Looking for broad exposure to the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market? You should consider the iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 05/22/2000.
The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $113.80 billion, making it one of the largest ETFs attempting to match the Large Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.
Why Large Cap Growth
Companies that fall in the large cap category tend to have a market capitalization above $10 billion. Considered a more stable option, large cap companies boast more predictable cash flows and are less volatile than their mid and small cap counterparts.
Qualities of growth stocks include faster growth rates compared to the broader market, as well as higher valuations and higher than average sales and earnings growth rates. Additionally, growth stocks have a greater level of risk associated with them. Compared to value stocks, growth stocks are a safer bet in a strong bull market, but don't perform as strongly in almost all other financial environments.
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 0.19%, making it one of the cheaper products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.41%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, 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 52.20% of the portfolio. Consumer Discretionary and Telecom round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Nvidia Corp (NVDA) accounts for about 12.69% of total assets, followed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT) and Apple Inc (AAPL).
The top 10 holdings account for about 58.68% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
IWF seeks to match the performance of the Russell 1000 Growth Index before fees and expenses. The Russell 1000 Growth Index measures the performance of the large-capitalization growth sector of the U.S. equity market.
The ETF return is roughly 8.91% so far this year and it's up approximately 19.17% in the last one year (as of 07/24/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $320.42 and $436.59.
The ETF has a beta of 1.14 and standard deviation of 20.93% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 389 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
IShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, IWF is a great option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Large Cap Growth segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
The Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG) and the Invesco QQQ (QQQ) track a similar index. While Vanguard Growth ETF has $179.85 billion in assets, Invesco QQQ has $358.67 billion. VUG has an expense ratio of 0.04% and QQQ charges 0.20%.
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 1000 Growth ETF (IWF): ETF Research Reports Apple Inc. (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Free Stock Analysis Report NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA): Free Stock Analysis Report Invesco QQQ (QQQ): ETF Research Reports Vanguard Growth ETF (VUG): ETF Research ReportsThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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