ETF Evaluator: iShares ESG Optimized MSCI USA ETF (SUSA) Follow This ETF

iShares ESG Optimized MSCI USA ETF Overview

iShares ESG Optimized MSCI USA ETF (SUSA) is a passively managed U.S. Equity Large Blend exchange-traded fund (ETF). iShares launched the ETF in 2005.

The investment seeks to track the investment results of the MSCI USA Extended ESG Select Index composed of U.S. companies that have positive environmental, social and governance characteristics as identified by the index provider. 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. It is an optimized index designed to maximize exposure to positive environmental, social and governance characteristics while exhibiting risk and return characteristics similar to the MSCI USA Index.

About iShares ESG Optimized MSCI USA ETF (SUSA)

There are 4 members of the management team with an average tenure of 4.40 years: Jennifer Hsui (2012), 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 NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and MSCI USA EXTENDED ESG SELECT GR USD index with a weighting of 100%. iShares ESG Optimized MSCI USA ETF has 197 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 32.9% 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 Optimized MSCI USA ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity ETF group. iShares ESG Optimized MSCI USA ETF has 0.3% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 99.5% There is 0.3% 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 Optimized MSCI USA ETF has 0.2% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $4 billion in total assets, which is below the $13 billion average for the Large 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.

SUSA 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 Optimized MSCI USA ETF expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Large Blend category. iShares ESG Optimized MSCI USA ETF has an expense ratio of 0.25%, which is 40% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. 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 Optimized MSCI USA ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 18%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 162% for the Large Blend category.

Recently, in the month of June 2026, iShares ESG Optimized MSCI USA ETF returned 0.6%, which earned it a grade of B, as the Large Blend category had an average return of -0.0%. 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 Optimized MSCI USA ETF has a trailing yield of 0.84%, which is below the 1.12% category average. The fund normally distributes its income quarterly 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.

iShares ESG Optimized MSCI USA ETF Grades

Year to date, the ETF has returned 11.3%, 1.0 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 22.9% over the past year (grade of B), 19.5% over the past three years (grade of C) and 11.4% per year over the past five years (grade of D) and 15.1% per year over the past 10 years (grade of B).

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