BJ) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Insmed, Inc. (INSM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM): ETF Research Reports
iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR): ETF Research Reports
Tapestry, Inc. (TPR) : Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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