State Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF
$222.88−2.71 (−1.20%)
- 0.35%
- $5.4B
- −5.4%
- 0.19%
- 0.2M sh
- $228.36
- low $215.02high $297.79
The ETF.net XAR Grade
A
Score 79 out of 100
- 1 of 26
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.A92 out of 100Rank 1 of 26Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.D33 out of 100Rank 19 of 26Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A90 out of 100Rank 2 of 26Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.A87 out of 100Rank 2 of 26Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A94 out of 100Rank 2 of 26
Our read on XAR
AMost defense funds hand the wheel to a handful of giant primes. XAR spreads its roughly 50 aerospace and defense names close to equal weight, so a mid cap parts maker carries about the same load as a household-name contractor.
The fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the total return performance of the S&P Aerospace & Defense Select Industry Index.
Why people hold it
- Modified equal weighting keeps any single prime contractor from running the show: large, mid and small cap names carry similar weight in the index.ssga.com
- Costs 0.35% a year, under the 0.50% typical of defense funds and a hair below ITA at 0.37%. Cheap for a targeted industry bet.
- Trading since 2011 and now a multi-billion-dollar fund, it is one of the most established and best-built ways to own the US aerospace and defense industry.
- About 50 US-listed aerospace and defense stocks pulled from the S&P Total Market Index, so suppliers and smaller specialists sit alongside the famous names.ssga.com
Worth knowing
- One industry, tied to government budgets and order cycles. Expect bigger swings than a broad market fund.
- Equal weighting leans on smaller suppliers, which cuts both ways: less of the fund rides the megacap primes when those lead.ssga.com
- Distributions land quarterly, but this is an industry growth basket, not an income vehicle.
XAR Holdings
- Stocks
- 52
- 30%
- RKLB
Geography
- United States100.00%
XAR Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
XAR$9,457
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 | XAR |
|---|---|
| Year to date | −6.4% |
| 1 month | −8.2% |
| 3 months | −16.9% |
| 1 year | −5.4% |
| 3 years | +25.8% |
| 5 years | +13.5% |
| 10 years | +15.7% |
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 | XAR |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | −6.4% | |
| 2025 | +46.1% | |
| 2024 | +23.3% | |
| 2023 | +23.8% | |
| 2022 | −5.0% | |
| 2021 | +2.3% | |
| 2020 | +6.2% |
XAR in the news
XAR Dividends
- 0.19%
- $0.42
- $0.13 per share
- Quarterly
Distribution history
XAR Risk
- 22.9%
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.
- 1.00
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.
- −27.6%
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.
- 1.26
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
XAR Cost
0.35%
XAR0.35%
- The middle half of Defense & Aerospace funds
- Median 0.50%
No Defense & Aerospace fund charges less.
Other funds in Defense & Aerospace
- AITAiShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETFExpense ratio 0.37%1 year return +0.2%
- BFOWFPacer Solactive Whitney Future of Warfare ETFExpense ratio 0.49%1 year return +10.0%
- BFLDZTrueShares Patriot Defense ETFExpense ratio 0.40%1 year return −6.3%
- BPPAInvesco Aerospace & Defense ETFExpense ratio 0.58%1 year return +1.5%
- BIDEFiShares Defense Industrials ActExpense ratio 0.55%1 year return −1.7%