Data as of .
ITA vs SMH: which is really different?
SMH holds 82.3% of its weight in S&P 500 companies and ITA 79.5%.
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, ITA and SMH hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in ITA | Only in SMH |
|---|---|
| GE AEROSPACE 21.81% | Nvidia Corp 22.45% |
| RTX 17.21% | Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co L 9.78% |
| BOEING 9.36% | Broadcom Inc 5.91% |
| GENERAL DYNAMICS CORP 4.82% | Advanced Micro Devices Inc 5.74% |
| LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP 4.69% | Micron Technology Inc 5.65% |
| NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP 4.44% | Asml Holding Nv 5.02% |
| TRANSDIGM GROUP 4.31% | Intel Corp 4.34% |
| HOWMET AEROSPACE 4.24% | Lam Research Corp 4.29% |
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 | SMH | ITA | SMH | ITA | SMH | |
| 3 months | −6.3% | −8.3% | −9.6 pts | −11.6 pts | −5.5 pts | −7.5 pts |
| 6 months | −4.4% | +46.8% | −20.4 pts | +30.8 pts | −25.1 pts | +26.1 pts |
| 1 year | +10.0% | +87.6% | −7.5 pts | +70.1 pts | −13.0 pts | +64.7 pts |
| 3 years | +103.7% | +285.8% | +25.8 pts | +207.9 pts | +8.6 pts | +190.7 pts |
| Since launch | +906.7% | +5026.7% | +102.3 pts | +4222.3 pts | −767.2 pts | +3352.8 pts |
| ITA iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF Holds 51 stocks in defense, 80% of its weight in S&P 500 companies | SMH VanEck Semiconductor ETF Holds 25 stocks in semiconductors, 82% of its weight in S&P 500 companies | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | iShares | VanEck |
| Theme | Defense | Semiconductors |
| In the S&P 500 | 79.5% | 82.3% |
| Active share vs the S&P 500 | 97.9% | 80.6% |
| In the Nasdaq-100 | 3.0% | 80.2% |
| Holdings | 51 | 25 |
| Top ten, share of the fund | 77.5% | 71.7% |
| Expense ratio | 0.37% | 0.35% |
| Fee for the differing part | 0.38% | 0.43% |
| Total return, 1 year | +10.0% | +87.6% |
| vs the S&P 500 | −7.5 pts | +70.1 pts |
| vs the Nasdaq-100 | −13.0 pts | +64.7 pts |
| Below its high | −13.5% | −15.0% |
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.
SMH in plain words
By weight, 82% of SMH's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 81%. The top ten holdings are 72% 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 +87.6% with distributions reinvested against +17.5% for the S&P 500, so a holder was ahead by 70.1 pts. It sits 15.0% below its all-time high of Jun 22, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which is more different from the S&P 500, ITA or SMH?
- ITA has 80% of its weight in S&P 500 names and SMH has 82%, so ITA differs more from the index.
- Which is cheaper, ITA or SMH?
- ITA charges 0.37% a year and SMH charges 0.35%, so SMH 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 SMH, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/ita-vs-smh Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.