Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
APUE vs QUAL: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, APUE returned +15.9% to QUAL's +17.8%; 41% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $2.5bn on Aug 31, 2026 for ActivePassive U.S. Equity ETF, and $49.1bn on Nov 4, 2026 for iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.
Pair scorecard
QUAL costs 0.16 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.9 points.
| Measure | APUE | QUAL |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +15.9% | +17.8% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.31% | 0.15% |
| Net assets, APUE as of Aug 31, 2026 and QUAL as of Nov 4, 2026 | $2.5bn | $49.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 41% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 37.3% | 44.5% |
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, APUE and QUAL hold 41% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Nov 3, 2026.
half
41% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
APUE and QUAL on the fields both publish, as of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
Client brief:
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APUE
APUE is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Nov 4, 2026 it returned +15.9% with distributions reinvested, against +14.9% for its benchmark, the CRSP US Total Market Total Return Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.31% a year. By its holdings filed for Aug 31, 2026, 88% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 449 positions, with the top ten at 37.3%.
QUAL
QUAL tracks the MSCI USA Quality Factor. Over the year to Nov 4, 2026 it returned +17.8% with distributions reinvested, against +14.5% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Nov 3, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 119 positions, with the top ten at 44.5%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, APUE or QUAL?
- In the year to Nov 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, APUE returned +15.9% and QUAL +17.8%.
- Which is cheaper, APUE or QUAL?
- QUAL is cheaper, by 0.16 percentage points a year. That is about $16 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, APUE against QUAL, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/apue-vs-qual
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). APUE against QUAL. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/apue-vs-qual
[APUE against QUAL (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/apue-vs-qual)
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