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ESMLvsSMMDETF Comparison

ETF 1

ESML

iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF

This fund is part of

US Small Cap

+0.29%

Full ESML fund page

VS

ETF 2

SMMD

iShares Russell 2500 ETF

This fund is part of

US Multi-Factor

+0.25%

Full SMMD fund page

iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF (ESML) belongs to the US Small Cap segment. iShares Russell 2500 ETF (SMMD) is part of the US Multi-Factor segment. ESML's top 3 sector exposures are Finance, Healthcare and Technology. In contrast, SMMD's top sector exposures are Finance, Healthcare and Industrials. ESML is less expensive with a Total Expense Ratio (TER) of 0.17%, versus 0.23% for SMMD. ESML is up 17.24% year-to-date (YTD) with +$334M in YTD flows. SMMD performs worse with 16.72% YTD performance, and +$1.59B in YTD flows. Run a side-by-side ETF comparison of ESML and SMMD below, and assess how they stack up in performance, liquidity, risk, exposure, holdings, and more, helping you select the best ETF for your investments.

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ESML vs SMMD performance and flow charts

Performance

Cumulative Flows

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Daily, global ETF data for advanced analysis or integration into apps (API), from our partner Trackinsight.

Data Services

Historic performance and flows

Data as of 10/28/2026

		1M	3M	YTD	1Y	3Y	5Y
Perf.	ESML SMMD	+2.08%+0.92%	-0.46%-3.22%	+17.24%+16.72%	+17.66%+17.02%	+77.59%+77.79%	+39.52%+38.56%
Flows	ESML SMMD	-$84M+$51M	-$78M+$711M	+$334M+$1.59B	+$330M+$1.94B	+$606M+$2.66B	+$941M+$3.13B

Volatility and drawdown

		3M	1Y	3Y	5Y
Volatility	ESML SMMD	+13.64%+12.97%	+16.31%+17.00%	+19.46%+19.18%	+21.16%+20.89%
Max drawdown	ESML SMMD	-8.35%-9.29%	-9.05%-9.48%	-26.61%-25.55%	-28.52%-28.20%
Max drawdown duration	ESML SMMD	73d73d	46d43d	296d283d	980d980d

Trading data

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	ESML	SMMD
Last sale 10/29/2026 at 1:30 PM	$54.18	$87.74
Previous close 10/28/2026	$53.50	$86.86
Consolidated volume 10/28/2026
Average volume 30 days
Average discount or premium 30 days
Average Bid/Ask spread 30 days

Replication quality

Data as of September 30, 2026

1-year trailing difference

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	ESML	SMMD
Tracking error
Tracking difference
1 year cumulative return difference
Best
Worst
Daily return difference
Average
Worst

Main metrics

Last update 10/29/2026 at 1:30 PM

Live

Closed

	ESML	SMMD
Last price	$54.18	$87.74
1D performance	+1.27%	+1.01%
AuM	$2.73 B	$4.16 B
E/R	0.17%	0.23%

Characteristics

	ESML	SMMD
Management strategy	Passive	Passive
Provider	iShares	iShares
Benchmark	MSCI USA Small Cap Extended ESG Focus Index	Russell 2500 Index
N° of holdings	909	504
Asset class	Equities	Equities
Trailing 12m distribution yield	Join	Join
Inception date	April 10, 2018	July 6, 2017
ESG	Yes	No

More ESML data on Trackinsight

More SMMD data on Trackinsight

Exposure

Countries

ESML

USA

95.64%

Other

4.36%

SMMD

USA

95.07%

Other

4.93%

Sectors

ESML

Finance

22.04%

Healthcare

15.23%

Technology

15.1%

Industrials

13.93%

Non-Energy Materi.

7.12%

Other

26.58%

SMMD

Finance

24.58%

Healthcare

15.12%

Industrials

13.67%

Technology

13.37%

Non-Energy Materi.

8.26%

Other

25%

Diversification

ESML

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

6.06%

SMMD

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

45.19%

Top 15 holdings

Data as of August 31, 2026

ESML

Moderna, Inc.

0.74%

Assurant, Inc.

0.62%

US Foods Holding Corp.

0.57%

Ovintiv, Inc.

0.46%

ONE Gas, Inc.

0.39%

Royal Gold, Inc.

0.38%

Jones Lang LaSalle, Inc.

0.36%

Trimble, Inc.

0.33%

Guardant Health, Inc.

0.32%

Nutanix, Inc.

0.32%

Invesco Ltd.

0.32%

The Clorox Co.

0.32%

Dynatrace, Inc.

0.32%

Equitable Holdings, Inc.

0.31%

Unum Group

0.31%

SMMD

US4642876555

40.96%

ATI, Inc.

0.37%

nVent Electric Plc

0.33%

F5, Inc.

0.31%

US Foods Holding Corp.

0.31%

Carpenter Technology Corp.

0.31%

Tenet Healthcare Corp.

0.31%

SoFi Technologies, Inc.

0.31%

Royal Gold, Inc.

0.30%

Coeur Mining, Inc.

0.29%

Affirm Holdings, Inc.

0.28%

Roku, Inc.

0.28%

Packaging Corporation of America

0.28%

Guardant Health, Inc.

0.28%

Woodward, Inc.

0.27%

Frequently asked questions about ESML and SMMD

How have the ESML and SMMD ETFs performed in 2026?

As of October 28, 2026, ESML is up 17.24% year-to-date (YTD), while SMMD has returned 16.72%. That puts ESML better performer ahead so far this year.

Which ETF is attracting more investor money: ESML or SMMD?

Year-to-date, the ESML ETF saw +$334M in flows, compared to +$1.59B for SMMD.

Which ETF is more volatile: ESML or SMMD?

Over the past year, ESML had a volatility of 16.31%, while SMMD experienced 17%.

Which ETF is bigger: ESML or SMMD?

As of October 28, 2026, ESML holds $2.73 B in assets under management (AUM), while SMMD manages $4.16 B.

What sectors do the ESML and SMMD ETFs invest in?

ESML leans toward sectors like Finance, Healthcare and Technology. Meanwhile, SMMD focuses on Finance, Healthcare and Industrials.

What are the top holdings of the ESML ETF and SMMD ETF?

ESML top holdings include Moderna, Inc., Assurant, Inc. and US Foods Holding Corp.. SMMD holds in its top three: US4642876555, ATI, Inc. and nVent Electric Plc.

ESMLvsSMMDETF Comparison

iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF

iShares Russell 2500 ETF

ESML vs SMMD performance and flow charts

Performance

Cumulative Flows

Get all the metrics on this page, and more, through a reliable ETF data feed

Countries

Sectors

Diversification

Top 15 holdings

How have the ESML and SMMD ETFs performed in 2026?

As of October 28, 2026, ESML is up 17.24% year-to-date (YTD), while SMMD has returned 16.72%. That puts ESML better performer ahead so far this year.

Which ETF is attracting more investor money: ESML or SMMD?

Year-to-date, the ESML ETF saw +$334M in flows, compared to +$1.59B for SMMD.

Which ETF is more volatile: ESML or SMMD?

Over the past year, ESML had a volatility of 16.31%, while SMMD experienced 17%.

Which ETF is bigger: ESML or SMMD?

As of October 28, 2026, ESML holds $2.73 B in assets under management (AUM), while SMMD manages $4.16 B.

What sectors do the ESML and SMMD ETFs invest in?

ESML leans toward sectors like Finance, Healthcare and Technology. Meanwhile, SMMD focuses on Finance, Healthcare and Industrials.

What are the top holdings of the ESML ETF and SMMD ETF?

ESML top holdings include Moderna, Inc., Assurant, Inc. and US Foods Holding Corp.. SMMD holds in its top three: US4642876555, ATI, Inc. and nVent Electric Plc.

Which ETF is more diversified: ESML or SMMD?

ESML holds 910 securities with 6.06% of its assets in the top 15. SMMD has 2460 securities and a top 15 weight of 45.19%.

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