ETF Evaluator:
Sprott Nickel Miners ETF (NIKL)
Follow This ETF
(as of Jul 31)
Best Performing in Natural Resources Over the Last Year
| 133.5% | Sprott Lithium Miners ETF (LITP) |
| 128.4% | iShares Lithium Miners And Producers ETF (ILIT) |
| 121.6% | VanEck Rare Earth & Strat Mtls ETF (REMX) |
| 103.9% | Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF (LIT) |
| 102.5% | Themes Lithium & Battery Metal Mnrs ETF (LIMI) |
Risk
Index
Risk
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ETF Details
Sprott Nickel Miners ETF Overview
Sprott Nickel Miners ETF (NIKL) is a passively managed Sector Equity Natural Resources exchange-traded fund (ETF). Sprott launched the ETF in 2023.
The investment seeks to provide investment results that, before fees and expenses, correspond generally to the total return performance of the Nasdaq Sprott Nickel Miners Index.
The fund will, under normal circumstances, invest at least 80% of its total assets in securities of the index. The index is designed to track the performance of companies that derive at least 50% of their revenue and/or assets from (i) mining, exploration, development, or production of nickel (“Nickel Mining Companies”); (ii) investments in nickel that represent all or a significant portion of their assets, and/or (iii) supplying nickel. The fund is non-diversified.
About Sprott Nickel Miners ETF (NIKL)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 2.77 years: Ryan Mischker (2023) and Charles Perkins (2024). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: S&P 500 (TR) (1970) index with a weighting of 100% and Nasdaq Sprott Nickel Miners TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Sprott Nickel Miners ETF has 29 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 76.1% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Sprott Nickel Miners ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Sector Equity ETF group. Sprott Nickel Miners ETF has 100.5% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0% There is 100.5% 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). Sprott Nickel Miners ETF has -0.5% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $53 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Natural Resources 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.
NIKL 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 Sprott Nickel Miners ETF expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Natural Resources category. Sprott Nickel Miners ETF has an expense ratio of 0.75%, which is 40% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a F. 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. Sprott Nickel Miners ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 48%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 40% for the Natural Resources category.
Recently, in the month of June 2026, Sprott Nickel Miners ETF returned -16.4%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Natural Resources category had an average return of -7.3%. 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.
Sprott Nickel Miners ETF has a trailing yield of 3.11%, which is above the 2.28% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income annually and its capital gains annually.
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.
Sprott Nickel Miners ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned -18.7%, 27.1 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 12.1% over the past year (grade of D) and -8.7% over the past three years (grade of F).
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NIKL Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 6/30/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| NIKL Return (NAV) | -16.4% | -17.4% | 12.1% | -8.7% | na | na |
| NIKL Return (Price) | -17.6% | -20.7% | 11.4% | -9.0% | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 1.254% | 3.314% | 0.707% | 0.284% | na | na |
| Natural Resources Avg | -7.3% | -1.7% | 40.6% | 12.4% | 8.1% | 11.1% |
| NIKL Grade (NAV) | F | F | D | F | na | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | -9.0% | -15.7% | -28.5% | -21.2% | na | na |
| NIKL Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.2% | 3.1% | na | na |
NIKL Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 6/30/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| NIKL Return (NAV) | -18.7% | 50.8% | -21.0% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NIKL Return (Price) | -19.3% | 51.9% | -22.5% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 0.031% | 0.022% | 0.071% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Natural Resources Avg | 8.4% | 43.5% | -6.0% | 9.9% | -7.3% | 30.1% | 22.9% | 18.4% | -16.7% | 25.1% | 28.4% |
| NIKL Grade (NAV) | F | B | F | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| +/- Category | -27.1% | 7.3% | -15.0% | na | na | na | na | na | na | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 1.25 |
| R-Squared: | 21% |
| Standard Deviation: | 34.7% |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.44 |
| Category Risk Rating: | High |
| Total Risk Index: | 2.86 |
| Total Risk Rating: | High |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 3.1% |
| Total Assets: | $ 54 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 54 Mil |
| Turnover: | 48.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.75% |
| Index Fund: | Yes |
| Index Tracked: | S&P 500 (TR) (1970) |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 3.3 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 2.8 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Mischker Ryan (2023), Perkins Charles (2024) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 29 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 76.1% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 100.5% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 100.5% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | -0.5% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Sprott |
| Phone Number: | 888-622-1813 |
| Website: | www.sprottetfs.com |
| Inception Date: | March 21, 2023 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.75% (Rating: Above Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.54% |
