ETF Analysis
QUAL ETF: Quality Factor Holdings, Performance and Expense Ratio
QUAL answer
QUAL, the iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF, holds 121 large and mid-sized U.S. companies chosen for high return on equity, stable earnings growth and low debt. Its largest positions are MSFT (7.6%), AAPL (6.8%), NVDA (6.6%), META (4.4%), LRCX (3.8%), and sector weights are kept close to the broad market's, led by Information Technology (36.8%), Financials (12.3%), Health Care (9.9%). QUAL's expense ratio is 0.15%, and over the past year its price return was +13.5%.
- Expense ratio
- 0.15%
- Fund size
- $47.53B
- Holdings
- 121
- Top 10 weight
- 44.5%
- Top sectors
- Information Technology (36.8%), Financials (12.3%), Health Care (9.9%)
- 1Y price return
- +13.5%
iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL) currently has an AIQ Score of 61/100, indicating a neutral setup. Risk is the strongest factor at 78/100. Momentum is the weakest current factor at 37/100. Performance, momentum, risk, distribution, and exposure evidence should be read together at the latest market-close snapshot.
QUAL at a Glance
Crawlable current metrics from the latest market-close ETF snapshot.
| Metric | Current |
|---|---|
| Price | $54.83 |
| AIQ Score | 61/100 |
| Overall View | Neutral |
| Technical Analysis Consensus | Strong Sell |
| Fund Size | $47.53B |
| Expense Ratio | 0.15% |
| Holdings Count | 121 |
| NAV | $54.76 |
| Asset Class | Equity |
| Primary Exposure | Information Technology (36.84%) |
| Issuer | IShares |
| Domicile | US |
| Inception Date | Jul 16, 2013 |
| Distribution Yield | 3.45% |
| Beta | 0.9 |
| Average Volume | 4.27M |
| 52-week range | $46.47-$57.03 |
| RSI 14 | 37.05 |
| 50-Day SMA | $55.77 |
| 200-Day SMA | $53.27 |
| Risk Score | 78/100 |
| Momentum Score | 37/100 |
| Value Exposure Score | 72/100 |
QUAL Long-Horizon ETF Performance
Trailing returns, growth of $10,000, drawdown history, and calendar-year returns from available daily closes.
| Period | Total return | Annualized | Max drawdown | Start date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | 13.48% | 13.49% | -9.23% | Nov 6, 2025 |
| 3Y | 61.91% | 17.42% | -18.43% | Nov 6, 2023 |
| 5Y | 51.28% | 8.64% | -29.04% | Nov 8, 2021 |
| 10Y | 51.28% | 8.64% | -29.04% | Nov 8, 2021 |
Growth of $10,000
Indexed to the first available close in this history window.
Drawdown History
Peak-to-trough decline from each prior high over the available window.
Calendar-Year Returns
Full-year returns where available, with the current calendar year shown as YTD.
QUALiShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF
Financial Services / Asset Management - Global
Relative Leader / Watch
Strong Relative Position
Latest quote
- Momentum37
- Value72
- Quality63
- Risk resilience78
- Sentiment—
QUAL ETF Analysis Summary
iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL) currently has an AIQ Score of 61/100, indicating a neutral setup. Risk resilience is the strongest factor at 78/100. Momentum is the weakest current factor at 37/100. Performance, exposure, distribution, momentum, and risk evidence should be read together at the latest market-close snapshot.
In a neutral regime, QUAL has AIQ Score of 61/100 with Risk resilience base of 78/100 and fading Momentum at 37/100. Wait for component alignment before adding exposure.
Risk resilience (78/100) leads while Momentum (37/100) lags. This cross-factor spread creates entry timing uncertainty.
Financial Services · 0.07% ETF move · QUAL classified in Asset Management - Global.
Current Evidence
AlgovestIQ Evidence Summary
Current consensus, supporting evidence, recent changes, and what would strengthen or weaken the view.
Is QUAL Bullish or Bearish Right Now?
QUAL currently has a neutral overall setup. Risk Resilience is the strongest factor at 78/100, while Momentum is weakest at 37/100. The current evidence suggests a mixed rather than strongly bullish or bearish setup.
- - Quality is supportive at 63/100.
- - Risk Resilience is supportive at 78/100.
- - Momentum is weak at 37/100.
- - Technical consensus has more sell votes than buy votes (36 vs 6).
Current Consensus
QUAL's Technical Analysis Consensus is currently Strong Sell, with 6 buy, 3 neutral, and 36 sell votes. QUAL's 14-day RSI is 37.05, which places the ETF in a weaker momentum range. QUAL's beta is 0.9, indicating market sensitivity broadly in line with the market.
What Changed in QUAL?
The largest recent change in QUAL is Risk Resilience moving down by 8.0 points over the available 7-day comparison window. Risk Resilience remains the strongest visible factor.
What Would Change the QUAL Outlook?
The current neutral outlook could improve if AIQ moves above 70, momentum recovers, risk resilience improves, and price confirms a stronger trend above the 50-day and 200-day moving averages. It would weaken if AIQ falls below 40, price loses long-term moving-average support, distribution or liquidity context deteriorates, or risk evidence worsens.
AIQ > 70, RSI above 55, price above SMA-50/SMA-200, and positive market-context evidence.
AIQ below 40, RSI below 45, loss of SMA-200, negative revisions, or rising volatility and drawdown risk.
QUAL Decision Framework
Public evidence layers, setup checks, and risk context for iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.
iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL) ETF Analysis
iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF has an AIQ Score of 61/100 in a Neutral regime. Risk is strongest at 78/100. Beta is 0.9, close to market sensitivity. Review the supporting etf factors together before drawing a conclusion from any single score.
| Evidence Layer | Public Evidence |
|---|---|
| Regime Context | QUAL is in a Neutral AIQ regime with score 61/100. |
| Signal Conflict | The primary conflict is that risk leads at 78/100 while momentum lags at 37/100. |
| Factor Evidence | Momentum 37/100 · Value 72/100 · Quality 63/100 · Risk 78/100 |
| Persistence | Current snapshot evidence is shown; historical persistence remains in AIQ Pro. |
Current Setup Checklist
Risk is the strongest factor at 78/100.
Momentum is 37/100 and RSI (14) is 37.1.
QUAL is in a Neutral regime at 61/100.
Risk factor is 78/100 with beta 0.9 and annual volatility 12.55%.
Current conflict: risk leads at 78/100 while momentum lags at 37/100.
QUAL Research Cluster
ETF-specific paths for performance, risk, distributions, market context, data, comparisons, and news.
QUAL ETF Analytics
QUAL holdings context, yield, risk, valuation exposure, momentum, and AIQ evidence.
QUAL Technical Analysis
QUAL technical setup based on RSI, MACD, moving averages, AIQ Momentum, volume, trend, volatility, and pivots.
QUAL ETF Market Context
Track QUAL market context, news pressure, trend changes, income events, and current allocation evidence.
QUAL Distribution Analysis
QUAL distribution yield, annualized distributions, payment history, and income context.
QUAL ETF Data
QUAL available fund data, market metrics, technical readings, risk measures, and AIQ evidence.
QUAL Risk Analysis
QUAL volatility, beta, drawdown, Sharpe ratio, VaR, and downside resilience.
QUAL ETF News
QUAL ETF news, market tone, recent headlines, and catalyst context.
QUAL vs Factor / Style / Smart Beta Peers
Current peer cohort: QUAL · QVAL · SCHG · SCHV · SLYV. Compare AIQ, factor scores, Sharpe ratio and 1-year volatility in one indexable view.
| Peer | AIQ | Value | Momentum | Risk | Sharpe | 1Y Volatility | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QUAL Current ETF | 61/100 | 72/100 | 37/100 | 78/100 | 0.76 | 12.55% | Current |
| QVAL Alpha Architect U.S. Quantitative Value ETF | 57/100 | 62/100 | 63/100 | 68/100 | 1.93 | 14.46% | QUAL vs QVAL |
| SCHG Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF | 48/100 | 36/100 | 26/100 | 63/100 | -0.01 | 17.69% | QUAL vs SCHG |
| SCHV Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Value ETF | 58/100 | 52/100 | 48/100 | 77/100 | 1.14 | 11.81% | QUAL vs SCHV |
| SLYV SPDR S&P 600 Small Cap Value ETF | 57/100 | 59/100 | 53/100 | 75/100 | 0.91 | 16.00% | QUAL vs SLYV |
Peer cohort is resolved dynamically from the AlgovestIQ universe taxonomy and Compare relationship graph. Data as of Nov 6, 2026.
About the AIQ Score
Methodology for the current ETF evidence.
The AlgovestIQ AIQ Score combines multiple dimensions of ETF evidence, including momentum, valuation exposure, quality, risk resilience, sentiment context, and timing signals. It is a descriptive research score, not a guarantee of future performance or a personalized recommendation.
View AIQ methodologyFactor Diagnostics
A compact bridge from the AIQ score to the evidence tabs.
Valuation exposure across the fund's holdings.
Quality context inferred from fund exposure and available evidence.
Trend, momentum, volume, and timing confirmation.
Resilience, volatility, beta, drawdown, and tail risk.
News and event pressure around the setup.
Open the return calculator with ETF context while purchase price, shares, dates and fees remain user inputs.
AIQ Component Profile
Compare the five component scores on one consistent 0–100 scale.
Review earnings timing, revisions, news pressure, and prior event reactions in one place.
Open catalystsNo quarterly financial rows in this snapshot.
Checked Nov 7, 2026
Explore factor drivers, conflicts, persistence, and scenario sensitivity in the advanced workspace.
ETF Analytics Snapshot
Current ETF evidence uses fund profile, cost, size, distribution, momentum, and risk fields.
ETF pages use fund-native profile fields for cost, size, liquidity, holdings breadth, NAV, issuer, and launch date.
Market Confirmation
Technicals are summarized first, with the indicator library behind it.
Risk Alignment
Higher resilience is stronger; exposure metrics stay separate.
Continue Researching QUAL
Open the detailed evidence pages and workflows behind the stock overview read.
Premium Feature
Full AIQ Analysis
AIQ Intelligence
AIQ Pro for QUAL
Scenario Analysis
AIQ Scenario Builder
Portfolio Implication
Related Links
QUAL ETF FAQ
What is a quality factor ETF?
A quality factor ETF favors profitable, financially sound companies. QUAL scores stocks on return on equity, earnings stability and leverage, and holds 121 of the highest-scoring ones.
What is QUAL's expense ratio?
QUAL's expense ratio is 0.15% a year.