Northern Trust Quality Dividend ETF
$91.53−0.16 (−0.17%)
- 0.40%
- $2.2B
- +20.7%
- 1.49%
- 0M sh
- $91.58
- low $76.95high $93.89
The ETF.net QDF Grade
C
Score 53 out of 100
- 29 of 53
Score 53 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.D38 out of 100Rank 29 of 53Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.B66 out of 100Rank 42 of 50Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.C51 out of 100Rank 25 of 53Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A70 out of 100Rank 14 of 53Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.D37 out of 100Rank 40 of 53Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.B69 out of 100Rank 17 of 53
Our read on QDF
CMost dividend funds sort by yield and hope. QDF scores dividend quality first (profitability, management, cash flow), then targets market-like beta versus its parent large/mid-cap index, so the income tilt doesn't drift defensive.
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
- Selects on a Dividend Quality Score built from expected dividend payment plus profitability, management and cash flow, aiming at payouts that hold up rather than the fattest ones on the screen.flexshares.com
- The index targets beta similar to the Northern Trust 1250 parent index of US large and mid caps, so the quality-dividend tilt is designed to keep market-like sensitivity, not go quietly defensive.flexshares.comsec.gov
- Running since 2012, a $1B-$5B fund of about 120 names paying quarterly, and it absorbed its higher-beta sibling QDYN in 2023 to become the lineup's single US quality-dividend book.sec.gov
Worth knowing
- At 0.40% it costs multiples of the cohort's cheap giants (VIG 0.04%, SCHD 0.06%, DGRO 0.08%), so the quality screen carries a fee gap to work against.
- Trades thinly next to the category's household names, so spreads can widen around the open and close.
- Uses representative sampling instead of holding the full index and may run more than 25% in one industry, both of which can move results away from the index.flexshares.com
QDF Holdings
- Stocks
- 143
- 39%
- AAPL
Sectors
- Technology38.8%
- Financials12.0%
- Industrials9.6%
- Health Care8.1%
- Communication7.7%
- Consumer Discretionary6.9%
- Consumer Staples5.3%
- Real Estate4.7%
- Energy3.0%
- Utilities2.7%
- Materials1.3%
Geography
- United States97.73%
- Ireland1.63%
- Sweden0.46%
- Bermuda0.17%
QDF Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
QDF$12,073
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 | QDF |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +14.6% |
| 1 month | +0.6% |
| 3 months | +1.5% |
| 1 year | +20.7% |
| 3 years | +19.7% |
| 5 years | +12.5% |
| 10 years | +12.2% |
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 | QDF |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +14.6% | |
| 2025 | +16.6% | |
| 2024 | +16.9% | |
| 2023 | +19.7% | |
| 2022 | −12.1% | |
| 2021 | +26.7% | |
| 2020 | +4.9% |
QDF in the news
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EASY's first year trailed the defensive index it names
QDF Dividends
- 1.49%
- $1.37
- $0.35 per share
- Quarterly
Distribution history
QDF Risk
- 11.5%
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.
- 1.23
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.
- −22.1%
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.
- 0.92
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
QDF Cost
0.40%
QDF0.40%
- The middle half of US Dividend Index funds
- Median 0.38%
32 of the 52 US Dividend Index funds charge less.
Other funds in US Dividend Index
- CQDEFNorthern Trust Quality Dividend Defensive ETFExpense ratio 0.40%1 year return +18.6%
- CFVDFirst Trust Value Line Dividend Index FundExpense ratio 0.62%1 year return +8.2%
- CRDVYFirst Trust Rising Dividend Achievers ETFExpense ratio 0.47%1 year return +23.8%
- CSDVYFirst Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend Achievers ETFExpense ratio 0.58%1 year return +14.4%
- CVSDAVictoryShares Dividend Accelerator ETFExpense ratio 0.40%1 year return +12.3%