Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
IBB vs QUAL: how they differ
IBB and QUAL hold 1% of their weight in the same names, and IBB returned more over the year.
iShares Biotechnology ETF and iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, IBB and QUAL hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | IBB | QUAL |
|---|---|---|
| Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | 8.09% | 0.42% |
| United Therapeutics Corp. | 1.74% | 0.09% |
| Only in IBB | Only in QUAL |
|---|---|
| Amgen, Inc. 7.84% | NVIDIA CORPORATION 6.52% |
| Gilead Sciences, Inc. 6.85% | APPLE INC. 6.28% |
| Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 4.91% | MICROSOFT CORPORATION 5.05% |
| Argenx SE 3.76% | META PLATFORMS, INC. 3.50% |
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 3.12% | LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION 3.23% |
| Natera, Inc. 2.89% | THE TJX COMPANIES, INC. 3.19% |
| Revolution Medicines, Inc. 2.78% | VISA INC. 3.09% |
| Biogen, Inc. 2.47% | ELI LILLY AND COMPANY 2.92% |
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.
| IBB iShares Biotechnology ETF | QUAL iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | iShares |
| What it is | Biotechnology | MSCI USA Quality Factor |
| Total return, 1 year | +41.5% | +16.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +24.0 pts | −1.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.44% | 0.15% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 35.6% | 98.9% |
| Holdings | 248 | 121 |
IBB in plain words
IBB is an index equity fund tracking the Biotechnology. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +41.5% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.44% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 36% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 248 positions, with the top ten at 44.8%. It sat 6.5% below its high of Aug 19, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
QUAL in plain words
QUAL is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI USA Quality Factor. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +16.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 99% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 121 positions, with the top ten at 39.1%. It sat 3.1% below its high of Aug 13, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IBB or QUAL?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IBB returned +41.5% and QUAL returned +16.0%, so IBB returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, IBB or QUAL?
- IBB charges 0.44% a year and QUAL charges 0.15%, so QUAL is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do IBB and QUAL overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 36% of IBB and 99% of QUAL by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 1% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
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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.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, IBB against QUAL, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/IBB-QUAL Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources