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NUSC

GradeBChicago Board Options Exchange

Nuveen ESG Small-Cap ETF

Factor & Screened Index · Nuveen · Inception 2016-12-13 · SEC filings

$49.47−0.41 (−0.81%)

As of Sep 23, 2026, 3:10 PM EDT

Intraday session: down, 69 prints from 49.87 to 49.47. Range 49.40 to 49.74. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$49.40$49.60$49.7010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.31%
Fund size
$1.3B
1Y return
+13.6%
Yield · Last 12 months
0.94%
Holdings
405
Volume · 30D
0.1M sh
NAV per share
$49.81
52W range
low $42.11high $53.30

The ETF.net NUSC Grade

B

56/ 100

Rank 29 of 48 in US ESG & Values Index⁠

Confidence High

Six-pillar profile for NUSC. Scores out of 100: Cost 36, Risk 22, Mission 80, Tradability 69, Holdings 82, Durability 74. Strongest: Holdings (82). Weakest: Risk (22). Leans toward Holdings and Mission.
F< 25
D≥ 25
C≥ 40
B≥ 55
A≥ 70

Score 56 of 100 sits in the B band. Bands: A ≥ 70, B ≥ 55, C ≥ 40, D ≥ 25, F < 25; the scale skips E.

  • Cost

    What you pay to own it — the expense ratio plus trading frictions, ranked within its category.
    DScore 36
    Category rank32/48 · mid-pack

  • Mission

    How faithfully it does the job it claims — tracking its mandate or index with minimal slippage.
    AScore 80
    Category rank32/43 · mid-pack

  • Risk

    How violently it can move — volatility, drawdown depth, and downside capture versus its category.
    FScore 22
    Category rank46/48 · bottom quartile

  • Tradability

    How cheaply and easily you can get in and out — liquidity, spread, and premium/discount stability.
    BScore 69
    Category rank10/48 · top 21%

  • Holdings

    What it actually owns — the quality, breadth, and concentration of the underlying portfolio.
    AScore 82
    Category rank5/48 · top 10%

  • Durability

    Whether it will still be here — the fund’s assets, age, flows, and issuer staying power.
    AScore 74
    Category rank9/48 · top 19%

Graded as of Sep 22, 2026

Our read on NUSC

ETF.net Research

BESG screens are thick on the ground in large caps and scarce in small caps. Nuveen has run this one since 2016, tracking TIAA's own ESG small-cap index across roughly 400 US names.

Stated mandate

The Fund seeks to track the performance of the TIAA ESG USA Small-Cap Index before fees and expenses. The index targets U.S.-listed small-cap companies selected using environmental, social, and governance criteria.

Why people hold it

  1. 01Live since 2016 and tracking TIAA's own ESG USA Small-Cap Index. Rules decide which small caps make the cut, not a manager's judgment call.
  2. 02A multi-billion-dollar fund that trades at moderate volume. Real staying power for a screened corner of the small-cap aisle.
  3. 03Roughly 400 US small caps: a defined slice, not the full Russell 2000 sprawl, with the ESG screen stated up front in the fund's mandate.

Worth knowing

  1. 01At 0.31%, it runs above the small-cap median and well above VB and SCHA at 0.03% or IWM at 0.19%. The screen is what the extra buys.
  2. 02Screening to about 400 names leaves out much of the small-cap market, so results can drift from broad small-cap benchmarks in either direction.
  3. 03Distributions come annually or semiannually, not monthly.

NUSC Holdings

As of Sep 20, 2026, 6:24 AM
Asset class
Stocks
Holdings
405
Top-10 weight
9%
Largest holding
VTRS1.1%

Geography

  • United States93.16%
  • Bermuda1.73%
  • Ireland1.32%
  • Puerto Rico0.81%
  • United Kingdom0.81%
  • Canada0.63%
  • Singapore0.32%
  • Switzerland0.30%
  • Other countries (5)0.93%
The fund’s holdings, weight-ordered — page 1 of 28.
#TickerCompanyWeight %SharesMarket valueIn ETFs
001VTRSVIATRIS INC1.08%797,321$14M266
002EWBCEAST WEST BANCORP INC1.05%102,995$13M192
003RNRRENAISSANCERE HOLDINGS LT1.02%38,940$13M215
004SNXTD SYNNEX CORP0.98%46,279$12M230
005HSTHOST HOTELS & RESORTS0.98%563,378$12M258
006NXTNEXTPOWER INC -CL A0.88%136,927$11M213
007AGNCAGNC INVESTMENT CORP0.88%1,114,714$11M119
008CSGPCOSTAR GROUP INC0.87%373,848$11M219
009PFGCPERFORMANCE FOOD GROUP CO0.87%117,801$11M141
010RGLDROYAL GOLD INC0.85%42,539$11M188
011MEDPMEDPACE HOLDINGS INC0.83%16,868$10M205
012SCISERVICE CORP INTERNATIONA0.81%130,852$10M156
013BPOPPOPULAR INC0.81%62,675$10M167
014AVTRAVANTOR INC0.80%644,911$10M121
015DARDARLING INGREDIENTS INC0.79%150,424$10M176

Showing 1–15 of 406 holdings

NUSC Performance

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

NUSC$11,359
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,723
Sep 22, 2025 to Sep 22, 2026. NUSC $11,359. SPY $11,723. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$9,323$10,832$12,341Sep 2025Mar 2026Sep 2026

Sep 22, 2025 – Sep 22, 2026

Returns run to the Sep 22, 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 NUSC. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodNUSC
Year to date+11.7%
1 month−4.0%
3 months−2.7%
1 year+13.6%
3 years+13.9%per year
5 years+5.0%per year
10 yearsFund is under 10 years old—per year

As of the close, 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 NUSC
YearReturn barNUSC
2026 YTD+11.7%
2025+7.7%
2024+8.3%
2023+15.7%
2022−17.7%
2021+17.6%
2020+23.7%

NUSC in the news

ETF.net Research hasn’t filed on NUSC yet — coverage lands here as it’s written.

NUSC 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 Sep 22, 2026.
0.94%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$0.47Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.47 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Annual

Distribution history

2017–2026

One bar per payment. 9 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Dec 26, 2017 $0.27; Dec 26, 2018 $0.98; Dec 27, 2019 $0.28; Dec 17, 2020 $0.20; Dec 16, 2021 $2.97; Dec 15, 2022 $0.40; Dec 14, 2023 $0.43; Dec 18, 2024 $0.48; Dec 18, 2025 $0.47. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2017201820192020202120222023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Dec 18, 2025Dec 19, 2025$0.47
Dec 18, 2024Dec 19, 2024$0.48
Dec 14, 2023Dec 18, 2023$0.43
Dec 15, 2022Dec 19, 2022$0.40
Dec 16, 2021Dec 20, 2021$2.97
Dec 17, 2020Dec 21, 2020$0.20
Dec 27, 2019Dec 31, 2019$0.28
Dec 26, 2018Dec 31, 2018$0.98
Dec 26, 2017Dec 29, 2017$0.27

NUSC Risk

How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
18.0%
Annualised · 36 months to Aug 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.
0.50
vs 3-month T-bills · to Aug 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.
−28.8%
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.
1.03
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.

NUSC Cost

Expense ratio0.31%
  • The middle half of US ESG & Values Index funds
  • Median 0.23%

30 of the 48 US ESG & Values Index funds charge less.

NUSC costs $31.00 a year on $10,000. The median US ESG & Values Index fund costs $22.50.