Should Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF (SCHM) Be on Your Investing Radar?

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 $14.72 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

Mid cap companies have market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion. They usually have higher growth prospects than large cap companies and are less volatile than small cap companies. Thus they have a nice balance of growth potential and stability.

Blend ETFs are aptly named, since they tend to hold a mix of growth and value stocks, as well as show characteristics of both kinds of equities.

Costs

Investors should also pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio. Lower cost products will produce better results than those with a higher cost, assuming all other metrics remain the same.

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 1.26%.

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 21.1% of the portfolio. Information Technology and Healthcare round out the top three.

Looking at individual holdings, Sandisk (SNDK) accounts for about 3.45% of total assets, followed by Coherent (COHR) and Lumentum Holdings (LITE).

The top 10 holdings account for about 11.34% 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 return is roughly 17.6% so far this year and is up roughly 20.87% in the last one year (as of 09/02/2026). In the past 52-week period, it has traded between $28.27 and $36.87.

The ETF has a beta of 1.04 and standard deviation of 17.72% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 496 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 sufficient 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 Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF (VO) and the iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF (IJH) track a similar index. While Vanguard Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF has $107.06 billion in assets, iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF has $123.59 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.

Boost Your Portfolio with Our Top ETF Insights

Zacks' exclusive Fund Newsletter delivers actionable information, top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, straight to your inbox every week.

Don’t miss out on this valuable resource. It’s free!

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research