Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
SHLD vs VGT: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SHLD returned −6.5% to VGT's +24.7%, and VGT charges 0.09% to SHLD's 0.50%.
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Net assets: $6.3bn on Oct 12, 2026 for Global X Defense Tech ETF, and $154.5bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Information Tech ETF.
Pair scorecard
VGT costs 0.41 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 31.2 points.
| Measure | SHLD | VGT |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −6.5% | +24.7% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its all-time high | 18.6%, high on Mar 9, 2026 | |
| Below its high | 4.8%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Defense | MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Information Technology 25/50 |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.50% | 0.09% |
| Net assets, SHLD as of Oct 12, 2026 and VGT as of Sep 30, 2026 | $6.3bn | $154.5bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 99% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 2% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 59% | 63.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Sep 22, 2023 to Oct 23, 2026 · 161 weekly returnsSHLD returned more: +161.2% to +133.8%. VGT swung slightly less: 23.4% to 24.0%. SHLD and VGT fell about the same at their worst: −25.1% and −25.6%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | SHLD | VGT | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +161.2% | +133.8% | SHLD | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +36.4% | +31.6% | SHLD | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +156.8% | +129.6% | SHLD | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 24.0% | 23.4% | VGT (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.5% | 14.9% | SHLD (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −25.1% | −25.6% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 1.23 | 1.10 | SHLD | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 2.17 | 1.72 | SHLD | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 1.45 | 1.24 | SHLD | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 161 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, SHLD and VGT hold 2% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026.
half
2% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
SHLD and VGT on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
SHLD
By weight, 45% of SHLD's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 99%. The top ten holdings are 59% of the fund across 48 positions, as filed for May 31, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned −6.5% with distributions reinvested. It sits 18.6% below its all-time high of Mar 9, 2026.
VGT
VGT tracks an index of Information technology. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +24.7% with distributions reinvested, against +25.0% for its benchmark, the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Information Technology 25/50. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 87% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 320 positions, with the top ten at 63.6%. It sat 4.8% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Are SHLD and VGT in the same category?
- SHLD is a thematic ETF and VGT is a stock ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, SHLD or VGT?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SHLD returned −6.5% and VGT +24.7%.
- Which is cheaper, SHLD or VGT?
- VGT is cheaper, by 0.41 percentage points a year. That is about $41 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, SHLD against VGT, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/shld-vs-vgt
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). SHLD against VGT. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/shld-vs-vgt
[SHLD against VGT (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/shld-vs-vgt)
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