

Nuveen ESG Small-Cap ETF
$49.21+0.05 (+0.10%)
- 0.31%
- $1.2B
- +15.5%
- 0.95%
- 0.1M sh
- $49.26
- low $42.11high $53.30
The ETF.net NUSC Grade
Score 56 out of 100
- 29 of 48
Score 56 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.D36 out of 100Rank 30 of 48Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A79 out of 100Rank 33 of 43Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.F23 out of 100Rank 46 of 48Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.B67 out of 100Rank 12 of 48Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.A82 out of 100Rank 5 of 48Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A73 out of 100Rank 9 of 48
Our read on NUSC
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.
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
- Live 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.
- A multi-billion-dollar fund that trades at moderate volume. Real staying power for a screened corner of the small-cap aisle.
- Roughly 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
- At 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.
- Screening to about 400 names leaves out much of the small-cap market, so results can drift from broad small-cap benchmarks in either direction.
- Distributions come annually or semiannually, not monthly.
NUSC Holdings
- Stocks
- 403
- 10%
- VTRS
Geography
- United States93.46%
- Bermuda1.73%
- Ireland1.25%
- Puerto Rico0.79%
- United Kingdom0.76%
- Canada0.50%
- Singapore0.38%
- Switzerland0.29%
- 0.82%
NUSC Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
Returns run to the Oct 12, 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.
| Period | NUSC |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +10.1% |
| 1 month | −2.1% |
| 3 months | −4.0% |
| 1 year | +15.5% |
| 3 years | +14.6% |
| 5 years | +4.6% |
| 10 years | — |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | NUSC |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +10.1% | |
| 2025 | +7.7% | |
| 2024 | +8.3% | |
| 2023 | +15.7% | |
| 2022 | −17.7% | |
| 2021 | +17.6% | |
| 2020 | +23.7% |
NUSC in the news
NUSC Dividends
- 0.95%
- $0.47
- $0.47 per share
- Annual
Distribution history
NUSC Risk
- 17.9%
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.
- 0.52
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.
- −28.8%
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.
- 1.05
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
- The middle half of US ESG & Values Index funds
- Median 0.23%
30 of the 48 US ESG & Values Index funds charge less.
Other funds in US ESG & Values Index
- BTOVJLens 500 Jewish Advocacy U.S. ETFExpense ratio 0.18%1 year return +20.3%
- BESGNorthern Trust STOXX US ESG Select ETFExpense ratio 0.33%1 year return +21.6%
- CNUMVNuveen ESG Mid-Cap ValueExpense ratio 0.31%1 year return +18.5%
- AFEUSNorthern Trust ESG & Climate US Large Cap Core ETFExpense ratio 0.10%1 year return +20.7%
- CNULGNuveen ESG Large-Cap GrowthExpense ratio 0.26%1 year return +17.1%

