SUSL ETF: What Is It? — A Complete Guide to Returns, Expense Ratio, Holdings, and Alternative ETFs
A low-cost ESG ETF that concentrates on U.S. large-cap companies with strong ESG performance, pursuing social responsibility and financial returns simultaneously.
What Is This ETF?
It tracks the MSCI USA Extended ESG Leaders Index, selecting companies with superior ESG ratings within each sector and holding them up to a majority weighting by market capitalization. The strategy maintains exposure to mainstream industries while excluding business segments that are socially controversial.
It is well suited for value-oriented investors who want to pursue overall U.S. market performance while emphasizing social responsibility and sustainability in their investment portfolio.
This passive (index-tracking) ETF was launched by iShares in 2019.
How Does It Invest?
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Tracking Index | MSCI USA Extended ESG Leaders Index |
| Management Style | Passive (Index Tracking) |
| Rebalancing Frequency | Quarterly |
| Dividend Schedule | Quarterly Dividends |
| Total Expense Ratio | 0.10% |
Using MSCI's sophisticated ESG evaluation model, the fund excludes controversial industries such as tobacco, weapons, and fossil fuels. It then selects the top-rated ESG leaders among the remaining companies while maintaining sector weights similar to the broader market index to minimize tracking error.
- A portfolio concentrated on the best-in-class ESG leaders within each sector
- One of the lowest expense ratios within the same theme
Size and Cost
Assets under management (AUM) stand at $1.2B, with a total expense ratio of 0.10% per year.
It applies a more rigorous selection standard than the basic ESG-filtered ESGU, using a "Leaders" strategy with a distinctly higher degree of social-value integration.
� Performance and Flows
As major innovators such as big tech maintain strong ESG ratings, the fund is moving in line with the broader market's upward trend, and its profile is rising as companies strengthen their sustainability-related disclosures.
Institutional investors' reinforcement of ESG investment principles combined with individual investors' value-driven consumption preferences is driving steady inflows, and its merit as a long-term risk management tool is gaining attention.
Strengths and Weaknesses
It is an efficient core holding that can manage long-term risk by investing in proven ESG leaders, but performance deviations can occur due to the exclusion of certain sectors.
💪 Key Strengths
⚠️ Points to Watch
Alternative ETFs and Related Products
While ESGU, shown in the table, aims for broad ESG integration, SUSL concentrates on a more selective group of leaders. Similar products such as SUSA or ESGV are also worth considering, and if you prefer a wider screening universe, DSI or SNPE can be strong alternatives as well.
Investor Checklist
SUSL employs a specialized strategy that concentrates on companies with superior ESG ratings, so before making an investment decision, please carefully review the following key checklist items to verify the rigor of its selection criteria and the possibility of performance differences.
| Checkpoint | What to Verify | Current Status |
|---|---|---|
| 📊 ESG Ratings | Sustainability scores and ratings of holdings | Excellent |
| 💸 Expense Ratio | Cost competitiveness versus similar-themed ETFs | Top-tier |
| 🚫 Sector Exclusions | Confirmation of exclusions in sectors such as energy and weapons | In effect |
| 📈 Index Tracking | Performance correlation with broad U.S. market indices | High |
The ESG Leaders strategy can deliver returns that differ from a general index in environments where specific industries lead the market. Investors should carefully assess whether their personal values align with their financial objectives.
It is one of the strongest choices for investors who value social considerations alongside financial performance. With a low fee, it offers an efficient core ETF that simultaneously provides exposure to leading U.S. blue-chip companies and ESG leadership.
Strengths and Weaknesses
It is an efficient core holding that can manage long-term risk by investing in proven ESG leaders, but performance deviations can occur due to the exclusion of certain sectors.
💪 Key Strengths
⚠️ Points to Watch
Alternative ETFs and Related Products
While ESGU, shown in the table, aims for broad ESG integration, SUSL concentrates on a more selective group of leaders. Similar products such as SUSA or ESGV are also worth considering, and if you prefer a wider screening universe, DSI or SNPE can be strong alternatives as well.
| Ticker | Name | Price | Change | AUM | Total Expense Ratio | Dividend Yield | 1Y |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iShares Trust iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF | $165.22 | -1.9% | $18.2B | 0.15% | 0.94% | +10.9% | |
| Vanguard ESG U.S. Stock ETF | $132.73 | -2.1% | $13.3B | 0.09% | 0.9% | +9.8% | |
| iShares ESG MSCI KLD 400 ETF | $142.93 | -2.1% | $5.5B | 0.25% | 0.89% | +10.2% | |
| iShares ESG Optimized MSCI USA ETF | $155.03 | -1.9% | $4.1B | 0.25% | 0.84% | +11.5% | |
| Xtrackers MSCI USA Climate Action Equity ETF | $44.81 | -1.8% | $3.5B | 0.07% | 1.06% | +6.8% |
| Ticker | Name | Weight | Price | Change | Market Cap | P/E | Dividend Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVDA | NVIDIA Corp | 0.43% | $204.64 | -4.2% | $4.93T | 25.9 | 0.38% |
| MSFT | Microsoft Corp | 0.28% | $521.91 | -1.6% | $3.88T | 27.3 | 0.74% |
| GOOG | Alphabet Inc | 0.12% | $278.22 | -1.4% | $3.41T | 14.5 | 0.31% |
| GOOGL | Alphabet Inc | 0.11% | $279.84 | -1.4% | $3.41T | 14.6 | 0.31% |
Investor Checklist
SUSL employs a specialized strategy that concentrates on companies with superior ESG ratings, so before making an investment decision, please carefully review the following key checklist items to verify the rigor of its selection criteria and the possibility of performance differences.
| Checkpoint | What to Verify | Current Status |
|---|---|---|
| 📊 ESG Ratings | Sustainability scores and ratings of holdings | Excellent |
| 💸 Expense Ratio | Cost competitiveness versus similar-themed ETFs | Top-tier |
| 🚫 Sector Exclusions | Confirmation of exclusions in sectors such as energy and weapons | In effect |
| 📈 Index Tracking | Performance correlation with broad U.S. market indices | High |
The ESG Leaders strategy can deliver returns that differ from a general index in environments where specific industries lead the market. Investors should carefully assess whether their personal values align with their financial objectives.
It is one of the strongest choices for investors who value social considerations alongside financial performance. With a low fee, it offers an efficient core ETF that simultaneously provides exposure to leading U.S. blue-chip companies and ESG leadership.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. All investment responsibility lies with the investor.