iShares MSCI EAFE Min Vol Factor ETF
$92.44+0.78 (+0.85%)
- 0.20%
- $5.3B
- +13.1%
- 3.12%
- 0.5M sh
- $91.42
- low $83.51high $95.34
The ETF.net EFAV Grade
A
Score 76 out of 100
- 1 of 15
Score 76 of 100 falls in the A band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.A89 out of 100Rank 2 of 15Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.B60 out of 100Rank 8 of 9Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.A70 out of 100Rank 4 of 15Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A87 out of 100Rank 2 of 15Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.B69 out of 100Rank 6 of 15Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A83 out of 100Rank 2 of 15
Our read on EFAV
AThe 2011 original for overseas min vol: roughly 300 developed-market stocks outside the US and Canada, picked for lower-volatility traits, at 0.20% a year. One of the strongest builds in its international factor group.
The fund seeks to track an index of developed-market equities outside the United States and Canada that have lower-volatility characteristics.
Why people hold it
- Charges 0.20% a year, less than half the typical fee among international factor funds.
- Running since 2011 and now a multi-billion-dollar fund that trades actively, one of the longer records in the international factor aisle.
- Spreads across about 300 names and follows the MSCI EAFE Minimum Volatility Index, so the low-vol call is rules-based rather than a manager's hand-picked list.ishares.com
- Stands among the strongest implementations in its 18-fund international factor peer group.
Worth knowing
- The min-vol screen reshapes the lineup, so sector and country weights can sit well away from a plain EAFE index fund and results diverge from it.
- QLVD runs a developed ex-US low-volatility mandate for 0.15%, so cheaper shelf-mates exist in the same aisle.
- Coverage stops at developed markets outside the US and Canada, leaving emerging markets and Canadian stocks to other holdings.ishares.com
EFAV Holdings
- Stocks
- 283
- 15%
- SHEL.L
Sectors
- Financials20.5%
- Industrials14.1%
- Consumer Staples11.5%
- Health Care10.7%
- Energy9.3%
- Communication9.0%
- Utilities8.8%
- Information Technology6.1%
- Consumer Discretionary6.0%
- Real Estate2.6%
- Materials1.5%
Geography
- Japan28.89%
- Switzerland10.39%
- United Kingdom9.67%
- Singapore5.58%
- France5.53%
- Hong Kong5.40%
- Australia5.29%
- Spain4.30%
- 24.93%
Developed 97% · Emerging 3%
EFAV Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
EFAV$11,314
Returns run to the Oct 12, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
| Period | EFAV |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +8.3% |
| 1 month | −2.5% |
| 3 months | +2.3% |
| 1 year | +13.1% |
| 3 years | +15.6% |
| 5 years | +7.3% |
| 10 years | +6.7% |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | EFAV |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +8.3% | |
| 2025 | +26.0% | |
| 2024 | +5.3% | |
| 2023 | +12.5% | |
| 2022 | −15.1% | |
| 2021 | +7.2% | |
| 2020 | −0.1% |
EFAV in the news
EFAV Dividends
- 3.12%
- $2.86
- $1.68 per share
- Twice a year
Distribution history
EFAV Risk
- 10.4%
How it’s calculated: standard deviation
The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.
- 1.01
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio
Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.
Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.
- −26.0%
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown
The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.
Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.
- 0.48
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
EFAV Cost
0.20%
EFAV0.20%
- The middle half of International Factor Index funds
- Median 0.34%
1 of the 15 International Factor Index funds charge less.
Other funds in International Factor Index
- BACWViShares MSCI Global Min Vol Factor ETFExpense ratio 0.20%1 year return +8.1%
- BEFGiShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETFExpense ratio 0.34%1 year return +8.5%
- BIDLVInvesco S&P International Developed Low Volatility ETFExpense ratio 0.25%1 year return +9.3%
- BIDMOInvesco S&P International Developed Momentum ETFExpense ratio 0.25%1 year return +18.3%
- BVDGVanguard Developed Markets ex US Growth Index ETFExpense ratio 0.08%1 year return —