Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
QUAL vs VPU: how they differ
QUAL and VPU hold 2% of their weight in the same names, and QUAL returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF and Vanguard Utilities Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, QUAL and VPU hold 2% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | QUAL | VPU |
|---|---|---|
| ATMOS ENERGY CORPORATION | 1.21% | 1.81% |
| Oklo Inc | 0.71% | 0.39% |
| Only in QUAL | Only in VPU |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA CORPORATION 6.52% | NextEra Energy Inc 11.84% |
| APPLE INC. 6.28% | Southern Co/The 6.70% |
| MICROSOFT CORPORATION 5.05% | Duke Energy Corp 6.31% |
| META PLATFORMS, INC. 3.50% | Constellation Energy Corp 5.86% |
| LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION 3.23% | American Electric Power Co Inc 4.47% |
| THE TJX COMPANIES, INC. 3.19% | Sempra 3.85% |
| VISA INC. 3.09% | Dominion Energy Inc 3.78% |
| ELI LILLY AND COMPANY 2.92% | Vistra Corp 3.59% |
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 May 31, 2026.
| QUAL iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF | VPU Vanguard Utilities Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | MSCI USA Quality Factor | Utilities |
| Total return, 1 year | +16.0% | +2.1% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −1.5 pts | −15.4 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.09% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 98.9% | 90.1% |
| Holdings | 121 | 66 |
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.
VPU in plain words
VPU is an index equity fund tracking the Utilities. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +2.1% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 66 positions, with the top ten at 52.7%. It sat 9.8% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QUAL or VPU?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QUAL returned +16.0% and VPU returned +2.1%, so QUAL returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, QUAL or VPU?
- QUAL charges 0.15% a year and VPU charges 0.09%, so VPU is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do QUAL and VPU overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 99% of QUAL and 90% of VPU by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 2% 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, QUAL against VPU, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/QUAL-VPU Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources