Should iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF (IWO) Be on Your Investing Radar?
Looking for broad exposure to the Small Cap Growth segment of the US equity market? You should consider the iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF (IWO), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 07/24/2000.
The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $11.95 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Small Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.
Why Small Cap Growth
With more potential comes more risk, and small cap companies, with market capitalization below $2 billion, epitomizes this way of thinking.
Growth stocks have higher than average sales and earnings growth rates. While these are expected to grow faster than the broader market, they also have higher valuations. Something to keep in mind is the higher level of volatility that is affiliated with growth stocks. They are likely to outperform value stocks in strong bull markets but over the longer-term, value stocks have delivered better returns than growth stocks in almost all markets.
Costs
When considering an ETF's total return, expense ratios are an important factor, and cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts in the long term if all other factors remain equal.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.24%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.62%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
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 Information Technology sector--about 24.10% of the portfolio. Healthcare and Industrials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Super Micro Computer Inc- (SMCI) accounts for about 3.06% of total assets, followed by Microstrategy Inc Class A- (MSTR) and Comfort Systems Usa Inc- (FIX).
The top 10 holdings account for about 10.43% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
IWO seeks to match the performance of the Russell 2000 Growth Index before fees and expenses. The Russell 2000 Growth Index measures the performance of the small-capitalization growth sector of the U.S. equity market. It is a subset of the Russell 2000 Index, which measures the performance of the small-capitalization sector of the U.S. equity market & approximately 51% of the total market value of the Russell 2000 Index.
The ETF has added about 11.98% so far this year and is up about 13.68% in the last one year (as of 07/23/2024). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $204.07 and $289.78.
The ETF has a beta of 1.15 and standard deviation of 24.84% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 1064 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
IShares Russell 2000 Growth 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, IWO is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Small Cap Growth area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.
The iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF (IJT) and the Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF (VBK) track a similar index. While iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF has $6.34 billion in assets, Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF has $17.69 billion. IJT has an expense ratio of 0.18% and VBK charges 0.07%.
Bottom-Line
While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency.
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 Russell 2000 Growth ETF (IWO): ETF Research Reports
Super Micro Computer, Inc. (SMCI) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (FIX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
MicroStrategy Incorporated (MSTR) : Free Stock Analysis Report
iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF (IJT): ETF Research Reports
Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF (VBK): ETF Research Reports