Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
MGK vs QUAL: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, MGK returned +7.8% to QUAL's +13.1%; 45% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $34.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Mega Cap Growth ETF, and $48.2bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.
Pair scorecard
MGK costs 0.10 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 5.3 points; QUAL is 1.4 times larger.
| Measure | MGK | QUAL |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +7.8% | +13.1% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.4%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Morningstar US Mega Cap Growth Index | MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.05% | 0.15% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $34.9bn | $47.7bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 45% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 64.5% | 44.5% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jul 26, 2013 to Oct 23, 2026 · 691 weekly returnsMGK returned more: +681.9% to +444.7%. QUAL swung less: 16.2% to 18.9%. QUAL fell less at its worst: −31.4% to −35.2%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | MGK | QUAL | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +681.9% | +444.7% | MGK | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +16.7% | +13.6% | MGK | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +594.1% | +346.8% | MGK | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.9% | 16.2% | QUAL | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.6% | 11.2% | QUAL | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −35.2% | −31.4% | QUAL | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.81 | 0.75 | MGK (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.22 | 1.09 | MGK | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.48 | 0.43 | MGK (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 691 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, MGK and QUAL hold 45% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
45% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
MGK and QUAL on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
MGK and QUAL do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. MGK follows Morningstar US Mega Cap Growth Index and QUAL follows MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index.
- Holdings in common. 45% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 MGK returned +7.8% and QUAL +13.1% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 5.3 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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MGK
MGK tracks an index of Mega Cap Growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +7.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 99% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 54 positions, with the top ten at 64.5%. It sat 4.4% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
QUAL
QUAL tracks the MSCI USA Quality Factor. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.1% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 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, MGK or QUAL?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, MGK returned +7.8% and QUAL +13.1%.
- Which is cheaper, MGK or QUAL?
- MGK is cheaper, by 0.10 percentage points a year. That is about $10 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, MGK against QUAL, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/mgk-vs-qual
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). MGK against QUAL. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/mgk-vs-qual
[MGK against QUAL (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/mgk-vs-qual)
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