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iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF

GOVTCboeiSharesA

$22.20−0.06 (−0.27%)

At close: Nov 3, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

Intraday session: down, 79 prints from 22.25 to 22.20. Range 22.18 to 22.23. Use the arrow keys to read each point.22.2122.2222.2322.2410 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.05%
Fund size
$43.2B
1Y total return
−0.2%
Yield · Last 12 months
4.07%
Holdings
236
Avg volume · 30D
11.1M sh
52W range
low $21.73high $23.39
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net GOVT Grade

A

Score 79 out of 100

Rank
1 of 16
Six-pillar profile for GOVT. Scores out of 100: Cost 87, Risk 48, Mission 96, Tradability 77, Holdings 64, Durability 92. Strongest: Mission (96). Weakest: Risk (48). Leans toward Mission and Durability.

Score 79 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.
    A87 out of 100
    Rank 3 of 16
  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    A96 out of 100
    Rank 2 of 11
  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    C48 out of 100
    Rank 7 of 16
  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    A77 out of 100
    Rank 4 of 16
  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    B64 out of 100
    Rank 8 of 16
  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    A92 out of 100
    Rank 1 of 16

Our read on GOVT

ETF.net Research

In short

AThe plain-vanilla Treasury sleeve. One index fund spanning the full maturity spectrum of US government debt, running since 2012 at five basis points, with none of the credit risk that lives in the rest of the bond aisle.

Stated mandate

The fund seeks to track an index of U.S. Treasury bonds spanning the full maturity spectrum, providing broad exposure to U.S. government debt for stability and income.

Why people hold it

  • Charges 0.05% a year, well under the median fee in its broad-Treasury peer group.
  • Tracks the ICE US Treasury Core Bond Index tightly, one of the cleaner index implementations among broad Treasury funds.
  • A multi-billion-dollar fund that trades heavily, which tends to show up as thin bid-ask spreads for retail-size orders.
  • US Treasury debt and nothing else, paid out monthly. No corporate credit to underwrite, no mortgage prepayments to model.ishares.com

Worth knowing

  • Covering the full maturity spectrum means long-dated bonds are in the mix, so the share price moves with interest rates more than a short-dated Treasury fund's would.
  • Nominal Treasuries only. Inflation-linked exposure sits in different funds, such as SPIP or VTP.
  • SPTB runs the same broad-Treasury idea at 0.03%, two basis points less.

GOVT Performance

Launched Feb 14, 2012

Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.

GOVT$9,983
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,146
Oct 31, 2025 to Nov 2, 2026. GOVT $9,983. SPY $11,146. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000Oct 2025May 2026Nov 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Nov 2, 2026

Returns run to the Nov 2, 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.

Trailing total return for GOVT. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodGOVT
Year to date−0.3%
1 month+2.4%
3 months+0.4%
1 year−0.2%
3 yearsper year+3.9%
5 yearsper year−0.6%
10 yearsper year+0.8%

With distributions reinvested.

Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.

Annual total returns for GOVT
YearReturn barGOVT
2026 YTD−0.3%
2025+3.8%
2024+3.0%
2023+4.2%
2022−13.4%
2021−1.1%
2020+7.3%

GOVT in the news

GOVT Dividends

Adds up every distribution paid per share over the last 12 months, divided by the last completed close. Distributions are counted by ex-date. Data through Nov 2, 2026.
4.07%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$0.91Last 12 months
Upcoming payment
$0.07 per share
Pays on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Monthly

Distribution history

2023–2026

One bar per payment. 46 payments from 2023 to 2026 YTD. Feb 1, 2023 $0.04; Mar 1, 2023 $0.04; Apr 3, 2023 $0.04; May 1, 2023 $0.05; Jun 1, 2023 $0.05; Jul 3, 2023 $0.05; Aug 1, 2023 $0.06; Sep 1, 2023 $0.05; Oct 2, 2023 $0.05; Nov 1, 2023 $0.06; Dec 1, 2023 $0.05; Dec 14, 2023 $0.06; Feb 1, 2024 $0.05; Mar 1, 2024 $0.05; Apr 1, 2024 $0.06; May 1, 2024 $0.06; Jun 3, 2024 $0.06; Jul 1, 2024 $0.06; Aug 1, 2024 $0.06; Sep 3, 2024 $0.06; Oct 1, 2024 $0.06; Nov 1, 2024 $0.06; Dec 2, 2024 $0.06; Dec 18, 2024 $0.06; Feb 3, 2025 $0.07; Mar 3, 2025 $0.06; Apr 1, 2025 $0.07; May 1, 2025 $0.06; Jun 2, 2025 $0.07; Jul 1, 2025 $0.07; Aug 1, 2025 $0.07; Sep 2, 2025 $0.07; Oct 1, 2025 $0.07; Nov 3, 2025 $0.06; Dec 1, 2025 $0.07; Dec 19, 2025 $0.07; Feb 2, 2026 $0.07; Mar 2, 2026 $0.06; Apr 1, 2026 $0.07; May 1, 2026 $0.07; Jun 1, 2026 $0.07; Jul 1, 2026 $0.07; Aug 3, 2026 $0.07; Sep 1, 2026 $0.08; Oct 1, 2026 $0.07; Nov 2, 2026 $0.07. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Nov 2, 2026Pays Nov 5, 2026$0.07
Oct 1, 2026Oct 6, 2026$0.07
Sep 1, 2026Sep 4, 2026$0.08
Aug 3, 2026Aug 6, 2026$0.07
Jul 1, 2026Jul 7, 2026$0.07
Jun 1, 2026Jun 4, 2026$0.07
May 1, 2026May 6, 2026$0.07
Apr 1, 2026Apr 7, 2026$0.07
Mar 2, 2026Mar 5, 2026$0.06
Feb 2, 2026Feb 5, 2026$0.07
Dec 19, 2025Dec 24, 2025$0.07
Dec 1, 2025Dec 4, 2025$0.07

See all 176 payments⁠

$10,000 in GOVT 10 years ago paid $2,144 in dividends.⁠

GOVT Risk

How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
5.1%
Annualised · 36 months to Oct 2026
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.

Return above 3-month US Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
−0.01
vs 3-month T-bills · to Oct 2026
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.

The largest fall from a peak to the low that followed.
−16.2%
Trough Oct 2023
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.

How strongly the fund’s returns move with its asset-class index.
0.88
vs its asset-class index
How it’s calculated: beta

The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.

FMP measures it over up to five years of monthly returns.

GOVT Cost

Overpaying vs SPTB, tied cheapest in US Treasury & Government

$422

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • GOVT 0.05%

    $1,060

  • SPTB 0.03% Tied cheapest

    $638

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • GOVT 0.05%
  • SPTB 0.03%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$250$500$750$1K$1.25K051015202530GOVT $1,060SPTB $638

Year by year

YearGOVTSPTBOverpaying
10$92$55$37
20$360$216$144
30$1,060$638$422

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