Launched on 09/25/2000, the SPDR S&P 600 Small Cap Growth ETF (SLYG) 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 State Street Global Advisors. It has amassed assets over $3.30 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
Small cap companies have market capitalization below $2 billion. They usually have higher potential than large and mid cap companies with stocks but higher risk.
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. Further, growth stocks have a higher level of volatility 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 0.15%, making it one of the cheaper products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.30%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. 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 21.80% of the portfolio. Financials and Information Technology round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Spx Technologies Inc (SPXC) accounts for about 1.09% of total assets, followed by Stride Inc (LRN) and Badger Meter Inc (BMI).
The top 10 holdings account for about 9.75% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
SLYG 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 in the U.S. equity market. The selection universe for the S&P SmallCap 600 Index includes all U.S. common equities listed on the NYSE, NASDAQ Global Select Market, NASDAQ Select Market and NASDAQ Capital Market with market capitalizations between $250 million and $1.2 billion.
The ETF has lost about -3.73% so far this year and it's up approximately 0.73% in the last one year (as of 06/04/2025). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $72.61 and $100.66.
The ETF has a beta of 1.08 and standard deviation of 21.99% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 344 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
SPDR S&P 600 Small Cap 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, SLYG is a good 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 $11.35 billion in assets, Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF has $18.33 billion. IWO has an expense ratio of 0.24% and VBK charges 0.07%.
Bottom-Line
Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are 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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SPDR S&P 600 Small Cap Growth ETF (SLYG): ETF Research Reports Badger Meter, Inc. (BMI): Free Stock Analysis Report Stride, Inc. (LRN): Free Stock Analysis Report iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF (IWO): ETF Research Reports SPX Technologies, Inc. (SPXC): Free Stock Analysis Report Vanguard Small-Cap Growth ETF (VBK): ETF Research ReportsThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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