Get the weekly note
ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

Data as of .

AMMO vs GCAD: which is really different?

AMMO and GCAD hold 22% of their weight in the same names.

VistaShares Defense Supercycle ETF and Gabelli Commercial Aerospace and Defense ETF.

12.6%AMMO in the S&P 500
40.2%GCAD in the S&P 500
+0.9%AMMO total return, 1 year
+14.2%GCAD total return, 1 year

ETFIQ Off-Index Score: AMMO scores higher

How much of it is not the index it is sold as an alternative to?

AMMO 64.1GCAD 410.1, the lowest in this set91.8, the highest

A percentile among the 379 thematic ETFs with a holdings filing. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All thematic ETFs ranked by it · How it is computed

AMMO87% of its weight is outside the S&P 500 · since launch to Sep 18, 2026
13%87%inof its weight outside the S&P 500active share 99% · top ten 33% of the fund · 52 holdings filed Sep 21, 2026 · Nasdaq-100: 3% in13%87%inof its weight outside the S&P 500active share 99% · top ten 33% of the fund
GCAD60% of its weight is outside the S&P 500 · 1 year to Sep 18, 2026
40%60%of its weight in S&P 500 companiesof its weight outside the S&P 500active share 97% · top ten 48% of the fund · 54 holdings filed Jun 30, 2026 · Nasdaq-100: 3% in40%60%in the S&P 500outside the S&P 500active share 97% · top ten 48% of the fund

22% of the two portfolios are the same securities at the same weight.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, AMMO and GCAD hold 22% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Positions AMMO and GCAD both hold, largest shared weight first
HoldingAMMOGCAD
L3Harris Technologies Inc2.51%4.01%
Ducommun Inc2.16%4.74%
Woodward Inc2.09%2.10%
Moog Inc2.07%6.20%
TransDigm Group Inc2.20%2.04%
Curtiss-Wright Corp1.84%2.45%
Mercury Systems Inc1.66%3.93%
Carpenter Technology Corp1.66%1.41%
CAE Inc0.95%1.04%
Howmet Aerospace Inc0.84%2.61%
MTU Aero Engines AG0.95%0.77%
Leonardo DRS Inc0.71%0.88%
Only in each
Only in AMMOOnly in GCAD
LIG Defense&Aerospace Co Ltd 4.80%ALBANY INTERNATIONAL CORP 6.84%
Mildef Group AB 3.78%BOEING COMPANY (THE) 5.20%
Kitron ASA 3.50%HEXCEL CORP 4.58%
MP Materials Corp 3.05%RTX CORP 4.14%
Chemring Group PLC 2.76%LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP 3.98%
Cohort PLC 2.76%TEXTRON INC 3.87%
TTM Technologies Inc 2.49%NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP 3.48%
AeroVironment Inc 2.47%UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - BUREAU OF THE 3.09%

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 Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 21, 2026.

Performance, window by window

AMMO and GCAD over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ.
WindowTotal returnvs the S&P 500vs the Nasdaq-100
AMMOGCADAMMOGCADAMMOGCAD
3 monthsnot published−11.3%not published−13.5 ptsnot published−8.8 pts
6 monthsnot published−0.8%not published−18.8 ptsnot published−25.0 pts
1 yearnot published+14.2%not published−2.4 ptsnot published−7.6 pts
3 yearsnot published+120.8%not published+42.4 ptsnot published+22.6 pts
Since launch+0.9%+121.0%−0.8 pts+12.9 pts−1.3 pts−56.0 pts
Open the live comparison on ETFIQ
AMMO and GCAD on the same fields, as of Sep 18, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
AMMO
VistaShares Defense Supercycle ETF
Holds 52 stocks in defense, 13% of its weight in S&P 500 companies
GCAD
Gabelli Commercial Aerospace and Defense ETF
Holds 54 stocks in defense, 40% of its weight in S&P 500 companies
IssuerVistaSharesGabelli
ThemeDefenseDefense
In the S&P 50012.6%40.2%
Active share vs the S&P 50099.1%97.2%
In the Nasdaq-1003.2%2.5%
Holdings5254
Top ten, share of the fund32.6%47.5%
Expense ratio0.75%0.90%
Fee for the differing part0.76%0.93%
Total return, 1 year+0.9% (since launch on Jul 16, 2026)+14.2%
vs the S&P 500−0.8 pts−2.4 pts
vs the Nasdaq-100−1.3 pts−7.6 pts
Below its high−14.0%−14.2%
Net assets$3m$44m

AMMO in plain words

By weight, 13% of AMMO'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 33% of the fund across 52 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 21, 2026. Since it launched on Jul 16, 2026 the fund returned +0.9% with distributions reinvested against +1.7% for the S&P 500, so a holder was behind by 0.8 pts. It sits 14.0% below its all-time high of Aug 14, 2026.

GCAD in plain words

By weight, 40% of GCAD's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 97%. The top ten holdings are 48% of the fund across 54 positions, as filed for Jun 30, 2026. Over the year to Sep 18, 2026 the fund returned +14.2% with distributions reinvested against +16.6% for the S&P 500, so a holder was behind by 2.4 pts. It sits 14.2% below its all-time high of Aug 14, 2026.

Questions people ask

Do AMMO and GCAD hold the same stocks?
By their latest filings, 22% of their books are the same securities at the same weight, which is a meaningful overlap. Overlap is the sum of the smaller weight of every security they share.
Which is more different from the S&P 500, AMMO or GCAD?
AMMO has 13% of its weight in S&P 500 names and GCAD has 40%, so AMMO differs more from the index.
Which is cheaper, AMMO or GCAD?
AMMO charges 0.75% a year and GCAD charges 0.90%, so AMMO is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

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.

AMMO against GCAD, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 18, 2026. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, AMMO against GCAD, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/ammo-vs-gcad Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

How every figure is computed · Standards and sources