WSML ETF — iShares MSCI World Small-Cap ETF

iShares MSCI World Small-Cap ETF (WSML)

Updated October 16, 2026.

WSML is an ETF. its distribution rate is 1.72%, its trailing-12-month yield is 2.89%. Dividend Vision Distribution Safety Score™ is 50/100 (Unproven). Total return is 44.4% over the past 1.5 years, 0.2 points behind SPY at 44.6%.

iShares MSCI World Small-Cap ETF tracks small-cap equities across developed markets worldwide. The fund distributes dividends on a semi-annual basis with a modest current distribution rate. This ETF appeals to investors seeking broad international small-cap exposure with regular income distributions.

WSML performance versus SPY

Price and return data through 2026-10-16.

Total return is 44.4% over the past 1.5 years, 0.2 points behind SPY at 44.6%. Over the past year its total return — price change plus distributions reinvested — is 15.1%. Its deepest 1-year drawdown was 10.7%.

WSML key facts

Distribution Safety Score™

50 · Unproven

Issuer

iShares

Asset type

ETF

Asset class

Equity

Inception date

04/01/2025

Distribution rate

1.72%

Distribution frequency

Semi-Annual

Trailing yield

2.89%

Last close

$33.76 (as of 2026-10-16)

AUM

$657,301,884

Average volume

756.0

Dividend

$0.29

Ex-dividend date

06/15/2026

Payment date

06/18/2026

Beta

1.0322

Expense ratio unavailable in this published snapshot. Missing values do not mean zero or complete coverage. ?

How Dividend Vision calculates yield and returns

Distribution rate (1.72%) uses calculation basis unavailable. Issuer rates can use a different denominator and date, including ex-date NAV. Trailing-12-month yield (2.89%) is the sum of split-adjusted cash distributions with ex-dates in the last 12 months, divided by the published price. It lags a recent raise or cut. Total return uses split-adjusted close with distributions reinvested on the ex-dividend date (a modeling convention, not the cash-settlement date) from the first stored bar on or after inception through the latest bar, compared with the same window on the benchmark. That is the security's total return, not your personal gain/loss.

Yield and safety methodology · Distribution rate methodology · Distribution Safety Score methodology

Sources and review

Primary sources: iShares; prices and distributions from Dividend Vision, derived from vendor EOD data.

Reviewed by Bert Sweet, CEO and Co-owner of Dividend Vision. Methodology: Distribution Safety Score.

WSML risks and drawbacks

WSML's current distribution rate is moderate, not a high-yield payout — the strategy is dividend quality more than maximum income. Payments are semi-annual, so cash flow is lumpy versus a monthly fund. Total return has trailed SPY over the available window. The deepest 1-year drawdown on record here is 10.7%.

Who may consider WSML — and who may not

It is a weaker fit for investors who need monthly cash flow (WSML pays semi-annual); investors hunting double-digit covered-call yields; investors whose main goal is matching SPY total return. This is educational context, not a recommendation to buy or sell.

More on WSML

• All tickers starting with W

Tagged: Small Caps.

Frequently asked questions

More securities from iShares.