Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IHE vs IXJ: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IHE returned +41.9% to IXJ's +20.8%; 26% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $1.6bn for iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF and $4.5bn for iShares Global Healthcare ETF.
Pair scorecard
IHE costs 0.01 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 21.1 points; IXJ is 2.8 times larger.
| Measure | IHE | IXJ |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +41.9% | +20.8% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 3.9%, high on Aug 19, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Dow Jones U.S. Select Pharmaceuticals Index | S&P Global 1200 Health Care Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.37% | 0.38% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $1.6bn | $4.5bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 26% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 80.4% | 47.5% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
May 12, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,067 weekly returnsIHE returned more: +752.9% to +488.5%. IXJ swung less: 16.4% to 18.4%. IHE fell slightly less at its worst: −36.6% to −39.7%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IHE | IXJ | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +752.9% | +488.5% | IHE | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +11.0% | +9.0% | IHE | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +531.9% | +312.9% | IHE | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.4% | 16.4% | IXJ | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.8% | 11.8% | IXJ (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −36.6% | −39.7% | IHE (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.57 | 0.51 | IHE | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.81 | 0.71 | IHE | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.30 | 0.23 | IHE | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,067 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IHE and IXJ hold 26% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
26% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IHE and IXJ on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IHE and IXJ are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. IHE follows Dow Jones U.S. Select Pharmaceuticals Index and IXJ follows S&P Global 1200 Health Care Index.
- Holdings in common. 26% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 IHE returned +41.9% and IXJ +20.8% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 21.1 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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IHE
IHE tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +41.9% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.37% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 66% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 54 positions, with the top ten at 80.4%. It sat 3.9% below its high of Aug 19, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
IXJ
IXJ tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +20.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.38% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 71% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 110 positions, with the top ten at 47.5%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IHE or IXJ?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IHE returned +41.9% and IXJ +20.8%.
- Which is cheaper, IHE or IXJ?
- IHE is cheaper, by 0.01 percentage points a year. That is about $1 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, IHE against IXJ, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ihe-vs-ixj
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IHE against IXJ. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ihe-vs-ixj
[IHE against IXJ (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ihe-vs-ixj)
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