February 07, 2025
Don’t Overlook the Middle
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CI ETF Pulse
While the spotlight has once again shifted to large-cap equities as rates have come down, far less attention has been paid to mid-caps. Lower rates should also bode well for smaller cap companies which tend to be more sensitive to interest rates than large-cap companies. Mid-cap stocks represent the life cycle stage of firms that have successfully navigated the challenges faced by small-cap companies but still offer the potential for higher growth compared to many established large-cap companies. For example, companies such as Apple and Starbucks were within the mid-cap segment over 20 years ago. U.S. mid-caps currently provide investors with a combination of enhanced return potential, better financial stability compared to small-caps, and attractive valuations.
Below are several reasons why investors should consider the CI U.S. MidCap Dividend Index ETF (UMI.B)1:
1. Potential for enhanced returns
Mid-cap stocks have delivered higher returns relative to large- and small-cap stocks over the long term, and this outperformance has been observed across core, growth, and value exposures. As the table below shows, mid-caps have outperformed across styles, with average excess returns of 1.30% since 1997. In addition, this outperformance has been shown to be persistent. When looking at a rolling 12-month period, mid-caps have outperformed in the majority of periods relative to large- and small-caps across styles while also delivering better excess returns on average.
ETF winners | Return (%) | Mid-cap Excess |
---|---|---|
S&P 500 | 9.64 | 1.43 |
S&P MidCap 400 | 11.07 | – |
S&P SmallCap 600 | 10.08 | 0.99 |
S&P 500 Growth | 10.41 | 0.73 |
S&P MidCap 400 Growth | 11.14 | – |
S&P SmallCap 600 Growth | 9.96 | 1.18 |
S&P 500 Value | 8.36 | 2.45 |
S&P MidCap 400 Value | 10.81 | – |
S&P SmallCap 600 Value | 9.81 | 1.00 |
Average Excess | – | 1.30 |
Source: Morningstar Direct, as of December 31, 2024. Return data from April 1997 to December 2024. Performance in USD.
Rolling 12-Month Excess Returns | Mid-Cap vs. Large-Cap | Mid-Cap vs. Small-Cap | Mid-Cap Growth vs. Large-Cap Growth | Mid-Cap Growth vs. Small-Cap Growth | Mid-Cap Value vs. Large-Cap Value | Mid-Cap Value vs. Small-Cap Value |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
% of Outperforming Periods | 53% | 54% | 50% | 50% | 57% | 57% |
Average Excess Return | 1.68 | 0.85 | 1.18 | 1.23 | 2.57 | 0.87 |
Average During Outperformance | 8.28 | 5.00 | 9.49 | 7.13 | 8.33 | 4.15 |
Source: Morningstar Direct, as of November 30, 2024. Return data from April 1997 to December 2024. Performance in USD.
2. Dividends matter
The CI U.S. MidCap Dividend Index ETF (UMI.B)1 is composed of dividend-paying U.S. mid-cap companies. Its constituents are dividend stream-weighted, whereby each company is weighted based on its pro rata cash dividend contribution to the aggregate dividends. Dividends provided protection amid the volatility experienced in 2022 for both small- and mid-cap U.S. equities. During the 2022 stock market drawdown, dividend payers outperformed non-dividend payers by 9.1% and 7.0% within small- (Russell 2000) and mid-caps (S&P MidCap 400), respectively, as dividend payers held up better in a higher rate environment which punished non-dividend paying stocks. A dividend approach may be a prudent strategy for investors looking to participate in the next mid/small-cap rally.
2022 ANNUAL RETURNS
Source: Morningstar Direct. Calculated based on a market-cap-weighted basket of stocks within the index as of December 31, 2022. Performance in USD.
3. Attractive valuations
From a valuation perspective, both U.S. small- and mid-caps have traded at discounts relative to the S&P 500; however, this discount gap has only widened since 2020. Meanwhile, the CI U.S. MidCap Dividend Index ETF (UMI.B) has exhibited an even greater discount relative to both the market-cap-weighted small- and mid-cap indexes, despite its outperformance of both over the last three-year trailing period. This gives investors an opportunity to own strong performing U.S. mid-cap stocks at an attractive price point.
FORWARD P/E RATIO
Source: Morningstar Direct, as of December 31, 2024.
Investors interested in allocating to a diversified basket of U.S. dividend-paying mid-caps should consider the CI U.S. MidCap Dividend Index ETF (UMI.B).
Fund | Ticker | Morningstar Rating | Mgmt Fee (%) | Return (%) | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3M | 6M | YTD | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | S.I. | ||||
CI U.S. MidCap Dividend Index ETF1 | UMI.B | ★★★★ | 0.35 | 6.2 | 15.4 | 23.3 | 23.3 | 11.5 | 10.4 | 10.5 |
Source: Morningstar Direct, as of December 31, 2024. Performance in CAD. Fund also available in CAD-Hedged series.
Inception date: September 19, 2017.
Reasons to invest
- Differentiated dividend approach to investing in U.S. mid-cap companies
- Potential to enhance portfolio performance by delivering strong returns
- Complement large-cap core strategies
- Fund Page (UMI.B, UMI)
- Sales Tool
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1Formerly CI WisdomTree U.S. MidCap Dividend Index ETF.
About the Author
Jaron Liu is a Director of ETF Strategy at CI GAM and is responsible for growing the ETF business by setting and executing the ETF sales strategy as well as supporting the ETF sales team. Prior to joining CI GAM, Jaron worked as an analyst within product management for one of the largest global asset managers where he focused on ETFs. Jaron graduated from the University of Waterloo with a degree in Honours Economics and is a CFA charter holder.
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CI U.S. MidCap Dividend Index ETF was rated against the following numbers of US Small/Mid Cap Equity funds over the following time periods: 225 funds in the last three years, 180 funds in the last five years, and N/A funds in the last ten years. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Morningstar Rating is for the ETF share class only; other classes may have different performance characteristics.
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