QUAL — iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF
US Quality / Factor Ranked #63 of 458 tracked ETFs · Issued by iShares
QUAL Price Performance — Growth of $10,000
Value of a $10,000 investment in QUAL 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.
QUAL Drawdown
The "underwater" chart: QUAL'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 QUAL?
See what a lump sum in QUAL 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 MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL) is a US Quality / Factor fund issued by iShares, managing $47.7 billion in assets. It holds an ETFValuer grade of B, reflecting a score of 74.8 out of 100, and ranks 5th among 16 peers in its category. The fund’s expense ratio of 0.15% aligns with the category median, while its dividend yield of 0.84% trails the peer average of 1.23%. Concentration is notable, with the top 10 holdings comprising 43.2% of assets, led by Microsoft Corporation at 7.2%.
QUAL is priced at $225.90, sitting at 96.6% of its 52-week range, indicating it is near the upper end of its recent trading band. Short-term momentum is evident, with one-month returns of +2.53% and three-month gains of +3.61%. However, the one-year return of +15.83% lags behind the category median of +17.20%, suggesting relative underperformance over the past year. The fund’s grade has remained unchanged at B over the last 35 tracked days, and price history is available for 3.0 years.
With a beta of 0.89, the fund exhibits lower sensitivity to market movements compared to the broader market. Annualized volatility is recorded at 12.25%, which is labeled as Low, contributing to a Sharpe ratio of 0.88. The maximum drawdown of -18.00% illustrates the peak-to-trough decline experienced during the measured period. Liquidity is supported by an average daily volume of 982,415 shares, facilitating standard trading activity.
AI-generated summary based on the data on this page.
QUAL Top Holdings
| # | Holding | % of Net Assets | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MICROSOFT CORPORATION | 7.16% | $3.33B |
| 2 | APPLE INC. | 6.64% | $3.09B |
| 3 | NVIDIA CORPORATION | 5.85% | $2.72B |
| 4 | THE TJX COMPANIES, INC. | 3.98% | $1.85B |
| 5 | META PLATFORMS, INC. | 3.69% | $1.72B |
| 6 | ELI LILLY AND COMPANY | 3.66% | $1.70B |
| 7 | LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION | 3.49% | $1.62B |
| 8 | VISA INC. | 3.17% | $1.47B |
| 9 | APPLIED MATERIALS, INC. | 3.10% | $1.44B |
| 10 | KLA CORPORATION | 2.47% | $1.15B |
Holdings as of 2026-07-31 per the fund's most recent SEC N-PORT-P filing. Top 10 holdings make up 43.2% 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 QUAL's holdings overlap with other ETFs you own or are considering, check the Stock Overlap tool.
Which Funds Overlap With QUAL
Holding two funds that own the same companies adds cost and complexity without adding much diversification. These tracked ETFs share the most names with QUAL's top 10 — ESGU overlaps most, holding 5 of the same companies as QUAL's top 10 (27.0% of QUAL's assets).
| ETF | Name | Shared Companies | QUAL Weight | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESGU | iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF | 5 | 27.0% | NVIDIA CORPORATION, APPLE INC., MICROSOFT CORPORATION… |
| IWF | iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF | 5 | 27.0% | NVIDIA CORPORATION, APPLE INC., MICROSOFT CORPORATION… |
| JEPQ | JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF | 5 | 26.8% | NVIDIA CORPORATION, APPLE INC., MICROSOFT CORPORATION… |
| LRGF | iShares U.S. Equity Factor ETF | 5 | 26.5% | APPLE INC., NVIDIA CORPORATION, MICROSOFT CORPORATION… |
| IYW | iShares U.S. Technology ETF | 5 | 26.4% | APPLE INC., NVIDIA CORPORATION, MICROSOFT CORPORATION… |
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: 5.27% (as of 2026-10-06) — 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): 15.01 (as of 2026-10-06) — 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: 3.75% (as of 2026-09-01) — The Federal Reserve’s target policy rate, which anchors short-term borrowing costs across the economy.
What QUAL's Fees Cost You
QUAL charges an expense ratio of 0.15% 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.
QUAL Dividend Income Estimator
QUAL currently yields 0.84%. 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.
QUAL Liquidity, Domicile & Tax Treatment
Liquidity: Average daily volume is 982K/day. Higher volume and a larger fund generally mean lower round-trip trading costs. AUM of $47.7B provides ample scale, supporting tight spreads and issuer commitment to keep the fund open.
Domicile & tax treatment: QUAL 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.
QUAL Performance History
| Period | Return |
|---|---|
| 1-Day | -0.25% |
| 1-Week | +1.65% |
| 1-Month | +2.53% |
| 3-Month | +3.61% |
| 6-Month | +13.96% |
| YTD | +14.10% |
| 1-Year | +15.83% |
| 3-Year | +71.80% |
How QUAL Compares to Other US Quality / Factor ETFs
| Rank | Grade | Ticker | Name | 1-Year | Exp. Ratio | AUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #9 | B+ |
VLUE | iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF | +61.04% | 0.15% | $9.37B |
| #21 | B+ |
DYNF | iShares U.S. Equity Factor Rotation Active ETF | +19.44% | 0.26% | $41.8B |
| #33 | B+ |
SPMO | Invesco S&P 500 Momentum ETF | +28.14% | 0.13% | $23.0B |
| #60 | B |
MTUM | iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF | +27.69% | 0.15% | $20.4B |
| #63 | B |
QUAL | iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF | +15.83% | 0.15% | $47.7B |
| #86 | B |
SPHQ | Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF | +16.41% | 0.15% | $18.6B |
| #118 | B |
EEMV | iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Min Vol Factor ETF | +19.06% | 0.25% | $3.58B |
| #120 | B |
LRGF | iShares U.S. Equity Factor ETF | +15.82% | 0.08% | $3.67B |
| #132 | B |
COWZ | Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF | +19.42% | 0.49% | $18.6B |
| #139 | B |
VFVA | Vanguard U.S. Value Factor ETF Shares | +20.49% | 0.13% | $897M |
| #152 | B |
EFAV | iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF | +9.94% | 0.2% | $5.28B |
| #168 | C |
USMV | iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF | +6.18% | 0.15% | $23.2B |
| #190 | C |
VFMO | Vanguard U.S. Momentum Factor ETF ETF Shares | +18.00% | 0.13% | $1.91B |
| #212 | C |
VFQY | Vanguard U.S. Quality Factor ETF Shares | +14.72% | 0.13% | $493M |
| #213 | C |
ACWV | iShares MSCI Global Min Vol Factor ETF | +5.61% | 0.2% | $3.28B |
| #285 | C |
SPLV | Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF | -0.04% | 0.25% | $6.92B |