Data as of .
ITA vs NLR: which is really different?
ITA holds 79.5% of its weight in S&P 500 companies and NLR 15.3%.
ETFIQ Off-Index Score: NLR 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, ITA and NLR hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | ITA | NLR |
|---|---|---|
| BWX TECHNOLOGIES INC | 1.09% | 5.21% |
| Only in ITA | Only in NLR |
|---|---|
| GE AEROSPACE 21.81% | Constellation Energy Corp 9.09% |
| RTX 17.21% | Cameco Corp 7.90% |
| BOEING 9.36% | Fortum Oyj 6.83% |
| GENERAL DYNAMICS CORP 4.82% | Public Service Enterprise Group Inc 6.22% |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP 4.69% | Nexgen Energy Ltd 5.30% |
| NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP 4.44% | Paladin Energy Ltd 5.21% |
| TRANSDIGM GROUP 4.31% | Uranium Energy Corp 5.07% |
| HOWMET AEROSPACE 4.24% | Denison Mines Corp 4.94% |
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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITA | NLR | ITA | NLR | ITA | NLR | |
| 3 months | −6.3% | −7.2% | −9.6 pts | −10.5 pts | −5.5 pts | −6.4 pts |
| 6 months | −4.4% | −17.1% | −20.4 pts | −33.1 pts | −25.1 pts | −37.8 pts |
| 1 year | +10.0% | −6.1% | −7.5 pts | −23.6 pts | −13.0 pts | −29.1 pts |
| 3 years | +103.7% | +83.0% | +25.8 pts | +5.2 pts | +8.6 pts | −12.0 pts |
| Since launch | +906.7% | +183.3% | +102.3 pts | −621.0 pts | −767.2 pts | −1490.6 pts |
| ITA iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF Holds 51 stocks in defense, 80% of its weight in S&P 500 companies | NLR VanEck Uranium and Nuclear ETF Holds 25 stocks in nuclear and uranium, 15% of its weight in S&P 500 companies | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | iShares | VanEck |
| Theme | Defense | Nuclear and uranium |
| In the S&P 500 | 79.5% | 15.3% |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 97.9% | 99.8% |
| In the Nasdaq-100 | 3.0% | 9.1% |
| Holdings | 51 | 25 |
| Top ten, share of the fund | 77.5% | 60.7% |
| Expense ratio | 0.37% | 0.52% |
| Fee for the differing part | 0.38% | 0.52% |
| Total return, 1 year | +10.0% | −6.1% |
| vs the S&P 500 | −7.5 pts | −23.6 pts |
| vs the Nasdaq-100 | −13.0 pts | −29.1 pts |
| Below its high | −13.5% | −31.1% |
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.
NLR in plain words
By weight, 15% of NLR's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 100%. The top ten holdings are 61% of the fund across 25 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 10, 2026. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 the fund returned −6.1% with distributions reinvested against +17.5% for the S&P 500, so a holder was behind by 23.6 pts. It sits 31.1% below its all-time high of Jan 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which is more different from the S&P 500, ITA or NLR?
- ITA has 80% of its weight in S&P 500 names and NLR has 15%, so NLR differs more from the index.
- Which is cheaper, ITA or NLR?
- ITA charges 0.37% a year and NLR charges 0.52%, so ITA 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.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, ITA against NLR, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/ita-vs-nlr Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.