Better Buy: How Small-Cap ETFs ISCG and IJT Compare on Fees, Risk, and Income

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The iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF (NASDAQ:IJT) and the iShares Morningstar Small-Cap Growth ETF (NYSEMKT:ISCG) some people growth-oriented small-cap U.S. stocks, but they disagree successful cost, diversification, and trading characteristics.

This examination examines however ISCG and IJT stack up connected captious factors similar expenses, performance, risk, and portfolio makeup.

Metric

IJT

ISCG

Issuer

iShares

iShares

Expense ratio

0.18%

0.06%

1-yr instrumentality (as of Jan. 23, 2026)

6.47%

14.54%

Dividend yield

0.91%

0.61%

Beta (5Y Monthly)

1.18

1.36

AUM

$6 billion

$808 million

Beta measures terms volatility comparative to the S&P 500. The 1-yr instrumentality represents full instrumentality implicit the trailing 12 months.

ISCG is considerably much affordable connected fees with a overmuch little disbursal ratio, perchance making a noticeable quality for cost-conscious investors. However, IJT boasts a higher yield, offering an vantage for those seeking passive dividend income.

Metric

IJT

ISCG

Max drawdown (5 y)

-29.23%

-41.47%

Growth of $1,000 implicit 5 years

$1,193

$1,059

ISCG splits its vulnerability crossed 971 small-cap maturation stocks, with assemblage weights of 23% industrials, 20% technology, and 17% healthcare. Top positions see Lumentum, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, and ATI, each accounting for little than 1% of assets. The fund’s 21-year way grounds and wide diversification whitethorn entreaty to investors seeking a wide nett wrong the small-cap maturation universe.

IJT, by contrast, holds 348 stocks. Its apical assemblage is technology, making up astir 20% of assets. Top holdings see Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Armstrong World Industries, and InterDigital, each with likewise tiny idiosyncratic weights. Both funds debar leverage, currency hedges, oregon different structural quirks.

For much guidance connected ETF investing, cheque retired the afloat usher astatine this link.

Small-cap ETFs tin assistance diversify your portfolio portion besides tapping into the maturation imaginable of smaller companies.

Between the 2 funds, ISCG is the higher-risk, higher-reward investment. It’s outperformed IJT reasonably substantially implicit the past year, but it’s besides experienced a deeper max drawdown with a higher beta, signalling much terrible volatility.

The 2 ETFs besides disagree successful their interest structures and income potential. ISCG offers a overmuch little disbursal ratio of 0.06% compared to IJT’s 0.18%. In different words, investors volition wage $6 per twelvemonth successful fees for each $10,000 invested successful ISCG, compared to $18 per twelvemonth for IJT. It’s a insignificant antithetic connected the surface, but it could magnitude to hundreds oregon adjacent thousands of dollars implicit time.

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