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Launched · SEC filings

Nuveen ESG Small-Cap ETF

NUSCCboeNuveenC

$50.62+0.40 (+0.80%)

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

C55/ 100

Rank 30 of 48 in US ESG & Values Index

C55/100Rank 30 of 48inUS ESG & Values Index
Intraday session: up, 78 prints from 50.22 to 50.62. Range 50.59 to 51.15. Use the arrow keys to read each point.50.4050.8051.0051.2010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.31%
Fund size
$1.28B
1Y total return
+14.4%
Yield · Last 12 months
0.93%
Holdings
399
Avg volume · 30D
58.9K sh
52W range
low $42.11high $53.30
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net NUSC Grade

C

Score 55 out of 100

Category
US ESG & Values Index⁠
Rank
30 of 48
Six-pillar profile for NUSC. Scores out of 100: Cost 33, Risk 30, Mission 81, Tradability 60, Holdings 83, Durability 74. Strongest: Holdings (83). Weakest: Risk (30). Leans toward Holdings and Mission.

Score 55 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. The letter stays C for now. A new letter must hold for 3 published runs before it replaces it.

  • Cost

    The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.
    D33 out of 100
    Rank 31 of 48

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    A81 out of 100
    Rank 31 of 43

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    D30 out of 100
    Rank 45 of 48

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    B60 out of 100
    Rank 16 of 48

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    A83 out of 100
    Rank 3 of 48

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    A74 out of 100
    Rank 9 of 48

Our read on NUSC

ETF.net Research

In short

CESG 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

  • 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 Performance

Launched Dec 13, 2016

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.
NUSC$11,438
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,199
Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. NUSC $11,438. SPY $11,199. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000$12,000Oct 2025May 2026Oct 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

Returns run to the Oct 30, 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+12.5%
1 month+3.5%
3 months−1.4%
1 year+14.4%
3 yearsper year+17.0%
5 yearsper year+4.5%
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 NUSC
YearReturn barNUSC
2026 YTD+12.5%
2025+7.7%
2024+8.3%
2023+15.7%
2022−17.7%
2021+17.6%
2020+23.7%

NUSC in the news

Filtered to NUSC · US ESG & Values Index

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 Oct 30, 2026.
0.93%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

$10,000 in NUSC 5 years ago paid $999 in dividends.

NUSC Risk

Risk pillarD30 out of 100Rank 45 of 48 in US ESG & Values Index
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
17.3%
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.
0.74
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.
−28.8%
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.
1.05
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.

NUSC Cost

Compare NUSC and USCL

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

$4,657

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

  • NUSC 0.31%

    $6,346

  • USCL 0.08% Tied cheapest

    $1,689

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • NUSC 0.31%
  • USCL 0.08%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2K$4K$6K$8K051015202530NUSC $6,346USCL $1,689

Year by year

YearNUSCUSCLOverpaying
10$563$147$416
20$2,182$575$1,607
30$6,346$1,689$4,657

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