Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
MOAT vs USMV: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, MOAT returned +10.3% to USMV's +10.8%; 14% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $11.6bn for VanEck Morningstar Wide Moat ETF and $24.1bn for iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF.
Pair scorecard
USMV costs 0.31 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.5 points; USMV is 2.1 times larger.
| Measure | MOAT | USMV |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +10.3% | +10.8% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 3.7%, high on Aug 27, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index | MSCI USA Minimum Volatility (USD) Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.46% | 0.15% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $11.6bn | $24.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 14% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 26.5% | 14.8% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
May 4, 2012 to Oct 23, 2026 · 755 weekly returnsMOAT returned more: +559.2% to +376.9%. USMV swung less: 13.4% to 17.1%. MOAT and USMV fell about the same at their worst: −30.8% and −30.6%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | MOAT | USMV | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +559.2% | +376.9% | MOAT | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +13.9% | +11.4% | MOAT | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +453.0% | +263.0% | MOAT | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 17.1% | 13.4% | USMV | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 11.6% | 9.4% | USMV | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −30.8% | −30.6% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.74 | 0.74 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.10 | 1.05 | MOAT (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.45 | 0.37 | MOAT | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 755 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, MOAT and USMV hold 14% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
14% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
MOAT and USMV on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
MOAT and USMV do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. MOAT follows Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index and USMV follows MSCI USA Minimum Volatility (USD) Index.
- Holdings in common. 14% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- Number of holdings. MOAT holds 54 positions and USMV holds 176.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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MOAT
MOAT tracks the Morningstar Wide Moat. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +10.3% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.46% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 92% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 54 positions, with the top ten at 26.5%. It sat 3.7% below its high of Aug 27, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
USMV
USMV tracks the MSCI USA Min Vol Factor. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +10.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 93% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 176 positions, with the top ten at 14.8%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, MOAT or USMV?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, MOAT returned +10.3% and USMV +10.8%.
- Which is cheaper, MOAT or USMV?
- USMV is cheaper, by 0.31 percentage points a year. That is about $31 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, MOAT against USMV, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/moat-vs-usmv
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). MOAT against USMV. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/moat-vs-usmv
[MOAT against USMV (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/moat-vs-usmv)
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