Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
QUAL vs VYM: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, QUAL returned +13.1% to VYM's +18.0%; 18% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $48.2bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF, and $78.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF.
Pair scorecard
VYM costs 0.11 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.9 points; VYM is 1.7 times larger.
| Measure | QUAL | VYM |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.1% | +18.0% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index | FTSE High Dividend Yield Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.04% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $47.7bn | $78.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 18% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 44.5% | 26.2% |
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 returnsQUAL returned more: +444.7% to +308.9%. VYM swung slightly less: 14.9% to 16.2%. QUAL fell slightly less at its worst: −31.4% to −32.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | QUAL | VYM | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +444.7% | +308.9% | QUAL | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +13.6% | +11.2% | QUAL | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +346.8% | +173.6% | QUAL | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 16.2% | 14.9% | VYM (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 11.2% | 10.6% | VYM (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −31.4% | −32.4% | QUAL (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.75 | 0.66 | QUAL | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.09 | 0.92 | QUAL | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.43 | 0.35 | QUAL | 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, QUAL and VYM hold 18% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
18% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
QUAL and VYM on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
QUAL and VYM do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. QUAL follows MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index and VYM follows FTSE High Dividend Yield Index.
- Holdings in common. 18% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 QUAL returned +13.1% and VYM +18.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 4.9 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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%.
VYM
VYM tracks an index of US high dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +18.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 595 positions, with the top ten at 26.2%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QUAL or VYM?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QUAL returned +13.1% and VYM +18.0%.
- Which is cheaper, QUAL or VYM?
- VYM is cheaper, by 0.11 percentage points a year. That is about $11 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, QUAL against VYM, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vym
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). QUAL against VYM. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vym
[QUAL against VYM (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-vym)
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