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Launched · SEC filings

Northern Trust Quality Dividend ETF

QDFNYSE ArcaFlexSharesC

$90.31−0.16 (−0.17%)

As of Nov 2, 2026, 3:59 PM ET

C49/ 100

Rank 37 of 53 in US Dividend Index

C49/100Rank 37 of 53inUS Dividend Index
Intraday session: down, 78 prints from 90.47 to 90.31. Range 90.31 to 91.30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.90.6090.8091.0091.2010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.39%*
Fund size
$2.17B
1Y total return
+14.5%
Yield · Last 12 months
1.51%
Holdings
143
Avg volume · 30D
24.5K sh
52W range
low $76.95high $93.89
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

*After a fee waiver that ends Mar 1, 2027. Without it: 0.40%.

The ETF.net QDF Grade

C

Score 49 out of 100

Category
US Dividend Index⁠
Rank
37 of 53
Six-pillar profile for QDF. Scores out of 100: Cost 36, Risk 40, Mission 62, Tradability 68, Holdings 37, Durability 69. Strongest: Durability (69). Weakest: Cost (36). Leans toward Durability and Tradability.

Score 49 of 100 falls in the C 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.
    D36 out of 100
    Rank 32 of 53

  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    B62 out of 100
    Rank 45 of 50

  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    C40 out of 100
    Rank 36 of 53

  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    B68 out of 100
    Rank 12 of 53

  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    D37 out of 100
    Rank 41 of 53

  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    B69 out of 100
    Rank 16 of 53

Our read on QDF

ETF.net Research

In short

CA dividend screen that doesn't want to be a bond proxy: QDF ranks large and mid-cap US payers on dividend quality, then targets beta similar to its parent index. 0.39% net of a waiver through March 1, 2027.

Stated mandate

The fund seeks to track the Northern Trust Quality Dividend Index before fees and expenses. Its strategy uses a quality-focused dividend approach intended to pursue income and total return through U.S. equity securities.

Why people hold it

  • The index starts with 1,250 large and mid-cap US companies, cuts non-payers, then drops the lowest-scoring quintile on a Dividend Quality Score built from financial health measures.flexshares.com
  • Quality is ranked sector by sector, an apples-to-apples comparison that surfaces payers across the market instead of crowding into the usual high-yield corners.flexshares.com
  • The index targets overall beta similar to the Northern Trust 1250 parent, so the yield tilt is not built around a defensive, low-beta portfolio.flexshares.com
  • Live since December 2012, a multi-billion-dollar fund holding roughly 140 stocks and paying quarterly.

Worth knowing

  • At 0.39% (net of a waiver through March 1, 2027) the fee lands near the category median, but well above index rivals like SCHD at 0.06% and VIG at 0.04%.
  • Trades less actively than the category's largest funds, so limit orders are the sane way in and out.
  • FlexShares flags that the fund can sit more than 25% in one industry and uses representative sampling, which can widen the gap between fund and index returns.flexshares.com

QDF Performance

Launched Dec 14, 2012

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

QDF$11,449
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,199
Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. QDF $11,449. SPY $11,199. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$10,000$11,000Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

Returns run to the Oct 30, 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 QDF. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodQDF
Year to date+13.1%
1 month+0.3%
3 months+0.1%
1 year+14.5%
3 yearsper year+20.7%
5 yearsper year+11.4%
10 yearsper year+12.1%

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 QDF
YearReturn barQDF
2026 YTD+13.1%
2025+16.6%
2024+16.9%
2023+19.7%
2022−12.1%
2021+26.7%
2020+4.9%

QDF in the news

QDF 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 Oct 30, 2026.
1.51%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$1.37Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.35 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Quarterly

Distribution history

2017–2026

One bar per payment. 39 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 20, 2017 $0.24; Jun 19, 2017 $0.28; Sep 18, 2017 $0.30; Dec 21, 2017 $0.40; Mar 19, 2018 $0.18; Jun 18, 2018 $0.31; Sep 24, 2018 $0.33; Dec 21, 2018 $0.89; Mar 15, 2019 $0.20; Jun 21, 2019 $0.39; Sep 20, 2019 $0.25; Dec 20, 2019 $0.63; Mar 20, 2020 $0.26; Jun 19, 2020 $0.33; Sep 18, 2020 $0.27; Dec 18, 2020 $0.31; Mar 19, 2021 $0.23; Jun 18, 2021 $0.27; Sep 17, 2021 $0.29; Dec 17, 2021 $0.37; Mar 18, 2022 $0.25; Jun 17, 2022 $0.33; Sep 16, 2022 $0.32; Dec 16, 2022 $0.39; Mar 17, 2023 $0.21; Jun 16, 2023 $0.39; Sep 15, 2023 $0.29; Dec 15, 2023 $0.45; Mar 15, 2024 $0.19; Jun 21, 2024 $0.34; Sep 20, 2024 $0.34; Dec 20, 2024 $0.48; Mar 21, 2025 $0.19; Jun 20, 2025 $0.35; Sep 19, 2025 $0.32; Dec 19, 2025 $0.47; Mar 20, 2026 $0.20; Jun 18, 2026 $0.36; Sep 18, 2026 $0.35. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2017201820192020202120222023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Sep 18, 2026Sep 24, 2026$0.35
Jun 18, 2026Jun 25, 2026$0.36
Mar 20, 2026Mar 26, 2026$0.20
Dec 19, 2025Dec 26, 2025$0.47
Sep 19, 2025Sep 25, 2025$0.32
Jun 20, 2025Jun 26, 2025$0.35
Mar 21, 2025Mar 27, 2025$0.19
Dec 20, 2024Dec 27, 2024$0.48
Sep 20, 2024Sep 26, 2024$0.34
Jun 21, 2024Jun 27, 2024$0.34
Mar 15, 2024Mar 21, 2024$0.19
Dec 15, 2023Dec 21, 2023$0.45

See all 56 payments⁠

$10,000 in QDF 10 years ago paid $3,676 in dividends.⁠

QDF Risk

Risk pillarC40 out of 100Rank 36 of 53 in US Dividend Index
How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
11.3%
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.
1.34
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.
−22.1%
Trough Sep 2022
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.
0.92
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.

QDF Cost

Compare QDF and VIG

Overpaying vs VIG, cheapest in US Dividend Index

$7,049

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

  • QDF 0.39%

    $7,898

  • VIG 0.04% Cheapest

    $849

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • QDF 0.39%
  • VIG 0.04%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2K$4K$6K$8K051015202530QDF $7,898VIG $849

Year by year

YearQDFVIGOverpaying
10$705$73$632
20$2,725$288$2,437
30$7,898$849$7,049
How the 0.39% is worked out

Full fee 0.40%− waiver 0.01%= you pay 0.39%

The waiver ends Mar 1, 2027. After that the fee is 0.40% unless FlexShares renews it. Source: prospectus, Aug 2026.

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