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Launched · SEC filings

iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF

ESMLCboeiSharesB

$53.78+0.30 (+0.56%)

At close: Nov 2, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

B68/ 100

Rank 13 of 48 in US ESG & Values Index

B68/100Rank 13 of 48inUS ESG & Values Index
Intraday session: up, 77 prints from 53.48 to 53.78. Range 53.76 to 54.30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.53.6054.0054.2010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.17%
Fund size
$2.73B
1Y total return
+19.9%
Yield · Last 12 months
0.94%
Holdings
904
Avg volume · 30D
133K sh
52W range
low $42.87high $56.75
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net ESML Grade

B

Score 68 out of 100

Category
US ESG & Values Index⁠
Rank
13 of 48
Six-pillar profile for ESML. Scores out of 100: Cost 60, Risk 35, Mission 94, Tradability 62, Holdings 84, Durability 82. Strongest: Mission (94). Weakest: Risk (35). Leans toward Mission.

Score 68 of 100 falls in the B band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.

  • Cost

    The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.
    B60 out of 100
    Rank 19 of 48

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    A94 out of 100
    Rank 19 of 43

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    D35 out of 100
    Rank 39 of 48

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    B62 out of 100
    Rank 14 of 48

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    A84 out of 100
    Rank 2 of 48

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    A82 out of 100
    Rank 4 of 48

Our read on ESML

ETF.net Research

In short

BMost ESG funds stop at the S&P 500. ESML takes the same iShares screen down the cap ladder: roughly 900 smaller US companies, ranked on ESG profile, at a price below the category median.

Stated mandate

The fund seeks to track an index of small-cap U.S. companies with favorable ESG profiles, aiming to provide ESG-focused core equity exposure.

Why people hold it

  • Small-cap ESG is a thin shelf. The other top-graded names in the category (SNPE, EFIV, XVV) are S&P 500 builds; ESML fishes in the part of the market they skip.
  • 0.17% a year, under the 0.25% category median, for an index that holds roughly 900 names rather than a short list of screen survivors.
  • Live since 2018, now a multi-billion-dollar fund paying quarterly, and one of the stronger implementations in its ESG peer group.

Worth knowing

  • These are small companies, so the ride is bumpier than the S&P 500-based ESG funds sitting next to it in the category.
  • MSCI does the judging. The Extended ESG Focus index scores and re-weights companies rather than simply banning industries, so the holdings may not match your own definition.
  • Volume is moderate, not the constant flow of the big large-cap ESG names, which matters more on large or hurried orders.

ESML Performance

Launched Apr 10, 2018

Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.

Not enough history yet.
ESML$11,987
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,146
Oct 31, 2025 to Nov 2, 2026. ESML $11,987. SPY $11,146. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000$12,000Oct 2025May 2026Nov 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Nov 2, 2026

Returns run to the Nov 2, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.

Trailing total return for ESML. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodESML
Year to date+17.8%
1 month+1.8%
3 months+0.4%
1 year+19.9%
3 yearsper year+19.8%
5 yearsper year+6.5%
10 yearsFund is under 10 years oldper yearNo data

With distributions reinvested.

Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.

Annual total returns for ESML
YearReturn barESML
2026 YTD+17.8%
2025+10.6%
2024+12.0%
2023+17.3%
2022−17.3%
2021+19.3%
2020+19.6%

ESML in the news

ESML Dividends

Adds up every distribution paid per share over the last 12 months, divided by the last completed close. Distributions are counted by ex-date. Data through Nov 2, 2026.
0.94%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$0.50Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.15 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Quarterly

Distribution history

2018–2026

One bar per payment. 34 payments from 2018 to 2026 YTD. Jun 26, 2018 $0.06; Sep 26, 2018 $0.09; Dec 17, 2018 $0.10; Mar 20, 2019 $0.06; Jun 17, 2019 $0.08; Sep 24, 2019 $0.07; Dec 16, 2019 $0.11; Mar 25, 2020 $0.07; Jun 15, 2020 $0.06; Sep 23, 2020 $0.08; Dec 14, 2020 $0.13; Mar 25, 2021 $0.09; Jun 10, 2021 $0.07; Sep 24, 2021 $0.12; Dec 13, 2021 $0.09; Mar 24, 2022 $0.09; Jun 9, 2022 $0.10; Sep 26, 2022 $0.15; Dec 13, 2022 $0.14; Mar 23, 2023 $0.11; Jun 7, 2023 $0.11; Sep 26, 2023 $0.13; Dec 20, 2023 $0.14; Mar 21, 2024 $0.11; Jun 11, 2024 $0.09; Sep 25, 2024 $0.14; Dec 17, 2024 $0.18; Mar 18, 2025 $0.10; Jun 16, 2025 $0.12; Sep 16, 2025 $0.14; Dec 16, 2025 $0.13; Mar 17, 2026 $0.11; Jun 15, 2026 $0.11; Sep 15, 2026 $0.15. Use the arrow keys to read each point.201820192020202120222023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Sep 15, 2026Sep 18, 2026$0.15
Jun 15, 2026Jun 18, 2026$0.11
Mar 17, 2026Mar 20, 2026$0.11
Dec 16, 2025Dec 19, 2025$0.13
Sep 16, 2025Sep 19, 2025$0.14
Jun 16, 2025Jun 20, 2025$0.12
Mar 18, 2025Mar 21, 2025$0.10
Dec 17, 2024Dec 20, 2024$0.18
Sep 25, 2024Sep 30, 2024$0.14
Jun 11, 2024Jun 17, 2024$0.09
Mar 21, 2024Mar 27, 2024$0.11
Dec 20, 2023Dec 27, 2023$0.14

See all 34 payments⁠

$10,000 in ESML 5 years ago paid $574 in dividends.⁠

ESML Risk

Risk pillarD35 out of 100Rank 39 of 48 in US ESG & Values Index
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
17.4%
Annualised · 36 months to Oct 2026
How it’s calculated: standard deviation

The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.

Return above 3-month US Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
0.92
vs 3-month T-bills · to Oct 2026
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio

Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.

Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.

The largest fall from a peak to the low that followed.
−28.6%
Trough Jun 2022
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown

The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.

Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.

How strongly the fund’s returns move with its asset-class index.
1.07
vs its asset-class index
How it’s calculated: beta

The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.

FMP measures it over up to five years of monthly returns.

ESML Cost

Compare ESML and USCL

Overpaying vs USCL, tied cheapest in US ESG & Values Index

$1,857

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • ESML 0.17%

    $3,546

  • USCL 0.08% Tied cheapest

    $1,689

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • ESML 0.17%
  • USCL 0.08%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$1K$2K$3K$4K051015202530ESML $3,546USCL $1,689

Year by year

YearESMLUSCLOverpaying
10$310$147$163
20$1,211$575$636
30$3,546$1,689$1,857

Other funds in US ESG & Values Index

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