Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
QUAL vs XRT: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, QUAL returned +13.1% to XRT's +2.4%; 6% 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 $362m on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF.
Pair scorecard
QUAL costs 0.20 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 10.7 points; QUAL is far larger, $48.3bn against $367m.
| Measure | QUAL | XRT |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.1% | +2.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 9.9%, high on Nov 16, 2021 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI USA Sector Neutral Quality Index | S&P Retail Select Industry Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.35% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 26, 2026 | $48.3bn | $367m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 6% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 44.5% | 16.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, QUAL and XRT hold 6% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
6% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
QUAL and XRT on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
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%.
XRT
XRT tracks the S&P Retail. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +2.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 22% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 74 positions, with the top ten at 16.6%. It sat 9.9% below its high of Nov 16, 2021 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QUAL or XRT?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QUAL returned +13.1% and XRT +2.4%.
- Which is cheaper, QUAL or XRT?
- QUAL is cheaper, by 0.20 percentage points a year. That is about $20 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 XRT, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-xrt
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). QUAL against XRT. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-xrt
[QUAL against XRT (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/qual-vs-xrt)
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