ETF Evaluator: iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF (ESML) Follow This ETF

iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF Overview

iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF (ESML) is a passively managed U.S. Equity Small Blend exchange-traded fund (ETF). iShares launched the ETF in 2018.

The investment seeks to track the investment results of the MSCI USA Small Cap Extended ESG Focus Index. The fund generally will invest at least 90% of its assets in the component securities of the underlying index and may invest up to 10% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents. The underlying index is an optimized equity index that is designed to produce investment results comparable to the MSCI USA Small Cap Index (the "parent index"), while reflecting a higher allocation than that of the parent index to companies with favorable ESG profiles (as determined by MSCI).

About iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF (ESML)

There are 4 members of the management team with an average tenure of 3.00 years: Jennifer Hsui (2018), Peter Sietsema (2025), Matt Waldron (2025) and Steven White (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.

The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI USA GR USD index with a weighting of 100% and MSCI USA Sml Cap Extnd ESG Focus GR USD index with a weighting of 100%. iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF has 913 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 8.5% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The ETF is considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.

iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity ETF group. iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF has 1.9% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 97.7% There is 1.9% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF has 0.5% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $2 billion in total assets, which is below the $5 billion average for the Small Blend category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.

ESML Performance and Fees

The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF expense ratio is low compared to funds in the Small Blend category. iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF has an expense ratio of 0.17%, which is 60% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a A. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.

High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 35%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 50% for the Small Blend category.

Recently, in the month of June 2026, iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF returned 5.5%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Small Blend category had an average return of 5.8%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.

iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF has a trailing yield of 0.89%, which is below the 1.19% category average. The fund normally distributes its income quarterly.

It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.

iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF Grades

Year to date, the ETF has returned 22.3%, 1.7 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 36.8% over the past year (grade of B), 17.8% over the past three years (grade of B) and 8.1% per year over the past five years (grade of C).

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