At a glance
XJR charges 0.12% a year, above the 0.11% average of the 8 funds most like it (the 5th cheapest of 9). It has $160.7M in assets, the 9th largest of that group; it paid 0.94% of its price in distributions over the past 12 months, quarterly. Over the past year it returned +15.1% with distributions reinvested (S&P 500: +11.5%), 6th of those 9 funds; over three years it returned +18.5% a year. At its worst it fell 25.3% in the 2022 bear market (S&P 500: 24.5%), and was back at its earlier high 22 months after the low. Its ten largest positions make up 6.6% of the fund, out of 541 in all.
The short version
iShares ESG Select Screened S&P Small-Cap ETF (XJR) is a BlackRock index fund that tracks the S&P SmallCap 600 Sustainability Screened Index. That index is the S&P SmallCap 600 with companies tied to tobacco, certain weapons, fossil fuels or serious controversies removed. It charges 0.12% a year, more than plain S&P 600 funds such as SPSM (0.03%) and IJR (0.06%). With $160.7 million in net assets as of June 30, 2026, it is the smallest fund in its peer group.
Price history
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XJR +15.1% over the year to Oct 27, 2026, total return with distributions reinvested.
How it has behaved
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | Since start | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XJR official prospectus, to Dec 31, 2025 | — | +4.60% | — | +6.66% | — | +12.13% |
| S And P Total Market Index index, same period | — | +17.05% | — | +13.07% | — | +15.64% |
| XJR price data to Oct 27, 2026 | +16.4% | +15.1% | +18.5% | +6.1% | — | +6.0% |
- Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, XJR returned +15.1%, 6th of 9 among similar funds.
- Its 5-year annualized return was +6.1%.
- Its worst full calendar year was 2022 (-17.3%); its best was 2023 (+16.4%).
- The deepest fall in its price history was 27.1% (Nov 25, 2024 to Apr 8, 2025), recovered by Jan 9, 2026.
Show as a table
| Year | Price data | Prospectus (official) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +16.4% | — |
| 2025 | +4.8% | +4.60% |
| 2024 | +9.6% | +9.61% |
| 2023 | +16.4% | +16.40% |
| 2022 | -17.3% | -17.44% |
| 2021 | — | +25.29% |
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Before this security existed |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Before this security existed |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Lost 23.2% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 25.3%, back to its old high 21.5 months after the low |
Dividends and income
Show as a table
| Year | Per share | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | $0.2810 | |
| 2025 | $0.4900 | -38.8% |
| 2024 | $0.8000 | +128.6% |
| 2023 | $0.3500 | -16.7% |
| 2022 | $0.4200 |
What's inside
As of Jun 30, 2026, the fund held 541 securities; the ten largest made up 6.56% of assets. It also reported 6.79% in a money-market fund, most likely cash collateral from lending out shares rather than uninvested money.
| Holding | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| FORMFACTOR INC | 0.76% | |
| VIASAT INC | 0.74% | |
| MOLINA HEALTHCARE INC | 0.72% | |
| ARGAN INC | 0.68% | |
| BRIGHTSPRING HEALTH SERVICES INC | 0.67% | |
| ELEMENT SOLUTIONS INC | 0.66% | |
| MAXLINEAR INC | 0.65% | |
| KRYSTAL BIOTECH INC | 0.59% | |
| ESCO TECHNOLOGIES INC | 0.55% | |
| MATCH GROUP INC | 0.54% | |
| ALKERMES PLC | 0.53% | |
| STONEX GROUP INC | 0.51% | |
| CORCEPT THERAPEUTICS INC | 0.50% | |
| GLAUKOS CORP | 0.50% | |
| POWELL INDUSTRIES INC | 0.49% |
By country
United States 94.67%Bermuda 0.78%United Kingdom 0.72%Ireland 0.62%Puerto Rico 0.45%By asset type
Stocks 97.8%What changed recently
- Over the three months to Jun 30, 2026, investors added a net $12.6M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
- Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +11.06%, +1.40%, +7.81%.
How it works
The fund follows the S&P SmallCap 600 Sustainability Screened Index from S&P Dow Jones Indices. The index starts with the S&P SmallCap 600, a list of smaller US companies. It then removes companies with set levels of involvement in tobacco, controversial weapons, small arms, thermal coal, oil sands or shale energy, and any company that owns fossil-fuel reserves. It also drops companies that Sustainalytics judges to break the United Nations Global Compact, a set of principles on human rights, labor, the environment and corruption.
A separate screen tracks news and other sources for problems such as fraud, labor disputes or environmental disasters. An index committee can remove a company flagged this way, and that company can't come back for one full calendar year. The stocks that remain are weighted by float-adjusted market value, which means bigger companies count for more, based only on shares the public can trade. The index rebalances every quarter, in March, June, September and December.
BlackRock uses representative sampling. It holds a set of stocks built to match the index, not necessarily every stock in it, and generally keeps at least 90% of assets in index stocks. As of June 30, 2026, the fund held 541 stocks plus about 70 small derivative contracts worth 0.06% of assets. It may also lend out up to one-third of its assets to earn extra income.
What it really costs
- XJR charges 0.12% a year, versus an average of 0.11% for the similar funds below (5th of 9, cheapest first).
- Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $12 in the first year and $154 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).
| Cost of $10,000 (SEC example) | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XJR | $12 | $39 | $68 | $154 |
In a retirement portfolio
It offers screened exposure to small US companies, which swing more than the broad market, so it fits better as a smaller holding next to a core fund.
Small-company stocks add exposure that large-company index funds barely hold, but they come with bigger swings. XJR launched in September 2020, so it has no record from the 2008 crisis or the 2020 COVID crash. In the 2022 bear market it fell 25.3% and didn't regain its earlier peak until July 16, 2024, about 21.5 months after its low. Its deepest drop was 27.1%, from November 2024 to April 2025, and it recovered by January 2026. Its worst calendar year was 2022, at -17.44%. Anyone who had to sell shares during those stretches would have locked in losses.
Income is small: the trailing yield was 0.94% as of October 27, 2026, paid quarterly. In the SEC's standard example, $10,000 invested costs about $12 in the first year and $154 over 10 years. Past results don't predict the future, and a plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.
Who it may suit — and who should look elsewhere
May suit
- Investors who want US small-company stocks without tobacco, controversial weapons, fossil-fuel reserve owners or companies flagged for serious controversies.
- Long-term holders who can sit through small-cap swings like the 25.3% drop in 2022 and the 21.5-month wait for recovery.
- People who want wide diversification: 541 stocks, with the top 10 making up just 6.56% of assets as of June 30, 2026.
Look elsewhere if
- Cost-focused investors: plain S&P 600 funds such as SPSM (0.03%), IJR (0.06%) and VIOO (0.07%) charge less than XJR's 0.12%.
- Those who need meaningful income; the trailing yield was 0.94% as of October 27, 2026, paid quarterly.
- Investors who prefer large funds; XJR had $160.7 million in net assets as of June 30, 2026, compared with $111.3 billion for IJR.
Close alternatives
Matched by holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports.
| Fund | Overlap | Cost | Net assets | 1 yr | 3 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XJR this fund | — | 0.12% | $160.7M | +15.1% | +18.5% |
| SPSM SPDR Portfolio S&P 600 Small Cap ETF | 88% | 0.03% | $16.92B | +21.7% | +17.4% |
| IJR iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | 87% | 0.06% | $111.32B | +21.7% | +17.4% |
| QVMS Invesco S&P SmallCap 600 QVM Multi-factor E… | 82% | 0.15% | $248.2M | +17.1% | +18.9% |
| VIOO Vanguard S&P Small-Cap 600 ETF | 82% | 0.07% | $6.45B | +16.7% | +18.6% |
| IJT iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF | 63% | 0.18% | $8.22B | +14.4% | +17.7% |
| SLYG SPDR S&P 600 Small Cap Growth ETF | 63% | 0.15% | $5.20B | +14.6% | +17.7% |
| VIOG Vanguard S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF | 60% | 0.1% | $1.09B | +14.5% | +17.9% |
Questions investors ask
What's the difference between XJR and IJR?
Both are iShares funds built on the S&P SmallCap 600, and their holdings overlap by about 87%. IJR holds the full index for 0.06% a year. XJR removes companies tied to tobacco, weapons, fossil fuels and controversies, and it charges 0.12%. IJR is much larger, with $111.3 billion in net assets against XJR's $160.7 million as of June 30, 2026. Over one year, IJR returned 20.8% through October 30, 2026, while XJR returned 15.1% through October 27, 2026.
What index does XJR track and what does it exclude?
XJR tracks the S&P SmallCap 600 Sustainability Screened Index. The index starts with the S&P SmallCap 600 and removes companies involved in tobacco, controversial weapons, small arms, thermal coal, oil sands or shale energy, along with any company that owns fossil-fuel reserves. It also drops companies found to break the UN Global Compact principles, and an index committee can remove companies over serious controversies. As of June 30, 2026, the largest holdings were FormFactor, Viasat and Molina Healthcare, each under 1% of assets.
Does XJR pay dividends?
Yes. XJR pays dividends quarterly, but the amounts are small. Over the trailing 12 months it paid about $0.461 per share, a yield of 0.94% as of October 27, 2026. The fund owns smaller US companies, and many of them pay little or no dividend. That is why its yield is modest. Investors looking mainly for income may want to compare it with funds built for dividends.
How has XJR performed since it launched?
XJR has trailed the broad US market. As of December 31, 2025, its average annual return was 4.6% over one year, 6.66% over five years and 12.13% since its September 2020 launch. The S&P Total Market Index, which includes large companies, returned 17.05% and 13.07% over the same one- and five-year periods. Based on share prices, XJR returned 18.5% a year over the three years through October 27, 2026. Its worst calendar year was 2022, at -17.44%.
What is XJR's expense ratio?
XJR's expense ratio is 0.12% a year, according to its prospectus filed July 27, 2026, and it has no fee waiver. In the SEC's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $12 after one year, $39 after three years, $68 after five years and $154 after 10 years, assuming a 5% annual return. That is a little above the 0.11% average for similar funds. Unscreened S&P 600 funds like SPSM charge as little as 0.03%.