ETF Evaluator: iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (USMV) Follow This ETF

iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Overview

iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (USMV) is a passively managed U.S. Equity Large Blend exchange-traded fund (ETF). iShares launched the ETF in 2011.

The investment seeks the investment results of the MSCI USA Minimum Volatility (USD) Index. The fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of its underlying index and in investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the component securities of its underlying index. The index measures the performance of large and mid-capitalization equity securities listed on stock exchanges in the U.S. that, in the aggregate, have lower volatility relative to the large- and mid-cap U.S. equity market.

About iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (USMV)

There are 4 members of the management team with an average tenure of 4.34 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 GR USD index with a weighting of 100% and MSCI USA Minimum Volatility (USD) GR USD index with a weighting of 100%. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF has 170 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 15.2% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.

iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity ETF group. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF has 3.7% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 96.1% There is 3.7% 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 MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF has 0.2% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $23 billion in total assets, which is above 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.

USMV 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 MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF expense ratio is low compared to funds in the Large Blend category. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF has an expense ratio of 0.15%, which is 64% 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 MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 22%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 162% for the Large Blend category.

Recently, in the month of June 2026, iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF returned 0.2%, which earned it a grade of C, 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 MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF has a trailing yield of 1.50%, which is above the 1.12% 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 MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Grades

Year to date, the ETF has returned 3.1%, 7.2 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 4.3% over the past year (grade of F), 10.9% over the past three years (grade of F) and 7.3% per year over the past five years (grade of F) and 9.6% per year over the past 10 years (grade of F).

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