If you're interested in broad exposure to the Mid Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, look no further than the Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF (SCHM), a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on January 13, 2011.
The fund is sponsored by Charles Schwab. It has amassed assets over $14.99 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the Mid Cap Blend segment of the US equity market.
Why Mid Cap Blend
Compared to large and small cap companies, mid cap businesses tend to have higher growth prospects and are less volatile, respectively, with market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion. Thus, companies that fall under this category provide a stable and growth-heavy investment.
Typically holding a combination of both growth and value stocks, blend ETFs also demonstrate qualities seen in value and growth investments.
Costs
Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.04%, making it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.22%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation to the Industrials sector -- about 23.2% of the portfolio. Information Technology and Financials round out the top three.
Looking at individual holdings, Sandisk Corp (SNDK) accounts for about 2.15% of total assets, followed by Ciena Corp (CIEN) and Lumentum Holdings Inc (LITE).
The top 10 holdings account for about 9.25% of total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
SCHM seeks to match the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Mid-Cap Total Stock Market Index before fees and expenses. The Dow Jones U.S. Mid-Cap Total Stock Market Index is a float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index. The Index includes the mid-cap portion of the Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Index actually available to investors in the marketplace and includes the components ranked 501-1000 by full market capitalization.
The ETF has gained about 20.96% so far this year and is up roughly 31.53% in the last one year (as of 06/29/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $28.05 and $36.50.
The ETF has a beta of 1.04 and standard deviation of 17.53% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 500 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.
Alternatives
Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, SCHM is a good option for those seeking exposure to the Style Box - Mid Cap Blend area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.
The Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares (VO) and the iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH) track a similar index. While Vanguard Mid-Cap Index Fund ETF Shares has $104.23 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF has $122.91 billion. VO has an expense ratio of 0.03% and IJH charges 0.05%.
Bottom-Line
Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are excellent vehicles for long term investors.
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.
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Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF (SCHM): ETF Research Reports
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).