Defender Capital LLC. Takes $738,000 Position in iShares Russell 2000 ETF $IWM

Defender Capital LLC. bought a new position in iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSEARCA:IWM) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,000 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock, valued at approximately $738,000. iShares Russell 2000 ETF makes up about 0.2% of Defender Capital LLC.’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 87,732 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $19,385,000 after acquiring an additional 2,221 shares during the period. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 13.2% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 12,233 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $2,703,000 after acquiring an additional 1,431 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 16.3% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 9,300 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $1,855,000 after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares in the last quarter. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 416.6% in the 2nd quarter. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 22,515 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $4,859,000 after purchasing an additional 18,157 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 34.4% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 25,000 shares of the exchange traded fund’s stock valued at $5,395,000 after purchasing an additional 6,400 shares in the last quarter.

iShares Russell 2000 ETF Stock Performance

IWM opened at $251.82 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $71.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.69 and a beta of 1.13. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $259.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $250.74. iShares Russell 2000 ETF has a twelve month low of $171.73 and a twelve month high of $271.60.

Key Headlines Impacting iShares Russell 2000 ETF

Here are the key news stories impacting iShares Russell 2000 ETF this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Small-cap outperformance and sector rotation: Small caps have been beating large caps year-to-date as investors rotate away from mega-cap tech into more domestically focused small companies, supporting demand for IWM. Small Caps Are Beating Large Caps in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/coverage tailwind: Zacks highlights IWM as a straightforward way to get broad Small Cap Blend exposure, which can attract inflows from investors rotating into small caps. Should iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) Be on Your Investing Radar?
• Positive Sentiment: Relative product merits vs. large-cap ETFs: A comparison piece notes IWM’s higher yield and stronger 1-year total return versus a mega-cap-focused ETF (MGK), which may persuade income- or short-term-performance-seeking investors to favor IWM. Go Big or Go Small? IWM Targets Small-Cap Stocks; MGK Owns Big Tech Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: ETF primer / background: Recent guides explain IWM’s structure and sector weightings (healthcare, industrials, financials), useful for new buyers but not an immediate catalyst. IWM ETF: A guide to the iShares Russell 2000 ETF, US small caps
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical context: IWM sits below its 50‑day moving average (~$259.6) but roughly around the 200‑day (~$250.7), suggesting mixed technicals that could limit or amplify short-term moves.
• Negative Sentiment: Spike in short interest: Short interest jumped ~26.9% in March to ~101.4M shares (days-to-cover ~1.8); heavy short positioning is a bearish signal and raises the risk of volatile moves if market sentiment shifts or a squeeze occurs.
• Negative Sentiment: Broader volatility and risk-off headlines: Renewed geopolitical uncertainty and a tech-led pullback have pushed futures and the VIX higher, which can pressure equities and hit small caps harder in a risk-off swing. Fear Is Back: Why the S&P 500’s Biggest Rally in Weeks Just Got Erased Overnight

iShares Russell 2000 ETF Company Profile

iShares Russell 2000 ETF (the Fund) is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 2000 Index (the Index). The Index is a float-adjusted capitalization weighted index that measures the performance of the small-capitalization sector of the United States equity market and includes securities issued by the approximately 2,000 smallest issuers in the Russell 3000 Index. The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index.