What happened
According to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing dated January 22, 2026, Lee Financial Co. initiated a new stake in iShares Trust - iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF (IJT 0.27%), acquiring 55,677 shares. The estimated value of this trade, calculated using the average share price over the quarter, was $7.86 million.The quarter-end value of the position also stood at $7.86 million, capturing both the trade and subsequent price movement.
What else to know
This was a new position for Lee Financial Co, representing 1.06% of its $741.18 million in reportable U.S. equity assets as of December 31, 2025.
Top holdings after the filing include:
- NYSEMKT: IVV: $187.02 million (25.2% of AUM)
- NYSEMKT: IJH: $92.10 million (12.4% of AUM)
- NYSEMKT: FNDX: $63.24 million (8.5% of AUM)
- NYSEMKT: IVW: $44.54 million (6.0% of AUM)
- UNK: BRK-B: $37.94 million (5.1% of AUM)
As of January 21, 2026, shares of IJT were priced at $152.27.
IJT delivered an 8.2% total return over the past year and underperformed the S&P 500 by 5.5 percentage points over the same period
ETF overview
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| AUM | $6.29 billion |
| Price (as of market close 1/21/26) | $152.27 |
| Dividend yield | 0.8% |
| 1-year total return | 8.18% |
ETF snapshot
- The ETF’s investment strategy seeks to track the S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth Index, focusing on U.S. small-cap growth equities.
- The portfolio is primarily composed of small-cap U.S. stocks exhibiting growth characteristics, with at least 80% of assets invested in index constituents and the remainder in cash equivalents and derivatives.
- The fund is structured as an ETF with a passively managed approach targeting institutional and retail investors seeking small-cap growth exposure.
The iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF provides targeted exposure to the small-cap growth segment of the U.S. equity market through a rules-based, index-tracking approach. The fund's scale, with a market capitalization exceeding $6 billion, enables efficient access to a diversified basket of growth-oriented small-cap stocks. Its transparent structure and disciplined methodology offer investors a cost-effective vehicle for capturing small-cap growth trends while maintaining liquidity and diversification.
What this transaction means for investors
This transaction by wealth management company Lee Financial Co. is noteworthy because it is initiating a new position in the iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF (IJT), suggesting it sees opportunity in the fund. The buy was large enough to catapult IJT into Lee Financial’s top 15 holdings out of 142 at the end of 2025.
IJT is a well-established ETF that provides investors with exposure to small-cap companies displaying strong growth characteristics. With its large $6.3 billion in assets under management, the fund offers excellent liquidity.
IJT also includes a modest dividend, which helps offset the expense ratio of 0.18%, which is not cheap for a passively-managed ETF, but isn’t excessive either.
Because the iShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF focuses on smaller growth-oriented companies, it has some volatility as illustrated by its beta of 1.2, in exchange for the potential for greater gains over time. Consequently, investors can view this fund as a complement to a broader portfolio.
