Which returned more over the last year, AIRR or VYM?

In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AIRR returned +15.0% and VYM returned +17.6%, so VYM returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, AIRR or VYM?

AIRR charges 0.69% a year and VYM charges 0.04%, so VYM is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

How much do AIRR and VYM overlap with the S&P 500?

By their latest filed holdings, 6% of AIRR and 92% of VYM by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 0% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.

Are AIRR and VYM the same kind of fund?

No. AIRR is a thematic ETF and VYM is an index ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

AIRR vs VYM: how they differ

Over the year VYM returned more, +17.6% against +15.0%, and VYM charges 0.04% against 0.69%.

First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF and Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Fund.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, AIRR and VYM hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Positions AIRR and VYM both hold, largest shared weight first
Holding	AIRR	VYM
CH ROBINSON WORLDWIDE INC	4.08%	0.09%
HUNTINGTON INGALLS INDUSTRIES INC	2.45%	0.06%
OWENS CORNING	3.90%	0.04%
RYDER SYSTEM INC	1.31%	0.04%
WINTRUST FINANCIAL CORP	1.30%	0.04%
OSHKOSH CORP	1.60%	0.04%
OLD NATIONAL BANCORP	1.41%	0.04%
F.N.B. CORP (PENNSYLVANIA)	2.44%	0.03%
LANDSTAR SYSTEM INC	1.40%	0.03%
ASSOCIATED BANC-CORP	1.29%	0.02%
MSC INDUSTRIAL DIRECT CO INC	1.30%	0.02%
FULTON FINANCIAL CORP	0.89%	0.02%

Largest positions each one holds and the other does not
Only in AIRR	Only in VYM
STERLING INFRASTRUCTURE INC 6.00%	Broadcom Inc 8.07%
ARGAN INC 4.73%	JPMorgan Chase & Co 3.36%
COMFORT SYSTEMS USA INC 4.42%	Exxon Mobil Corp 2.73%
MASTEC INC 4.18%	Johnson & Johnson 2.31%
DYCOM INDUSTRIES INC 3.76%	Caterpillar Inc 1.73%
EMCOR GROUP INC 3.75%	AbbVie Inc 1.57%
SAIA INC 3.54%	Cisco Systems Inc 1.52%
BWX TECHNOLOGIES INC 2.97%	Chevron Corp 1.51%

Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026.

AIRR and VYM on the fields both publish, as of Sep 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	AIRR First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF	VYM Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Fund
Where it sits	Thematic ETF	Core index fund
Issuer	First Trust	Vanguard
What it is	Reshoring and manufacturing	US high dividend
Total return, 1 year	+15.0%	+17.6%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	−2.5 pts	+0.1 pts
Expense ratio	0.69%	0.04%
Already in the S&P 500	5.5%	92.2%
Holdings	58	608

AIRR in plain words

By weight, 6% of AIRR's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 100%. The top ten holdings are 30% of the fund across 58 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 10, 2026. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 the fund returned +15.0% with distributions reinvested against +17.5% for the S&P 500, so a holder was behind by 2.5 pts. It sits 19.5% below its all-time high of Jun 22, 2026.

VYM in plain words

VYM is an index equity fund tracking the US high dividend. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +17.6% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 92% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 608 positions, with the top ten at 25.7%.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, AIRR or VYM?: In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, AIRR returned +15.0% and VYM returned +17.6%, so VYM returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, AIRR or VYM?: AIRR charges 0.69% a year and VYM charges 0.04%, so VYM is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do AIRR and VYM overlap with the S&P 500?: By their latest filed holdings, 6% of AIRR and 92% of VYM by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 0% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Are AIRR and VYM the same kind of fund?: No. AIRR is a thematic ETF and VYM is an index ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.

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Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

AIRR against VYM, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 12, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, AIRR against VYM, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/AIRR-VYM Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources