Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
MOAT vs QUAL: how they differ
MOAT and QUAL hold 12% of their weight in the same names, and QUAL returned more over the year.
VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF and iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, MOAT and QUAL hold 12% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | MOAT | QUAL |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Corp | 2.79% | 7.67% |
| Nvidia Corp | 2.58% | 6.44% |
| Applied Materials Inc | 1.41% | 2.81% |
| Meta Platforms Inc | 1.29% | 4.32% |
| Fortinet Inc | 2.19% | 1.15% |
| Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc | 1.45% | 0.97% |
| Charles Schwab Corp/The | 2.75% | 0.50% |
| Motorola Solutions Inc | 1.34% | 0.44% |
| Pepsico Inc | 1.14% | 0.35% |
| Zoetis Inc | 1.77% | 0.14% |
| West Pharmaceutical Services Inc | 1.56% | 0.08% |
| Hershey Co/The | 1.16% | 0.05% |
| Only in MOAT | Only in QUAL |
|---|---|
| Veeva Systems Inc 3.41% | APPLE 7.10% |
| Airbnb Inc 2.88% | ELI LILLY 3.62% |
| Lpl Financial Holdings Inc 2.73% | LAM RESEARCH 3.59% |
| Bristol-Myers Squibb Co 2.58% | TJX 3.23% |
| Estee Lauder Cos Inc/The 2.52% | VISA CLASS A 3.21% |
| Danaher Corp 2.44% | KLA 2.42% |
| Mondelez International Inc 2.43% | EXXONMOBIL HOLDINGS CORP 2.35% |
| Palo Alto Networks Inc 2.40% | MASTERCARD CLASS A 2.28% |
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 Sep 10, 2026.
| MOAT VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF | QUAL iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | VanEck | iShares |
| What it is | Morningstar Wide Moat | MSCI USA Quality Factor |
| Total return, 1 year | +11.3% | +16.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −6.2 pts | −1.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.46% | 0.15% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 91.6% | 98.9% |
| Holdings | 55 | 121 |
MOAT in plain words
MOAT is an index equity fund tracking the Morningstar Wide Moat. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +11.3% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.46% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 92% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 55 positions, with the top ten at 27.1%. It sat 5.7% below its high of Aug 27, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
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 Sep 10, 2026, 99% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 121 positions, with the top ten at 44.4%. It sat 3.1% below its high of Aug 13, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, MOAT or QUAL?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, MOAT returned +11.3% and QUAL returned +16.0%, so QUAL returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, MOAT or QUAL?
- MOAT charges 0.46% a year and QUAL charges 0.15%, so QUAL is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do MOAT and QUAL overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 92% of MOAT and 99% of QUAL by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 12% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Other comparisons
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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, MOAT against QUAL, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/moat-vs-qual Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources