Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
SHLD vs VUG: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SHLD returned −6.5% to VUG's +6.6%, and VUG charges 0.03% to SHLD's 0.50%.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about SHLD and VUG
Net assets: $6.3bn on Oct 12, 2026 for Global X Defense Tech ETF, and $232.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF.
Pair scorecard
VUG costs 0.47 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 13.1 points.
| Measure | SHLD | VUG |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −6.5% | +6.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its all-time high | 18.6%, high on Mar 9, 2026 | |
| Below its high | 4.1%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Defense | Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.50% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, SHLD as of Oct 12, 2026 and VUG as of Sep 30, 2026 | $6.3bn | $232.9bn |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 99% | |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 1% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 59% | 63.1% |
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 +93.8%. VUG swung less: 19.2% to 24.0%. VUG fell less at its worst: −21.8% to −25.1%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | SHLD | VUG | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +161.2% | +93.8% | SHLD | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +36.4% | +23.8% | SHLD | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +156.8% | +90.9% | SHLD | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 24.0% | 19.2% | VUG | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.5% | 12.2% | VUG | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −25.1% | −21.8% | VUG | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 1.23 | 0.98 | SHLD | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 2.17 | 1.54 | SHLD | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 1.45 | 1.09 | 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 VUG hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026.
half
1% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
SHLD and VUG 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.
VUG
VUG tracks an index of US growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +6.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 137 positions, with the top ten at 63.1%. It sat 4.1% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Are SHLD and VUG in the same category?
- SHLD is a thematic ETF and VUG 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 VUG?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SHLD returned −6.5% and VUG +6.6%.
- Which is cheaper, SHLD or VUG?
- VUG is cheaper, by 0.47 percentage points a year. That is about $47 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, SHLD against VUG, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/shld-vs-vug
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). SHLD against VUG. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/shld-vs-vug
[SHLD against VUG (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/shld-vs-vug)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.