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EMOT vs QUAL

First Trust S&P 500 Economic Moat ETF

EMOTDNYSE Arca

iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF

QUALACboe

Overlap

Expense ratio

QUAL −0.45pt a year

EMOT0.60%QUAL0.15%

Avg volume · 30D

QUAL 1460.0×the volume

EMOT708QUAL1.03M

EMOT vs QUAL Performance

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

+12.9%EMOT+14.4%QUAL

Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. EMOT +12.9%. QUAL +14.4%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−5%0%5%Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026
Expense ratio
EMOT 0.60%
QUAL 0.15%, better
Fund size
EMOT $3M
QUAL $48B
1Y total return
EMOT +12.9%
QUAL +14.4%, better
Yield (12M)
EMOT 1.04%, better
QUAL 0.85%
Holdings
EMOT 51
QUAL 121
Avg volume (30D)
EMOT 708 sh
QUAL 1.03M sh, better
NAV per share
EMOT $26.68
QUAL $222.43
52W range

ETF.net Grade

EMOT: Cost 2, Risk 53, Mission 40, Tradability 12, Holdings 68, Durability 26. QUAL: Cost 84, Risk 64, Mission 94, Tradability 96, Holdings 35, Durability 96.
Pillar letters and Scores for EMOT, QUAL, with each pillar’s weight
PillarEMOTQUAL
Cost30% weightF2A84Higher
Mission25% weightC40A94Higher
Risk15% weightC53B64Higher
Tradability15% weightF12A96Higher
Holdings10% weightB68HigherD35
Durability5% weightD26A96Higher

Rank among US Quality Index funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. EMOT and QUAL are both graded against the same 26 US Quality Index funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

US Quality Index⁠

Category · 26 funds
See all 26 ›

QUAL ranks 1st and EMOT 24th of 26 funds in the US Quality Index Category.

  1. Rank 1AJQUAJPMorgan U.S. Quality Factor ETFScore 81
  2. Rank 1AQUALiShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETFScore 81
  3. Rank 3AFQALFidelity Quality Factor ETFScore 75
  4. Rank 23DABOTAbacus FCF Innovation Leaders ETFScore 31
  5. Rank 24DEMOTFirst Trust S&P 500 Economic Moat ETFScore 28
  6. Rank 25FOWNCorgi Inside Ownership 100 ETFScore 24

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

EMOTDFirst Trust S&P 500 Economic Moat ETF

QUALAiShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF

In short

EMOT Moat investing, done S&P's way: EMOT narrows the S&P 500 to roughly 50 companies flagged for durable competitive advantage and holds them outright. A 2024 First Trust launch with a concentrated quality tilt.

QUAL QUAL screens US large and mid caps for high return on equity, low debt and steady earnings, then does it sector by sector, so the portfolio stays spread across the market instead of piling into whichever sector looks healthiest.

Stated mandate

EMOT The Fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the S&P 500 Economic Moat Index. It normally invests at least 80% of net assets in index securities and generally uses full replication.

QUAL The fund tracks an index of U.S. large- and mid-capitalization stocks selected for quality characteristics, including high return on equity, stable earnings, and low debt.

Why people hold it

  • EMOT One job, stated plainly: hold the S&P 500 Economic Moat Index by full replication, with at least 80% of net assets in index securities.ftportfolios.com
  • The moat call comes from a published index rule set, not a manager's hunch, so the quality screen it advertises is the one you actually own.ftportfolios.com
  • Concentration with intent: roughly 50 stocks rather than 500, so the tilt shows up in the portfolio instead of getting diluted. Pays quarterly.
  • QUAL At 0.15%, it undercuts the typical quality-factor fund, where the cohort median sits at 0.29%.
  • Sector neutral by design: companies are ranked on return on equity, leverage and earnings variability against rivals in their own GICS sector.msci.comishares.com
  • Running since 2013, now a $25B-$100B fund that trades actively, with returns that stay close to its index.

Worth knowing

  • EMOT At 0.60% a year, the fee sits well above the typical US multifactor ETF; large-cap peers like FNDX (0.25%) and IUSG (0.04%) charge a fraction of it.
  • A small, thinly traded fund, which typically means wider bid-ask spreads than the household names in this category.
  • Live since 2024, so the track record is short and hasn't seen a full market cycle.
  • QUAL About 120 large and mid caps, leaning on the same familiar giants as a broad US index fund. This is a tilt on core equity, not new ground.
  • Sector neutrality cuts both ways: it keeps a foot in every sector rather than stepping away from ones with weak fundamentals.msci.com
  • Cheap, not cheapest. JQUA (0.12%) and VFQY (0.13%) shave a basis point or three off the fee.

Full EMOT profile⁠

Full QUAL profile⁠

EMOT vs QUAL Holdings

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

EMOT vs QUAL Cost

Overpaying EMOT vs QUAL

$8,680

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

  • EMOT 0.60%

    $11,817

  • QUAL 0.15%

    $3,137

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • EMOT 0.60%
  • QUAL 0.15%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.5K$5K$7.5K$10K$12.5K051015202530EMOT $11,817QUAL $3,137

Year by year

YearEMOTQUALOverpaying
10$1,076$274$802
20$4,116$1,071$3,045
30$11,817$3,137$8,680

Expense ratio

  • 0.60%EMOT
  • 0.15%QUAL, cheaper
  • Middle half of US Quality Index funds
  • Median 0.39%

QUAL 3rd cheapest of 26 funds

EMOT 25th cheapest of 26 funds

EMOT vs QUAL Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
EMOT 1.04%, better
QUAL 0.85%
Payout (12M)
EMOT $0.28
QUAL $1.89
Last payment
EMOT $0.04
QUAL $0.47
Ex-dividend
EMOT Sep 24, 2026
QUAL Sep 15, 2026
Paid on
EMOT Sep 30, 2026
QUAL Sep 18, 2026
Frequency
EMOT Quarterly
QUAL Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

EMOTQuarterly · 7 paymentsAll EMOT payments⁠
One bar per payment. 7 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Dec 13, 2024 $0.08; Jun 26, 2025 $0.05; Sep 25, 2025 $0.05; Dec 12, 2025 $0.10; Mar 26, 2026 $0.08; Jun 25, 2026 $0.06; Sep 24, 2026 $0.04. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.502017202020232026YTD
QUALQuarterly · 40 paymentsAll QUAL payments⁠
One bar per payment. 40 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 24, 2017 $0.35; Jun 27, 2017 $0.39; Sep 26, 2017 $0.34; Dec 21, 2017 $0.38; Mar 22, 2018 $0.38; Jun 26, 2018 $0.38; Sep 26, 2018 $0.37; Dec 17, 2018 $0.41; Mar 20, 2019 $0.35; Jun 17, 2019 $0.45; Sep 24, 2019 $0.37; Dec 16, 2019 $0.44; Mar 25, 2020 $0.41; Jun 15, 2020 $0.36; Sep 23, 2020 $0.44; Dec 14, 2020 $0.41; Mar 25, 2021 $0.54; Jun 10, 2021 $0.38; Sep 24, 2021 $0.42; Dec 13, 2021 $0.41; Mar 24, 2022 $0.38; Jun 9, 2022 $0.42; Sep 26, 2022 $0.53; Dec 13, 2022 $0.48; Mar 23, 2023 $0.37; Jun 7, 2023 $0.38; Sep 26, 2023 $0.51; Dec 20, 2023 $0.45; Dec 28, 2023 $0.10; Mar 21, 2024 $0.37; Jun 11, 2024 $0.35; Sep 25, 2024 $0.54; Dec 17, 2024 $0.55; Mar 18, 2025 $0.39; Jun 16, 2025 $0.39; Sep 16, 2025 $0.47; Dec 16, 2025 $0.61; Mar 17, 2026 $0.42; Jun 15, 2026 $0.39; Sep 15, 2026 $0.47. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.502017202020232026YTD

EMOT vs QUAL Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
EMOT 11.7%since Jul 2024QUAL 11.7%Same figure. Both funds show the same value, so neither comes out ahead.
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
EMOT 0.85since Jul 2024QUAL 1.32
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
EMOT −16.4%since Jun 2024QUAL −28.2%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
EMOT 0.82QUAL 0.90

EMOT and QUAL in the news

All news⁠

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