Should iShares Morningstar MidCap Value ETF (IMCV) Be on Your Investing Radar?

Designed to provide broad exposure to the Mid Cap Value segment of the US equity market, the iShares Morningstar MidCap Value ETF (IMCV) is a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on 06/28/2004.

The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $448.88 million, making it one of the average sized ETFs attempting to match the Mid Cap Value segment of the US equity market.

Why Mid Cap Value

With market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion, mid cap companies usually contain higher growth prospects than large cap companies, and are considered less risky than their small cap counterparts. Thus they have a nice balance of growth potential and stability.

Value stocks have lower than average price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios. They also have lower than average sales and earnings growth rates. While value stocks have outperformed growth stocks in nearly all markets when you consider long-term performance, growth stocks are more likely to outpace value stocks in strong bull markets.

Costs

Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts, other things remaining the same.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.06%, making it the least expensive products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.23%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Financials sector--about 15.10% of the portfolio. Industrials and Utilities round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Centene Corp (CNC) accounts for about 1.04% of total assets, followed by Sysco Corp (SYY) and Archer Daniels Midland (ADM).

The top 10 holdings account for about 8.85% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

IMCV seeks to match the performance of the MORNINGSTAR US MID CAP BROAD VALUE INDEX before fees and expenses. The Morningstar US Mid Cap Broad Value Index comprises of mid-capitalization U.S. equities that exhibit value characteristics.

The ETF has lost about -11.65% so far this year and is down about -4.49% in the last one year (as of 06/30/2022). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $57.93 and $70.61.

The ETF has a beta of 1.08 and standard deviation of 28.09% for the trailing three-year period. With about 389 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

IShares Morningstar MidCap Value ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, IMCV is an excellent option for investors seeking exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Value segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.

The iShares Russell MidCap Value ETF (IWS) and the Vanguard MidCap Value ETF (VOE) track a similar index. While iShares Russell MidCap Value ETF has $12.44 billion in assets, Vanguard MidCap Value ETF has $14.93 billion. IWS has an expense ratio of 0.23% and VOE charges 0.07%.

Bottom-Line

While an excellent vehicle for long term investors, passively managed ETFs are a popular choice among institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency.

To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.

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iShares Morningstar MidCap Value ETF (IMCV): ETF Research Reports
 
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Sysco Corporation (SYY) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Centene Corporation (CNC) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Vanguard MidCap Value ETF (VOE): ETF Research Reports
 
iShares Russell MidCap Value ETF (IWS): ETF Research Reports
 
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