Should JPMorgan Diversified Return U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF (JPSE) Be on Your Investing Radar?
Launched on 11/15/2016, the JPMorgan Diversified Return U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF (JPSE) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
The fund is sponsored by J.P. Morgan. It has amassed assets over $479.04 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
Why Small Cap Blend
There's a lot of potential to investing in small cap companies, but with market capitalization below $2 billion, that high potential comes with even higher risk.
Blend ETFs usually hold a mix of growth and value stocks as well as stocks that exhibit both value and growth characteristics.
Costs
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 0.29%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.77%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. 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 13.20% of the portfolio. Industrials and Information Technology round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Jpmorgan Us Govt Mmkt Fun accounts for about 0.93% of total assets, followed by Geo Group Inc/the Common (GEO) and Bellring Brands Inc (BRBR).
The top 10 holdings account for about 4.34% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
JPSE seeks to match the performance of the Russell 2000 Diversified Factor Index before fees and expenses. The JP Morgan Diversified Factor US Small Cap Equity Index utilizes a rules-based approach that combines risk-based portfolio construction with multi-factor security selection, including value, quality and momentum factors.
The ETF has gained about 2.30% so far this year and is up about 18.17% in the last one year (as of 03/28/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $36.92 and $44.98.
The ETF has a beta of 1.14 and standard deviation of 20.79% for the trailing three-year period. With about 577 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
JPMorgan Diversified Return U.S. Small Cap Equity 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, JPSE 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 $65.10 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF has $79.84 billion. IWM has an expense ratio of 0.19% and IJR charges 0.06%.
Bottom-Line
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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JPMorgan Diversified Return U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF (JPSE): ETF Research Reports
Geo Group Inc (The) (GEO) : Free Stock Analysis Report
iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM): ETF Research Reports
iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR): ETF Research Reports
BellRing Brands Inc. (BRBR) : Free Stock Analysis Report
