Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
QUAL vs VDE: how they differ
QUAL and VDE hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and VDE returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF and Vanguard Energy Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, QUAL and VDE hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in QUAL | Only in VDE |
|---|---|
| MICROSOFT 7.67% | Exxon Mobil Corp 21.37% |
| APPLE 7.10% | Chevron Corp 14.53% |
| NVIDIA 6.44% | ConocoPhillips 5.79% |
| META PLATFORMS CLASS A 4.32% | Williams Cos Inc/The 3.65% |
| ELI LILLY 3.62% | SLB Ltd 3.49% |
| LAM RESEARCH 3.59% | Marathon Petroleum Corp 3.29% |
| TJX 3.23% | Valero Energy Corp 3.19% |
| VISA CLASS A 3.21% | EOG Resources Inc 3.06% |
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 May 31, 2026 and Sep 10, 2026.
| QUAL iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF | VDE Vanguard Energy Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | MSCI USA Quality Factor | Energy |
| Total return, 1 year | +16.0% | +50.6% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −1.5 pts | +33.1 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.09% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 98.9% | 81.6% |
| Holdings | 121 | 105 |
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.
VDE in plain words
VDE is an index equity fund tracking the Energy. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +50.6% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 82% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 105 positions, with the top ten at 64.0%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QUAL or VDE?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QUAL returned +16.0% and VDE returned +50.6%, so VDE returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, QUAL or VDE?
- QUAL charges 0.15% a year and VDE charges 0.09%, so VDE is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do QUAL and VDE overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 99% of QUAL and 82% of VDE 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.
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, QUAL against VDE, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vde Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources