Which returned more over the last year, ESML or NUSC?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ESML returned +17.7% and NUSC +12.2%.

Which is cheaper, ESML or NUSC?

ESML is cheaper, by 0.14 percentage points a year. That is about $14 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

How much do ESML and NUSC overlap with the S&P 500?

By their latest filed holdings, 12% of ESML and 6% of NUSC by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

ESML vs NUSC: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, ESML returned +17.7% to NUSC's +12.2%; 33% of their weight is in the same names.

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Net assets: $2.7bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF, and $1.3bn on Jul 31, 2026 for Nuveen ESG Small-Cap ETF.

ESML on its own →NUSC on its own →

At a glance

+17.7%

ESML total return, 1 year

+12.2%

NUSC total return, 1 year

0.17%

ESML expense ratio

0.31%

NUSC expense ratio

Pair scorecard

ESML costs 0.14 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 5.5 points.

ESML vs NUSC: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	ESML	NUSC
Return
Measure	ESML	NUSC
Total return, 1 year	+17.7%	+12.2%
Drawdown
Measure	ESML	NUSC
Below its high	5.3%, high on Aug 14, 2026	5.7%, high on Aug 14, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	ESML	NUSC
What it tracks	MSCI USA Small Cap Extended ESG Focus Index	Nuveen ESG USA Small-Cap Index
Cost and size
Measure	ESML	NUSC
Expense ratio	0.17%	0.31%
Net assets, ESML as of Oct 27, 2026 and NUSC as of Jul 31, 2026	$2.7bn	$1.3bn
Holdings
Measure	ESML	NUSC
Holdings in common	33%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	5.2%	10.2%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method

Risk and return

Apr 20, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026 · 444 weekly returns

ESML NUSC

Return

Total return edge ESML +126.6% +103.0%

Annualized edge ESML +10.1% +8.6%

Price return edge ESML +104.3% +71.5%

Risk

Volatility edge Tie 22.8% 22.7%

Max drawdown edge Tie −40.6% −40.5%

Downside capture 104.1% 103.0%

Beta 1.11 1.07

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge ESML 0.41 0.36

Sortino edge ESML 0.59 0.51

Treynor 0.085 0.081

Calmar edge ESML 0.25 0.21

Against the benchmark

Alpha −4.4% a year −4.5% a year

Alpha t-stat −1.14 −1.33

Information ratio −0.27 −0.34

Tracking error 11.3% 10.5%

Each against its own benchmark: ESML against PBUS, Apr 20, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026; NUSC against MLRG, Dec 23, 2016 to Oct 23, 2026.

Reading

ESML returned more: +126.6% to +103.0%. ESML and NUSC swung about the same: 22.8% and 22.7%. ESML and NUSC fell about the same at their worst: −40.6% and −40.5%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: ESML vs NUSC: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	ESML	NUSC	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+126.6%	+103.0%	ESML	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+10.1%	+8.6%	ESML	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	+104.3%	+71.5%	ESML	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	22.8%	22.7%	Tie	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	16.0%	16.0%	Tie	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−40.6%	−40.5%	Tie	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture	97.1%	93.6%		Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture	104.1%	103.0%		Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta	1.11	1.07	Not an edge	How far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared	0.76	0.77	Not an edge	Share of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.41	0.36	ESML	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.59	0.51	ESML	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor	0.085	0.081		Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar	0.25	0.21	ESML	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
Benchmark	PBUS	MLRG		The ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha	−4.4% a year	−4.5% a year	Not significant	Yearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat	−1.14	−1.33	Not an edge	How sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range	−11.9% to +3.2%	−11.0% to +2.1%	Includes zero	The 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio	−0.27	−0.34		Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error	11.3%	10.5%	Not an edge	How far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 444 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

33%

By the books each fund has filed, ESML and NUSC hold 33% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

33% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first ESML NUSC

ONE GAS 0.40% 0.37%

GUARDANT HEALTH 0.38% 0.36%

ROYAL GOLD 0.36% 0.54%

SOUTHWEST GAS HOLDINGS 0.34% 0.35%

FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS 0.32% 0.72%

EAST WEST BANCORP 0.31% 1.04%

VIATRIS 0.31% 1.07%

TD SYNNEX 0.30% 1.08%

INVESCO LTD 0.29% 0.38%

AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES INC 0.28% 0.57%

UGI 0.28% 0.58%

UNUM 0.31% 0.28%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in ESML

MODERNA 1.13%

ASSURANT INC 0.66%

US FOODS HOLDING 0.58%

OVINTIV 0.51%

REVVITY 0.39%

DYNATRACE INC 0.38%

EQUITABLE HOLDINGS 0.36%

NUTANIX CLASS A 0.36%

Only in NUSC

ATI Inc 1.26%

Host Hotels & Resorts Inc 1.07%

nVent Electric PLC 1.06%

AGNC Investment Corp 0.90%

Service Corp International 0.87%

Zions Bancorp NA 0.66%

Rexford Industrial Realty Inc 0.63%

Western Alliance Bancorp 0.63%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

ESML iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF NUSC Nuveen ESG Small-Cap ETF

Where it sits Stock ETF Stock ETF

Issuer iShares Nuveen

What it is Tracks an index Tracks an index

Total return, 1 year +17.7% +12.2%

Its benchmark over the same days +13.3% (PBUS) +13.6% (MLRG)

Gap to its benchmark +4.4 pts vs PBUS −1.4 pts vs MLRG

Expense ratio 0.17% 0.31%

Already in the S&P 500 12.3% 6.1%

Holdings 903 405

Net assets, ESML as of Oct 27, 2026 and NUSC as of Jul 31, 2026 $2.7bn $1.3bn

ESML and NUSC on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-76435D7E41

ESML and NUSC are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?

What each follows. ESML follows MSCI USA Small Cap Extended ESG Focus Index and NUSC follows Nuveen ESG USA Small-Cap Index.
Holdings in common. 33% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026).
One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 ESML returned +17.7% and NUSC +12.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 5.5 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund

ESML

ESML tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.7% with distributions reinvested, against +13.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.17% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 12% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 903 positions, with the top ten at 5.2%. It sat 5.3% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

NUSC

NUSC tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +12.2% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.31% a year. By its holdings filed for Jul 31, 2026, 6% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 405 positions, with the top ten at 10.2%. It sat 5.7% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, ESML or NUSC?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ESML returned +17.7% and NUSC +12.2%.
Which is cheaper, ESML or NUSC?: ESML is cheaper, by 0.14 percentage points a year. That is about $14 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do ESML and NUSC overlap with the S&P 500?: By their latest filed holdings, 12% of ESML and 6% of NUSC by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Other comparisons

ESML vs IWC ESML vs FYC ESML vs FNX ESML vs FYX NUSC vs SMLF NUSC vs SLYG FESM vs NUSC NUSC vs VIOG

Where to next

ESML on its own →NUSC on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →ESML dividend history →ESML holdings →NUSC dividend history →NUSC holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

ESML filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

ESML prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for ESML ↗

NUSC filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

NUSC prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Nuveen website ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, ESML against NUSC, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/esml-vs-nusc

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