Deep Dive
Financials drop 2.4% after the Fed's first hike since 2023 and a Bank of America fee warning
iShares U.S. Insurance ETF
$142.34+0.64 (+0.45%)
- 0.37%
- $428M
- +10.4%
- 2.52%
- 0.1M sh
- $140.18
- low $124.62high $152.38
The ETF.net IAK Grade
B
Score 58 out of 100
- 9 of 18
Score 58 of 100 falls in the B 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.C53 out of 100Rank 7 of 18Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A80 out of 100Rank 7 of 10Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.B62 out of 100Rank 3 of 18Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.B59 out of 100Rank 6 of 18Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.F12 out of 100Rank 18 of 18Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.B61 out of 100Rank 7 of 18
Our read on IAK
BFinancials, minus the banks. IAK tracks a market-cap index of U.S. insurers (life, property-casualty, brokers) in roughly 60 names, and it has run that same pure-play mandate since 2006.
The fund pursues the results of an index of U.S. insurance-sector equities. It uses representative-sampling indexing rather than active management and generally places at least 80% of assets in index components.
Why people hold it
- Insurance only. The index covers U.S. insurance-sector equities, so banks and capital-markets names do not ride along the way they do in a broad financials fund.ishares.com
- Costs 0.37% a year, below the 0.44% median for its financials peer group.
- A 2006 launch, run as a plain index sampler with no manager stock-picking, and it tracks its benchmark closely. One of the better implementations in its cohort.
- Pays out on a quarterly schedule.
Worth knowing
- About 60 stocks in one industry. Results hinge on the insurance cycle (underwriting losses, rates) rather than on the broad market.
- Whole-sector trackers like XLF and VFH charge under a tenth of a percent, so the insurance carve-out is the pricier way to own financials.
- Moderately traded and mid-size in assets, not a category heavyweight. Limit orders earn their keep here, especially in larger clips.
IAK Holdings
- Stocks
- 64
- 65%
- HCI
Sectors
- Property & Casualty Insurance76.8%
- Life & Health Insurance23.0%
- MULTI-LINE INSURANCE0.2%
Geography
- United States82.12%
- Switzerland13.13%
- Bermuda4.75%
IAK Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
IAK$11,037
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 | IAK |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +6.4% |
| 1 month | −1.3% |
| 3 months | −2.5% |
| 1 year | +10.4% |
| 3 years | +17.5% |
| 5 years | +13.8% |
| 10 years | +12.4% |
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 | IAK |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +6.4% | |
| 2025 | +9.5% | |
| 2024 | +28.3% | |
| 2023 | +11.3% | |
| 2022 | +11.4% | |
| 2021 | +26.8% | |
| 2020 | −2.9% |
IAK in the news
IAK Dividends
- 2.52%
- $3.57
- $0.51 per share
- Quarterly
Distribution history
IAK Risk
- 16.2%
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.
- 0.73
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.
- −14.7%
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.
- 0.35
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
IAK Cost
0.37%
IAK0.37%
- The middle half of Financials (Broad) funds
- Median 0.37%
6 of the 18 Financials (Broad) funds charge less.
Other funds in Financials (Broad)
- BPSCFInvesco S&P SmallCap Financials ETFExpense ratio 0.29%1 year return +14.4%
- BKBWPInvesco KBW Property & Casualty Insurance ETFExpense ratio 0.35%1 year return +6.5%
- BFXOFirst Trust Financials AlphaDEX FundExpense ratio 0.60%1 year return +12.0%
- CRSPFInvesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Financials ETFExpense ratio 0.40%1 year return +6.5%
- CIYGiShares U.S. Financial Services ETFExpense ratio 0.37%1 year return +8.6%