Small cap stocks have been left in the dust by this year’s megacap tech rally, but at least one ETF of smaller companies is holding its own. Bank of America ETF strategist Jared Woodard said in a note to clients Tuesday that there is one small cap ETF in particular that “cuts out the junk” and is outperforming its benchmark. “Investors can diversify into smaller stocks without owning the struggling firms. The Pacer US Small Cap Cash Cows 100 ETF (CALF) owns companies with high free cash flow, a key measure of quality,” Woodard said. The CALF ETF works by identifying the 100 stocks in the S & P Small Cap 600 index with the highest free cash flow yield. It’s a small cap version of the popular Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF (COWZ) . The small-cap fund’s top holdings include American Eagle Outfitters and Encore Wire Corp . The strategy of focusing on cash flow has worked dramatically well this year. CALF has a total return of 11.4% year to date, even though it has stumbled since its recent highs in August. Meanwhile, the iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) has dropped 4%, and the Vanguard S & P Small-Cap 600 ETF (VIOO) is down by 5%. CALF, which has $3.9 billion in assets under management, has outperformed even with a relatively high 0.59% management fee. CALF YTD mountain The CALF ETF has outperformed larger small cap funds this year. The Bank of America note that highlighted CALF was aimed at looking for ETFs that could help investors put money to work without gaining more exposure to large cap tech stocks like Nvidia that have come to dominate the S & P 500. “Many stock portfolios are skewed > 60% to growth stocks. ETFs like these can diversify,” Woodard said. — CNBC’s Michael Bloom contributed reporting.
