IWN vs IJJ: How Two iShares Value ETFs Differ on Size, Cost and Yield

A direct comparison shows investors must choose between broader small-cap exposure with higher fees or tighter mid-cap exposure with lower costs to shape portfolio risk and income.

Overview

IWN tracks small-cap value stocks and holds about 1,415 names with top positions such as Viasat, Cytokinetics and UMB Financial.
IJJ targets mid-cap value stocks and holds about 299 names with top positions such as U.S. Foods, TD Synnex and Reliance Steel & Aluminum.
The two funds charge different fees with IJJ at a 0.18% expense ratio and IWN at 0.24%, which affects long-term cost for investors.
Trailing-12-month distributions differ modestly with IWN paying $3.19 (about a 1.4% yield) and IJJ paying $2.34 (about a 1.6% yield), so income profiles are similar but not identical.
Investors should weigh trade-offs: IWN’s broader small-cap mix brings more diversification but higher volatility and potential liquidity costs, while IJJ offers lower fees and fewer holdings that concentrate sector and single-stock risk; recent market moves have shown small-cap and concentrated strategies can outperform short term but with bigger swings.