7 Best Small-Cap ETFs for October 2024
Written by
John Csiszar
Edited by
Elizabeth Constantineau
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The term “small cap,” short for “small capitalization,” refers to a company with a total market value of between $250 million and $2 billion. Market cap is calculated by multiplying the number of shares outstanding by the current market price. For example, if a stock trades at $100 per share and has 10 million shares outstanding, it has a market cap of $1 billion, making it a small cap.
If you’re looking to own some small-cap stocks via exchange-traded funds, which can reduce the risk of owning a single small-cap stock, here’s a look at exactly how small-cap ETFs operate and which ones are among the best.
What Are the Best Small-Cap ETFs?
Good small-cap ETFs post above-average returns while taking on lower-than-expected risk. The best ones consistently maintain this profile over significant periods of time. Here’s a look at seven of the best small-cap ETFs.
| Small-Cap ETF | 5-Year Average Return | Expense Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Small-Cap ETF (VB) | 10.31% | 0.05% |
| iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR) | 9.55% | 0.06% |
| Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF (SCHA) | 9.17% | 0.04% |
| Vanguard Russell 2000 ETF (VTWO) | 8.85% | 0.10% |
| Invesco S&P SmallCap Value With Momentum ETF (XSVM) | 13.91% | 0.37% |
| Pacer US Small Cap Cash Cows 100 ETF (CALF) | 14.42% | 0.59% |
| ALPS O’Shares U.S. Small-Cap Quality Dividend ETF (OUSM) | 11.96% | 0.48% |
Methodology
The best small-cap ETFs listed below have a combination of excellent absolute and relative performance along with endorsements in terms of risk-reward from outside analytical sources like Morningstar.
1. Vanguard Small-Cap ETF (VB)
- Assets under management: $59.85 billion
- Five-year average return: 10.31%
- Expense ratio: 0.05%
- SEC yield: 1.42%
Vanguard is well known in the fund industry for having rock-bottom fees, and the Vanguard Small-Cap ETF is no exception, coming in with an expense ratio of just 0.05%. Its performance is also top-notch, as it consistently beats the average returns of the index it tracks, the CRSP US Small Cap Index. According to Vanguard, this fund uses a “passively managed, full-replication approach.”
2. iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR)
- Assets under management: $84.57 billion
- Five-year average return: 9.55%
- Expense ratio: 0.06%
- SEC yield: 1.31%
The iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF is an index-tracking fund, like the Vanguard Small-Cap ETF. However, they use different indexes, with IJR tracking the S&P SmallCap 600 index.
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3. Schwab US Small-Cap ETF (SCHA)
- Assets under management: $17.81 billion
- Five-year average return: 9.17%
- Expense ratio: 0.04%
- SEC yield: 1.33%
Another index-tracking fund, the Schwab U.S. Small-Cap ETF attempts to replicate the total return of the Dow Jones U.S. Small-Cap Total Stock Market Index. The fund has the lowest expense ratio of any on this list, besting even Vanguard’s funds.
4. Vanguard Russell 2000 ETF (VTWO)
- Assets under management: $11.41 billion
- Five-year average return: 8.85%
- Expense ratio: 0.10%
- SEC yield: 1.30%
Like its sister fund VB, the Vanguard Russell 2000 ETF is an index-tracking ETF. However, they use different indexes, with VTWO tracking the broad-based Russell 2000 index. This is the index that most financial institutions and investors use as a proxy for the overall small-cap market in America.
5. Invesco S&P SmallCap Value With Momentum ETF (XSVM)
- Assets under management: $799.4 million
- Five-year average return: 13.91%
- Expense ratio: 0.37%
- SEC yield: 1.68%
The Invesco S&P SmallCap Value With Momentum ETF invests at least 90% of its assets in securities found in the S&P 600 High Momentum Value Index. However, it tweaks its holdings by selecting the 120 securities that have the highest “value scores” and “momentum scores.” Selections are then weighted according to their value scores, with those with the top value scores receiving greater weighting within the fund. Stocks in the fund are then rebalanced and reconstituted on a semiannual basis.
6. Pacer US Small Cap Cash Cows 100 ETF (CALF)
- Assets under management: $9.01 billion
- Five-year average return: 14.42%
- Expense ratio: 0.59%
- SEC yield: 1.09%
If you’re looking for something a bit different with your ETF, consider the Pacer US Small Cap Cash Cows 100 ETF. This fund is actively managed and uses a specific strategy to provide excess capital appreciation. Specifically, it screens the S&P SmallCap 600 for the top 100 companies based on free cash flow yield.
7. ALPS O’Shares US Small-Cap Quality Dividend ETF (OUSM)
- Assets under management: $738.5 million
- Five-year average return: 11.96%
- Expense ratio: 0.48%
- SEC yield: 1.20%
A relative newcomer in the small-cap ETF world, the ALPS O’Shares U.S. Small-Cap Quality Dividend ETF has only been around since 2016. This fund is a bit different in that it follows its own index of small-cap stocks, chosen specifically to be high-quality, low-volatility stocks in the U.S. that demonstrate dividend growth.
What Are Small-Cap ETFs?
Small-cap ETFs are funds that are essentially similar to mutual funds and trade on the stock exchange. You can buy or sell them anytime the market is open. They invest in small companies with market caps under $2 billion and are run by professional money managers.
Many small-cap ETFs are passively managed, meaning that while they are under the control of money managers, they essentially track a market index, such as the well-known Russell 2000 small-cap index. Some are actively managed, meaning the managers pick and choose which stocks to buy and sell according to the ETF’s stated investment objectives.
Which small-cap ETF is best for you for the long term is a determination you will have to make based on your own investment objectives and risk tolerance.
Why Invest In Small-Cap ETFs?
Small-cap ETFs can allow investors to gain access to one of the highest-growth areas of the market without taking on excessive risk. While small-cap ETFs can certainly be volatile, owning a diversified portfolio of tens or hundreds of different small-cap stocks can be less risky than risking your entire portfolio on the performance of a single small-cap stock. Most small-cap ETFs are also extremely low-cost, making them an efficient way to own a basket of stocks instead of buying and selling individual names. As most investor portfolios are overweighted in large-cap names like Apple, Microsoft and Nvidia, owning a small-cap ETF can also provide some overall portfolio diversification.
FAQ
- What is the best-performing small-cap ETF?
- The term "best-performing small-cap ETF" can mean different things to different people. For some, it's the non-leveraged domestic small-cap ETF with the highest return over the past year. If that's your metric, then the winner is the Invesco S&P Small Cap Momentum ETF (XSMO), with a one-year return of 40.08%.
- Still others might think of longer-term performance, dubbing the small-cap ETF with the highest return over the past five years as "the best." In this case, the best-performing small-cap ETF would be the Avantis U.S. Small Cap Value ETF, with a five-year average annual return of 15.90%.
- What is the largest small-cap value ETF?
- The largest small-cap value ETF is the iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR), with $86.32 billion in assets under management.
- How risky are small-cap ETFs?
- Small caps offer higher growth potential than larger companies because they are growing from a much smaller base. But they can also be much more volatile. Many are not profitable, and some are built around a single product, making them make-or-break stocks. They can also be hard to research, as they may not put out a lot of news releases, and often, few analysts provide research coverage on them.
- For this reason, it's often best to buy small-cap stocks in an ETF format. This way, your risk is spread out among tens or hundreds of different stocks. While there will be winners and losers among the stocks in a small-cap ETF, you'll avoid the risk of losing your entire bankroll by betting on a single stock.
- What is the best S&P 600 small-cap ETF?
- The iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR) is often considered one of the best, tracking the S&P SmallCap 600 index with a five-year average return of 9.55% and a low expense ratio of 0.06%.
- What are the best small-cap stocks to buy now?
- Instead of individual stocks, consider small-cap ETFs like the Pacer US Small Cap Cash Cows 100 ETF (CALF) or the Invesco S&P SmallCap Value With Momentum ETF (XSVM) for diversified exposure to top small-cap companies.
Daria Uhlig contributed to the reporting for this article.
Data is accurate as of Oct. 3, 2024, and is subject to change.
Editorial Note: This content is not provided by any entity covered in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews, ratings or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any entity named in this article.
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- Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. 2022. "Market Cap Explained."
