Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
IJR vs QUAL: how they differ
IJR and QUAL hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and IJR returned more over the year.
iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF and iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, IJR and QUAL hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in IJR | Only in QUAL |
|---|---|
| FORMFACTOR INC 0.69% | NVIDIA CORPORATION 6.52% |
| VIASAT INC 0.68% | APPLE INC. 6.28% |
| MOLINA HEALTHCARE INC 0.66% | MICROSOFT CORPORATION 5.05% |
| ARGAN INC 0.62% | META PLATFORMS, INC. 3.50% |
| BRIGHTSPRING HEALTH SERVICES INC 0.61% | LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION 3.23% |
| ELEMENT SOLUTIONS INC 0.61% | THE TJX COMPANIES, INC. 3.19% |
| MAXLINEAR INC 0.60% | VISA INC. 3.09% |
| KRYSTAL BIOTECH INC 0.54% | 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.
| IJR iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | QUAL iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | iShares |
| What it is | S&P SmallCap 600 | MSCI USA Quality Factor |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.9% | +16.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +2.4 pts | −1.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.06% | 0.15% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 0.0% | 98.9% |
| Holdings | 603 | 121 |
IJR in plain words
IJR is an index equity fund tracking the S&P SmallCap 600. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +19.9% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 603 positions, with the top ten at 6.0%. It sat 5.5% below its high of Aug 14, 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, IJR or QUAL?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IJR returned +19.9% and QUAL returned +16.0%, so IJR returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, IJR or QUAL?
- IJR charges 0.06% a year and QUAL charges 0.15%, so IJR is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do IJR and QUAL overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 0% of IJR and 99% of QUAL 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.
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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, IJR against QUAL, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/IJR-QUAL Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources