Data as of .
IDEF vs ITA: which is really different?
ITA holds 79.5% of its weight in S&P 500 companies and IDEF 36.1%.
ETFIQ Off-Index Score: ITA scores higher
How much of it is not the index it is sold as an alternative to?
A percentile among the 371 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
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, IDEF and ITA hold 31% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | IDEF | ITA |
|---|---|---|
| RTX | 6.72% | 17.21% |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP | 3.62% | 4.69% |
| BOEING | 3.32% | 9.36% |
| GENERAL DYNAMICS CORP | 2.97% | 4.82% |
| NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP | 2.56% | 4.44% |
| GE AEROSPACE | 1.90% | 21.81% |
| TRANSDIGM GROUP | 1.05% | 4.31% |
| ATI | 0.80% | 2.12% |
| CARPENTER TECHNOLOGY | 0.74% | 1.74% |
| HOWMET AEROSPACE | 0.69% | 4.24% |
| ROCKET LAB CORP | 0.67% | 2.46% |
| BWX TECHNOLOGIES INC | 0.53% | 1.09% |
| Only in IDEF | Only in ITA |
|---|---|
| PALANTIR TECHNOLOGIES CLASS A 4.71% | AXON ENTERPRISE 3.01% |
| ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC 3.30% | FTAI AVIATION 1.44% |
| THALES SA 2.61% | HEICO CLASS A 1.41% |
| SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES COR 2.38% | STANDARDAERO 0.35% |
| HANWHA AEROSPACE LTD 2.28% | ARCHER AVIATION CLASS A 0.27% |
| BAE SYSTEMS PLC 2.11% | ASTRONICS 0.22% |
| MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES 1.71% | LOAR HOLDINGS 0.18% |
| LEONARDO FINMECCANICA SPA 1.63% | INTUITIVE MACHINES INC CLASS A 0.14% |
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 Sep 10, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | vs the S&P 500 | vs the Nasdaq-100 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IDEF | ITA | IDEF | ITA | IDEF | ITA | |
| 3 months | −1.9% | −6.3% | −5.2 pts | −9.6 pts | −1.1 pts | −5.5 pts |
| 6 months | −8.5% | −4.4% | −24.5 pts | −20.4 pts | −29.2 pts | −25.1 pts |
| 1 year | +4.9% | +10.0% | −12.6 pts | −7.5 pts | −18.1 pts | −13.0 pts |
| 3 years | not published | +103.7% | not published | +25.8 pts | not published | +8.6 pts |
| Since launch | +26.5% | +906.7% | −6.4 pts | +102.3 pts | −13.6 pts | −767.2 pts |
| IDEF iShares Defense Industrials Active ETF Holds 152 stocks in defense, 36% of its weight in S&P 500 companies | ITA iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF Holds 51 stocks in defense, 80% of its weight in S&P 500 companies | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | iShares | iShares |
| Theme | Defense | Defense |
| In the S&P 500 | 36.1% | 79.5% |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 95.9% | 97.9% |
| In the Nasdaq-100 | 8.5% | 3.0% |
| Holdings | 152 | 51 |
| Top ten, share of the fund | 35.2% | 77.5% |
| Expense ratio | not published | 0.37% |
| Fee for the differing part | not published | 0.38% |
| Total return, 1 year | +4.9% | +10.0% |
| vs the S&P 500 | −12.6 pts | −7.5 pts |
| vs the Nasdaq-100 | −18.1 pts | −13.0 pts |
| Below its high | −13.9% | −13.5% |
IDEF in plain words
By weight, 36% of IDEF's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 96%. The top ten holdings are 35% of the fund across 152 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 10, 2026. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 the fund returned +4.9% with distributions reinvested against +17.5% for the S&P 500, so a holder was behind by 12.6 pts. It sits 13.9% below its all-time high of Mar 2, 2026.
ITA in plain words
By weight, 80% of ITA's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 98%. The top ten holdings are 78% of the fund across 51 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 10, 2026. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 the fund returned +10.0% with distributions reinvested against +17.5% for the S&P 500, so a holder was behind by 7.5 pts. It sits 13.5% below its all-time high of Aug 14, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which is more different from the S&P 500, IDEF or ITA?
- IDEF has 36% of its weight in S&P 500 names and ITA has 80%, so ITA differs more from the index.
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.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, IDEF against ITA, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/idef-vs-ita Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.