Is Nuveen ESG Small-Cap ETF (NUSC) a Strong ETF Right Now?
A smart beta exchange traded fund, the Nuveen ESG Small-Cap ETF (NUSC) debuted on 12/13/2016, and offers broad exposure to the Style Box - Small 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.
A good option for investors who believe in market efficiency, market cap weighted indexes offer a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way of replicating market returns.
However, some investors believe in the possibility of beating the market through exceptional stock selection, and choose a different type of fund that tracks non-cap weighted strategies: smart beta.
Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.
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
The fund is sponsored by Nuveen. It has amassed assets over $919.36 million, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Style Box - Small Cap Growth. NUSC seeks to match the performance of the TIAA ESG Small-Cap Index before fees and expenses.
The TIAA ESG USA Small-Cap Index comprises of equity securities issued by small-capitalization companies listed on US exchanges.
Cost & Other Expenses
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 cousins, other things remaining the same.
Operating expenses on an annual basis are 0.31% for this ETF, which makes it on par with most peer products in the space.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 1.20%.
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.
Representing 19.70% of the portfolio, the fund has heaviest allocation to the Industrials sector; Consumer Discretionary and Financials round out the top three.
Taking into account individual holdings, Emcor Group Inc (EME) accounts for about 1.09% of the fund's total assets, followed by Wex Inc (WEX) and Service Corp International (SCI).
NUSC's top 10 holdings account for about 8.84% of its total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
The ETF has lost about -3.07% so far this year and is up about 0.71% in the last one year (as of 10/20/2023). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $33.13 and $39.11.
NUSC has a beta of 1.14 and standard deviation of 21.92% for the trailing three-year period. With about 529 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Nuveen ESG Small-Cap ETF is a reasonable option for investors seeking to outperform the Style Box - Small Cap Growth segment of the market. However, there are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider.
IShares ESG Aware MSCI EAFE ETF (ESGD) tracks MSCI EAFE ESG Focus Index and the iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF (ESGU) tracks MSCI USA ESG Focus Index. IShares ESG Aware MSCI EAFE ETF has $6.81 billion in assets, iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF has $12.08 billion. ESGD has an expense ratio of 0.20% and ESGU charges 0.15%.
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 - Small 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.
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Nuveen ESG Small-Cap ETF (NUSC): ETF Research Reports
EMCOR Group, Inc. (EME) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Service Corporation International (SCI) : Free Stock Analysis Report
WEX Inc. (WEX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
iShares ESG Aware MSCI EAFE ETF (ESGD): ETF Research Reports
iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF (ESGU): ETF Research Reports
