Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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FTXH vs VHT: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, FTXH returned +47.9% to VHT's +25.0%; 46% of their weight is in the same names.

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Net assets: $1.2bn on Oct 27, 2026 for First Trust Nasdaq Pharmaceuticals ETF, and $19.1bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Health Care ETF.

At a glance
+47.9%
FTXH total return, 1 year
+25.0%
VHT total return, 1 year
0.60%
FTXH expense ratio
0.09%
VHT expense ratio

Pair scorecard

VHT costs 0.51 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 22.9 points.

FTXH vs VHT: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureFTXHVHT
Return
Total return, 1 year+47.9%+25.0%
Benchmark
What it tracksNasdaq US Smart Pharmaceuticals IndexMSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Health Care 25/50
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.60%0.09%
Net assets, FTXH as of Oct 27, 2026 and VHT as of Sep 30, 2026$1.2bn$19.1bn
Holdings
Holdings in common46%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund54.8%51.8%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method

Risk and return

Sep 30, 2016 to Oct 23, 2026 · 525 weekly returns
FTXH VHT
Return
Total return edge VHT +145.2% +189.9%
Annualized edge VHT +9.3% +11.1%
Price return edge VHT +116.4% +150.2%
Risk
Volatility edge VHT (slight) 18.3% 17.3%
Max drawdown edge VHT −28.9% −25.6%
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge VHT 0.44 0.55
Sortino edge VHT 0.63 0.80
Calmar edge VHT 0.32 0.43
Reading

VHT returned more: +189.9% to +145.2%. VHT swung slightly less: 17.3% to 18.3%. VHT fell less at its worst: −25.6% to −28.9%.

Full scorecard

9 measures, with how each is measured
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Risk and return: FTXH vs VHT: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureFTXHVHTEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+145.2%+189.9%VHTPrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+9.3%+11.1%VHTTotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return+116.4%+150.2%VHTPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility18.3%17.3%VHT (slight)Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation12.8%12.0%VHT (slight)Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−28.9%−25.6%VHTDeepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.440.55VHTReturn above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino0.630.80VHTReturn above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Calmar0.320.43VHTAnnualized return divided by the max drawdown.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 525 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

46%

By the books each fund has filed, FTXH and VHT hold 46% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.

0 half 100%

half

46% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first FTXH VHT
Eli Lilly and Company 7.62% 12.95%
Johnson & Johnson 6.95% 8.79%
AbbVie Inc. 7.68% 6.46%
Merck & Co., Inc. 6.60% 5.02%
Amgen Inc. 3.58% 3.18%
Gilead Sciences, Inc. 3.74% 2.59%
Pfizer Inc. 7.20% 2.27%
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated 3.29% 1.85%
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company 3.17% 1.78%
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 3.51% 1.09%
Moderna, Inc. 0.71% 0.91%
Illumina, Inc. 2.22% 0.56%
Only in one fund ↓
Only in FTXH
Caris Life Sciences, Inc. 0.63%
Only in VHT
UnitedHealth Group Inc 4.66%
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc 3.51%
Abbott Laboratories 2.41%
Intuitive Surgical Inc 2.01%
Danaher Corp 1.97%
Medtronic PLC 1.54%
CVS Health Corp 1.53%
McKesson Corp 1.40%
Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

FTXH First Trust Nasdaq Pharmaceuticals ETF VHT Vanguard Health Care ETF
Where it sits Stock ETF Stock ETF
What it is Tracks an index Tracks an index of Health Care
Total return, 1 year +47.9% +25.0%
Its benchmark over the same days not measured +25.4% (FHLC)
Gap to its benchmark not measured −0.4 pts vs FHLC
Expense ratio 0.60% 0.09%
Already in the S&P 500 68.0% 85.5%
Holdings 50 414
Net assets, FTXH as of Oct 27, 2026 and VHT as of Sep 30, 2026 $1.2bn $19.1bn

FTXH and VHT on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-897469E6F9

FTXH and VHT are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?

  1. What each follows. FTXH follows Nasdaq US Smart Pharmaceuticals Index and VHT follows MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Health Care 25/50.
  2. Holdings in common. 46% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
  3. One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 FTXH returned +47.9% and VHT +25.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 22.9 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund
FTXH

FTXH tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +47.9% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.60% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 68% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 50 positions, with the top ten at 54.8%.

VHT

VHT tracks an index of Health Care. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +25.0% with distributions reinvested, against +25.4% for its benchmark, the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Health Care 25/50. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 86% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 414 positions, with the top ten at 51.8%.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, FTXH or VHT?
In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, FTXH returned +47.9% and VHT +25.0%.
Which is cheaper, FTXH or VHT?
VHT is cheaper, by 0.51 percentage points a year. That is about $51 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do FTXH and VHT overlap with the S&P 500?
By their latest filed holdings, 68% of FTXH and 86% of VHT by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.
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ETFIQ, FTXH against VHT, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ftxh-vs-vht

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