Is iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF (ESGU) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Making its debut on 12/01/2016, smart beta exchange traded fund iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF (ESGU) provides investors broad exposure to the Style Box - All Cap Growth category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
Market cap weighted indexes were created to reflect the market, or a specific segment of the market, and the ETF industry has traditionally been dominated by products based on this strategy.
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.
If you're the kind of investor who would rather try and beat the market through good stock selection, then smart beta funds are your best choice; this fund class is known for tracking non-cap weighted strategies.
These indexes attempt to select stocks that have better chances of risk-return performance, based on certain fundamental characteristics or a combination of such characteristics.
This area offers many different investment choices, such as simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies; however, not all of these strategies can deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Managed by Blackrock, ESGU has amassed assets over $12.54 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs in the Style Box - All Cap Growth. ESGU, before fees and expenses, seeks to match the performance of the MSCI USA ESG Focus Index.
The MSCI USA Extended ESG Focus Index comprises of U.S. companies that have positive environmental, social and governance characteristics while exhibiting risk and return characteristics similar to those of the parent index.
Cost & Other Expenses
When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor. And, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive cousins in the long term if all other factors remain equal.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.15% for this ETF, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.57%.
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 ESGU, it has heaviest allocation in the Information Technology sector --about 29.10% of the portfolio --while Healthcare and Financials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Apple Inc (AAPL) accounts for about 7.49% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT) and Amazon Com Inc (AMZN).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 27.86% of ESGU's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has added roughly 14.59% so far this year and was up about 6.15% in the last one year (as of 08/23/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $79.22 and $100.86.
The ETF has a beta of 1.02 and standard deviation of 18.60% for the trailing three-year period. With about 304 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
IShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - All 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 (ESGV) tracks FTSE US ALL CAP CHOICE INDEX and the iShares ESG Aware MSCI EAFE ETF (ESGD) tracks MSCI EAFE ESG Focus Index. Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF has $6.62 billion in assets, iShares ESG Aware MSCI EAFE ETF has $7.11 billion. ESGV has an expense ratio of 0.09% and ESGD charges 0.20%.
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 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.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF (ESGU): ETF Research Reports
Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
iShares ESG Aware MSCI EAFE ETF (ESGD): ETF Research Reports
Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF (ESGV): ETF Research Reports
