Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
QUAL vs VBK: how they differ
QUAL and VBK hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and QUAL returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF and Vanguard Small-Cap Growth Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, QUAL and VBK hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in QUAL | Only in VBK |
|---|---|
| MICROSOFT 7.67% | Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd 1.27% |
| APPLE 7.10% | REVOLUTION Medicines Inc 1.07% |
| NVIDIA 6.44% | Astera Labs Inc 1.05% |
| META PLATFORMS CLASS A 4.32% | Natera Inc 1.04% |
| ELI LILLY 3.62% | Twilio Inc 0.88% |
| LAM RESEARCH 3.59% | Casey's General Stores Inc 0.83% |
| TJX 3.23% | Carpenter Technology Corp 0.82% |
| VISA CLASS A 3.21% | Curtiss-Wright Corp 0.79% |
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 Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 10, 2026.
| QUAL iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF | VBK Vanguard Small-Cap Growth Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | MSCI USA Quality Factor | Small-Cap Growth |
| Total return, 1 year | +16.0% | +13.8% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −1.5 pts | −3.7 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.05% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 98.9% | 10.2% |
| Holdings | 121 | 545 |
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.
VBK in plain words
VBK is an index equity fund tracking the Small-Cap Growth. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +13.8% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 10% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 545 positions, with the top ten at 9.3%. It sat 7.0% below its high of Aug 17, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QUAL or VBK?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QUAL returned +16.0% and VBK returned +13.8%, so QUAL returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, QUAL or VBK?
- QUAL charges 0.15% a year and VBK charges 0.05%, so VBK is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do QUAL and VBK overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 99% of QUAL and 10% of VBK by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 0% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
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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, QUAL against VBK, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vbk Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources