ITA — iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF
Industrials Ranked #226 of 458 tracked ETFs · Issued by iShares
ITA Price Performance — Growth of $10,000
Value of a $10,000 investment in ITA over time, compared with SPY. Both lines are rebased to $10,000 on the first shared date. Based on total returns — prices are adjusted for dividends and splits, so this assumes distributions were reinvested. Hover or tap the chart for exact values.
ITA Drawdown
The "underwater" chart: ITA's decline from its highest prior value at each point in time. It shows how deep past losses ran and how long the fund took to recover to break-even.
What If You'd Invested in ITA?
See what a lump sum in ITA would have grown to, with the option to add a regular monthly contribution on top. Figures use total returns — dividends are assumed reinvested.
Past performance doesn't predict future results. Assumes contributions on the first trading day of each month, no trading costs or taxes, and reinvested distributions. History is limited to the range published in the site's daily return data.
Overview
The iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF is an Industrials category fund managed by iShares with $13.6 billion in assets under management. It holds a C grade, ranking second among nine peers in its category and 226th out of 458 tracked ETFs overall. The fund charges an expense ratio of 0.37%, which is slightly above the category median of 0.35%, while offering a dividend yield of 0.47% compared to the median 0.70%. Its portfolio is concentrated, with the top ten holdings accounting for 75.1% of assets and General Electric Company representing the largest single position at 22.6%.
The fund’s price sits at 46.6% of its 52-week range, reflecting a recent downgrade from a B to a C grade on August 24, 2026. Short-term performance shows weakness, with one-month and one-week returns of -10.86% and -2.11% respectively, contrasting with a positive year-to-date gain of 0.82%. Over longer horizons, the three-year return stands at 108.68%, though the one-year return of 13.39% trails the category median of 17.05%. This rating shift coincides with a price history window of only 3.0 years, limiting the depth of historical context available for analysis.
With a beta of 0.99, the ETF moves in near lockstep with the broader market, while its annualized volatility of 23.20% is classified as High. The Sharpe ratio of 0.36 suggests modest risk-adjusted returns relative to the volatility experienced, which is further evidenced by a maximum drawdown of -15.82%. Liquidity appears adequate for institutional trading, supported by an average daily volume of 663,680 shares and a tight bid-ask spread of 0.02%. These metrics collectively indicate a fund that tracks market movements closely but carries significant price fluctuation and moderate efficiency in generating excess return per unit of risk.
AI-generated summary based on the data on this page.
ITA Top Holdings
| # | Holding | % of Net Assets | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY | 22.61% | $3.27B |
| 2 | RTX CORPORATION | 14.82% | $2.14B |
| 3 | THE BOEING COMPANY | 8.90% | $1.29B |
| 4 | TRANSDIGM GROUP INCORPORATED | 4.59% | $662M |
| 5 | HOWMET AEROSPACE INC. | 4.50% | $650M |
| 6 | GENERAL DYNAMICS CORPORATION | 4.33% | $626M |
| 7 | LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION | 4.05% | $585M |
| 8 | Northrop Grumman Corporation | 3.92% | $566M |
| 9 | L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES, INC. | 3.80% | $548M |
| 10 | ROCKET LAB CORPORATION | 3.63% | $525M |
Holdings as of 2026-06-30 per the fund's most recent SEC N-PORT-P filing. Top 10 holdings make up 75.1% of net assets — a rough gauge of concentration risk (the higher this figure, the more the fund's return depends on a handful of names). To see how ITA's holdings overlap with other ETFs you own or are considering, check the Stock Overlap tool.
Which Funds Overlap With ITA
Holding two funds that own the same companies adds cost and complexity without adding much diversification. These tracked ETFs share the most names with ITA's top 10 — XLI overlaps most, holding 3 of the same companies as ITA's top 10 (46.3% of ITA's assets).
| ETF | Name | Shared Companies | ITA Weight | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XLI | State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF | 3 | 46.3% | GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, RTX CORPORATION, THE BOEING COMPANY |
| VIS | Vanguard Industrials Index Fund ETF Shares | 3 | 46.3% | GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, RTX CORPORATION, THE BOEING COMPANY |
| FIDU | Fidelity MSCI Industrials Index ETF | 3 | 46.3% | GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, RTX CORPORATION, THE BOEING COMPANY |
| IYJ | iShares U.S. Industrials ETF | 3 | 46.3% | GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, RTX CORPORATION, THE BOEING COMPANY |
| CGDV | Capital Group Dividend Value ETF | 1 | 22.6% | GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY |
Compares the top 10 reported holdings of each fund, so it's a floor on true overlap — two S&P 500 trackers overlap ~100% even when only 10 names are listed. Use the Stock Overlap tool to search by individual company.
Market Backdrop
10-Year Treasury Yield: 4.78% (as of 2026-09-04) — The yield on 10-year US Treasury bonds — the standard "risk-free rate" benchmark used to contextualize this fund’s Sharpe ratio and returns.
CBOE Volatility Index (VIX): 15.30 (as of 2026-09-07) — A real-time gauge of expected S&P 500 volatility over the next 30 days — useful context for this fund’s own volatility label.
Federal Funds Rate: 3.63% (as of 2026-08-01) — The Federal Reserve’s target policy rate, which anchors short-term borrowing costs across the economy.
What ITA's Fees Cost You
ITA charges an expense ratio of 0.37% a year, deducted automatically from the fund's value. Small percentages compound into real money — adjust the figures below to see the impact on your own numbers.
Assumes a constant gross return and no additional contributions — a simplification, but it isolates exactly what the expense ratio costs. Try the full fee calculator to model contributions and compare any two funds.
ITA Dividend Income Estimator
ITA currently yields 0.47%. Enter an amount to see the income that implies, or set a monthly income target to see the investment it would take.
Based on the fund's current trailing yield, which varies with price and distributions — treat it as an estimate, not a guarantee. Yields are not adjusted for tax.
ITA Liquidity, Domicile & Tax Treatment
Liquidity: Quoted bid/ask spread is 0.02% and average daily volume is 664K/day. Tighter spreads and higher volume mean lower round-trip trading costs; this is a live-market snapshot and can widen during volatile sessions. AUM of $13.6B provides ample scale, supporting tight spreads and issuer commitment to keep the fund open.
Domicile & tax treatment: ITA is a US-domiciled, SEC-registered ('40 Act) exchange-traded fund. Dividends and capital gains distributions are reported to US investors on Form 1099-DIV, and the fund is not subject to the PFIC reporting or UCITS-specific rules that apply to Irish- or Luxembourg-domiciled funds. Non-US investors should note that US-domiciled ETFs are generally subject to 30% US withholding tax on dividends (unless reduced by treaty) and to US estate tax exposure on the position — Irish-domiciled UCITS ETFs tracking the same index often avoid both, which is why non-US residents frequently prefer the UCITS equivalent where one exists. This is general information, not tax advice — consult a tax professional for your situation.
ITA Performance History
| Period | Return |
|---|---|
| 1-Day | -0.92% |
| 1-Week | -2.11% |
| 1-Month | -10.86% |
| 3-Month | -1.57% |
| 6-Month | -7.50% |
| YTD | +0.82% |
| 1-Year | +13.39% |
| 3-Year | +108.68% |
How ITA Compares to Other Industrials ETFs
| Rank | Grade | Ticker | Name | 1-Year | Exp. Ratio | AUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #172 | B |
XLI | State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF | +17.05% | 0.08% | $31.9B |
| #226 | C |
ITA | iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF | +13.39% | 0.37% | $13.6B |
| #228 | C |
VIS | Vanguard Industrials Index Fund ETF Shares | +16.78% | 0.09% | $8.56B |
| #252 | C |
FIDU | Fidelity MSCI Industrials Index ETF | +17.03% | 0.084% | $2.28B |
| #270 | C |
XAR | State Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF | +17.31% | 0.35% | $5.85B |
| #287 | C |
PAVE | Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF | +18.52% | 0.47% | $13.5B |
| #370 | C |
IYJ | iShares U.S. Industrials ETF | +10.94% | 0.37% | $1.93B |
| #374 | C |
IYT | iShares Transportation Average ETF | +19.17% | 0.37% | $2.20B |
| #399 | D |
XTN | State Street SPDR S&P Transportation ETF | +22.23% | 0.35% | $360M |