Launched on July 24, 2000, the iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF (IJT) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Small Cap Growth segment of the US equity market.
The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $6.32 billion, making it one of the larger 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. Further, growth stocks have a higher level of volatility associated with them. When you consider growth versus value, growth stocks are usually the clear winner in strong bull markets but tend to fall flat in nearly all other environments.
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 0.18%, putting it on par with most peer products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.85%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
ETFs offer a diversified exposure and thus minimize single stock risk but it is still important to delve into a fund's holdings before investing. Most ETFs are very transparent products and many disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Industrials sector -- about 21.3% of the portfolio. Information Technology and Healthcare round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Spx Technologies Inc (SPXC) accounts for about 1.28% of total assets, followed by Sterling Infrastructure Inc (STRL) and Armstrong World Industries Inc (AWI).
Performance and Risk
IJT seeks to match the performance of the S&P SmallCap 600 Growth Index before fees and expenses. The S&P SmallCap 600 Growth Index measures the performance of the small-capitalization growth sector of the U.S. equity market.
The ETF has added about 5.92% so far this year and it's up approximately 2.63% in the last one year (as of 10/21/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $108.87 and $150.65.
The ETF has a beta of 1.09 and standard deviation of 20.59% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 357 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 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, IJT is a sufficient 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 Russell 2000 Growth ETF (IWO) and the Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF (VBK) track a similar index. While iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF has $13.35 billion in assets, Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF has $20.82 billion. IWO has an expense ratio of 0.24% and VBK charges 0.07%.
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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iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF (IJT): ETF Research ReportsThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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