Looking for broad exposure to the Mid Cap Blend segment of the US equity market? You should consider the Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF (SCHM), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on January 13, 2011.
The fund is sponsored by Charles Schwab. It has amassed assets over $13.45 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Mid Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
Why Mid Cap Blend
Compared to large and small cap companies, mid cap businesses tend to have higher growth prospects and are less volatile, respectively, with market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion. Thus, companies that fall under this category provide a stable and growth-heavy investment.
Blend ETFs are aptly named, since they tend to hold a mix of growth and value stocks, as well as show characteristics of both kinds of equities.
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 0.04%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.33%.
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 Industrials sector -- about 24.1% of the portfolio. Information Technology and Financials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Sandisk Corp (SNDK) accounts for about 1.65% of total assets, followed by Ciena Corp (CIEN) and Coherent Corp (COHR).
The top 10 holdings account for about 7.02% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
SCHM seeks to match the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Mid-Cap Total Stock Market Index before fees and expenses. The Dow Jones U.S. Mid-Cap Total Stock Market Index is a float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index. The Index includes the mid-cap portion of the Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index actually available to investors in the marketplace and includes the components ranked 501-1000 by full market capitalization.
The ETF has added about 9.64% so far this year and was up about 16.44% in the last one year (as of 02/23/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $22.92 and $32.97.
The ETF has a beta of 1.06 and standard deviation of 17.46% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 500 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap 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, SCHM is a sufficient option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Blend area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.
The Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF (VO) and the iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH) track a similar index. While Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF has $95.68 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF has $112.79 billion. VO has an expense ratio of 0.03% and IJH charges 0.05%.
Bottom-Line
An increasingly popular option among retail and institutional investors, passively managed ETFs offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; they 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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Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF (SCHM): ETF Research ReportsThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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