ESGU vs ETHO: Grades, Fees and Holdings Compared

iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF

ESGUANasdaq

Amplify Etho Climate Leadership U.S. ETF

ETHOCNYSE Arca

Overlap

9.9%by weight

Expense ratio

ESGU −0.30pt a year

ESGU0.15%ETHO0.45%

Avg volume · 30D

ESGU 107.6×the volume

ESGU389KETHO3.62K

5Y return · a year

ESGU +5.2pt

ESGU+10.8%ETHO+5.6%

ESGU vs ETHO Performance

Oct 29, 2021 – Oct 30, 2026

+67.1%ESGU+31.5%ETHO

Expense ratio: ESGU 0.15%, better; ETHO 0.45%
Fund size: ESGU $17.8B; ETHO $196M
1Y total return: ESGU +11.5%; ETHO +24.4%, better
Yield (12M): ESGU 0.94%, better; ETHO 0.70%
Holdings: ESGU 271; ETHO 284
Avg volume (30D): ESGU 389K sh, better; ETHO 3.62K sh
NAV per share: ESGU $165.22; ETHO $79.99
52W range

ETF.net Grade

Pillar letters and Scores for ESGU, ETHO, with each pillar’s weight
Pillar	ESGU	ETHO
Cost30% weight	B68Higher	F22
Mission25% weight	A97Higher	A95
Risk15% weight	C50Higher	D32
Tradability15% weight	A92Higher	D38
Holdings10% weight	B59	A82Higher
Durability5% weight	A95Higher	C52

Rank among US ESG & Values Index funds

How we build Categories ›

Same Category. ESGU and ETHO are both graded against the same 47 US ESG & Values Index funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

US ESG & Values Index⁠

Category · 47 funds

See all 47 ›

ESGU ranks 4th and ETHO 33rd of 47 funds in the US ESG & Values Index Category.

Rank 1AKLMNInvesco MSCI North America Climate ETFScore 82
Rank 2AEFIVState Street SPDR S&P 500 ESG ETFScore 79
Rank 3ASNPEXtrackers S&P 500 Scored & Screened ETFScore 78
Rank 4AESGUiShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETFScore 76
Rank 5ADFSUDimensional US Sustainability Core 1 ETFScore 74
Rank 32CCHGXStance Sustainable Beta ETFScore 52
Rank 33CETHOAmplify Etho Climate Leadership U.S. ETFScore 51
Rank 34CNUDVNuveen ESG DividendScore 50

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

ESGUAiShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF

ETHOCAmplify Etho Climate Leadership U.S. ETF

In short

ESGU Screening out companies is easy; keeping the market's shape while you do it is the hard part. ESGU's index optimizes toward stronger ESG characteristics while targeting risk and return similar to the broad MSCI USA Index.

ETHO Most ESG funds lead with exclusions. ETHO leads with the carbon math, ranking companies against their own industry on emissions, then spreading it across roughly 300 U.S. names. A 2015-vintage climate fund that stayed one.

Stated mandate

ESGU Seeks to track an index of large- and mid-cap U.S. companies selected for favorable environmental, social and governance (ESG) characteristics while seeking risk/return similar to the MSCI USA Index.

ETHO ETHO seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the total return of the Etho Climate Leadership Index–US. The passive fund generally invests at least 80% of net assets in index securities representing diversified U.S. companies selected for lower industry-relative carbon impact and ESG criteria.

Why people hold it

ESGU Not a screen-and-drop portfolio: the index optimizes toward better ESG characteristics while targeting risk and return similar to the broad MSCI USA Index.ishares.com
0.15% a year, below the typical fund in its US ESG group, spread across roughly 300 large- and mid-cap names rather than a narrow shortlist.
Running since 2016, a multi-billion-dollar iShares fund that pays quarterly and sits in the top quartile of a crowded US ESG peer group.

ETHO Selection starts with carbon impact measured against industry peers, not just headline exclusions, and lands in a diversified basket of roughly 300 U.S. companies.amplifyetfs.com
Rules-based and literal: a passive fund keeping at least 80% of net assets in its named index, the Etho Climate Leadership Index-US. The label and the portfolio line up.
Trading since 2015, early for a climate-screened U.S. equity ETF, with a record now spanning several full market cycles.
Roughly 300 holdings keeps single names from dominating, one of the broader portfolios among U.S. ESG equity funds.

Worth knowing

ESGU Cheaper seats in the same row: XVV at 0.08%, ESGV at 0.09%, SNPE and EFIV at 0.10%, against 0.15% here.
Market-like risk is the stated goal, so exclusions are lighter than a purist ESG fund and the holdings end up looking a lot like the broad US market.ishares.com
MSCI's ratings decide who makes the cut, so the portfolio reflects one provider's definition of ESG, not an industry standard.ishares.com

ETHO At 0.45% a year, it runs well above the ESG index crowd: Vanguard's ESGV charges 0.09% and iShares' XVV 0.08%.
Thinly traded next to the mega-cap ESG names, so bid/ask spreads can be wider and large orders move the price more.
Cash comes back once or twice a year, not monthly.

Full ESGU profile⁠

Full ETHO profile⁠

ESGU vs ETHO Holdings

How ESGU and ETHO differ

Overlap by weight

9.9%

Shared holdings make up 32.2% of ESGU and 17.0% of ETHO.

Level by level

Holdings45 in both9.9%
Sector11 Sectors81.4%
Countryby domicile99.3%
Asset classEquity100%

Sector

Sector weights in ESGU and ETHO, widest gap first
Sector	More in ESGUMore in ETHO	ESGU	ETHO
Technology	ESGU +10.1 points	38.4%	28.3%
Industrials	ETHO +5.4 points	8.2%	13.6%
Communication	ESGU +4.8 points	8.5%	3.7%
Health Care	ETHO +3.9 points	10.6%	14.5%
Energy	ESGU +3.8 points	4.0%	0.2%
Real Estate	ETHO +3.2 points	2.1%	5.3%
Materials	ETHO +3.1 points	1.9%	5.0%
Consumer Discretionary	ETHO +1.4 points	8.1%	9.5%
Financials	ETHO +0.8 points	11.9%	12.7%
Utilities	ETHO +0.5 points	1.8%	2.3%
Consumer Staples	ETHO +0.3 points	4.6%	4.9%

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in ESGU and ETHO, widest gap first
Country	More in ESGUMore in ETHO	ESGU	ETHO
United States	ESGU +0.5 points	99.8%	99.3%
Switzerland	ETHO +0.4 points	0.0%	0.4%
United Kingdom	ETHO +0.3 points	0.0%	0.3%
Brazil	ESGU +0.1 points	0.1%	0.0%
China	ESGU +0.1 points	0.1%	0.0%

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

ESGU36.2%
ETHO7.5%

Securities held

ESGU268
ETHO284

Asset class

ESGU: Equity
ETHO: Equity

Holdings

Only in ESGU223
In both45
Only in ETHO239

Only in ESGU

223 securities, 67.6% of ESGU by weight

Amazon.com Inc3.49%
Alphabet Class C2.89%
Broadcom Inc2.29%
Meta Platforms Class A1.91%
Tesla Inc1.73%
Eli Lilly1.70%
Micron Technology1.50%
JPMorgan Chase & Co1.34%
Advanced Micro Devices1.29%
AbbVie0.89%
Exxonmobil Holdings Corp0.82%
Johnson & Johnson0.81%
Cisco Systems Inc0.69%
Home Depot0.66%
Procter & Gamble0.66%
Costco Wholesale Corp0.65%
Coca-Cola0.61%
Hartford Insurance Group0.60%
Applied Material Inc0.58%
Lam Research0.56%
Palo Alto Networks0.55%
Verizon Communications Inc0.55%
Merck & Co Inc0.53%
Goldman Sachs Group0.52%
Palantir Technologies Class A0.50%
Rtx0.48%
Caterpillar Inc0.48%
Nisource0.47%
UnitedHealth Group0.46%
Ge Aerospace0.46%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc Class B0.46%
Intel Corporation0.45%
Morgan Stanley0.44%
Bank of New York Mellon Corp0.43%
Gilead Sciences0.43%
Nextera Energy0.41%
Linde PLC0.40%
International Business Machines Co0.40%
S&P Global0.40%
American Tower Reit0.39%
Lowes Companies Inc0.38%
Bank of America0.36%
Equinix Reit0.36%
Metlife0.36%
Honeywell International Inc0.36%
Williams0.36%
Amgen Inc0.36%
Exelon Corp0.36%
Oracle0.35%
Ge Vernova0.35%

Only in ETHO

239 securities, 83.0% of ETHO by weight

MaxLinear Inc1.15%
10X Genomics Inc0.98%
Personalis Inc0.73%
SELLAS Life Sciences Group Inc0.68%
Glaukos Corp0.65%
Paycom Software Inc0.65%
Everpure Inc0.64%
Commvault Systems Inc0.64%
AtriCure Inc0.64%
Haemonetics Corp0.63%
Cheesecake Factory Inc/The0.61%
Halozyme Therapeutics Inc0.61%
Corcept Therapeutics Inc0.59%
Guardant Health Inc0.58%
Adaptive Biotechnologies Corp0.57%
elf Beauty Inc0.55%
Grocery Outlet Holding Corp0.54%
Magnite Inc0.54%
Etsy Inc0.53%
Chefs' Warehouse Inc/The0.52%
Progress Software Corp0.52%
Impinj Inc0.52%
IDT Corp0.51%
Semtech Corp0.49%
Dropbox Inc0.49%
Custom Truck One Source Inc0.48%
Paylocity Holding Corp0.47%
CEVA Inc0.47%
Veracyte Inc0.46%
Castle Biosciences Inc0.45%
Huron Consulting Group Inc0.45%
Repligen Corp0.44%
Digi International Inc0.44%
PC Connection Inc0.44%
Aehr Test Systems0.44%
Voya Financial Inc0.43%
Gartner Inc0.43%
GoDaddy Inc0.43%
Penske Automotive Group Inc0.42%
Transcontinental Realty Investors Inc0.42%
Reliance Inc0.42%
Global Industrial Co0.42%
Myers Industries Inc0.42%
Trex Co Inc0.41%
Affiliated Managers Group Inc0.41%
PTC Inc0.41%
Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc0.41%
ExlService Holdings Inc0.40%
Arcutis Biotherapeutics Inc0.40%
Host Hotels & Resorts Inc0.40%

Weight gaps

All 45 Holdings in both funds, largest gap first.

Holding weights in ESGU and ETHO, widest gap first
Holding	More in ESGUMore in ETHO	ESGU	ETHO
AppleAAPL	ESGU +7.25 points	7.66%	0.41%
NVIDIANVDA	ESGU +6.89 points	7.25%	0.36%
MicrosoftMSFT	ESGU +5.28 points	5.71%	0.43%
Alphabet Class AGOOGL	ESGU +1.29 points	1.58%	0.29%
Visa Class AV	ESGU +0.93 points	1.33%	0.40%
Okta Class AOKTA	ETHO +0.63 points	0.15%	0.78%
Datadog Inc Class ADDOG	ETHO +0.48 points	0.11%	0.59%
Netapp IncNTAP	ETHO +0.46 points	0.13%	0.59%
Mastercard Class AMA	ESGU +0.36 points	0.74%	0.38%
United RentalsURI	ETHO +0.37 points	0.11%	0.48%
Mongodb Class AMDB	ETHO +0.34 points	0.08%	0.42%
Veeva Systems Class AVEEV	ETHO +0.34 points	0.18%	0.52%
Waters CorpWAT	ETHO +0.32 points	0.14%	0.46%
Incyte CorpINCY	ETHO +0.28 points	0.10%	0.38%
PayPal HoldingsPYPL	ETHO +0.28 points	0.09%	0.37%
Agilent Technologies IncA	ETHO +0.27 points	0.20%	0.47%
Cloudflare Class ANET	ETHO +0.26 points	0.14%	0.40%
Rockwell Automation IncROK	ETHO +0.26 points	0.10%	0.36%
F5FFIV	ETHO +0.23 points	0.12%	0.35%
Synchrony FinancialSYF	ETHO +0.23 points	0.10%	0.33%
Monolithic Power Systems IncMPWR	ETHO +0.24 points	0.09%	0.33%
Comfort Systems UsaFIX	ETHO +0.19 points	0.07%	0.26%
Emcor GroupEME	ETHO +0.18 points	0.09%	0.27%
CoherentCOHR	ETHO +0.19 points	0.07%	0.26%
Sba Communications Reit Corp ClassSBAC	ETHO +0.17 points	0.15%	0.32%
Intuitive SurgicalISRG	ETHO +0.17 points	0.11%	0.28%
QualcommQCOM	ETHO +0.14 points	0.25%	0.39%
Chipotle Mexican GrillCMG	ETHO +0.14 points	0.16%	0.30%
Arista NetworksANET	ETHO +0.13 points	0.28%	0.41%
NetflixNFLX	ESGU +0.13 points	0.32%	0.19%
Edwards LifesciencesEW	ETHO +0.12 points	0.22%	0.34%
Arch Capital GroupACGL	ETHO +0.11 points	0.23%	0.34%
ProgressivePGR	ETHO +0.11 points	0.24%	0.35%
EcolabECL	ESGU +0.09 points	0.43%	0.34%
SynopsysSNPS	ETHO +0.09 points	0.26%	0.35%
American ExpressAXP	ESGU +0.07 points	0.39%	0.32%
AutodeskADSK	ETHO +0.07 points	0.25%	0.32%
KlaKLAC	ETHO +0.07 points	0.26%	0.33%
Analog DevicesADI	ETHO +0.06 points	0.33%	0.39%
Accenture PLC Class AACN	ETHO +0.05 points	0.35%	0.40%
Adobe IncADBE	ETHO +0.05 points	0.26%	0.31%
Texas InstrumentTXN	ETHO +0.04 points	0.42%	0.46%
Automatic Data Processing IncADP	ETHO +0.04 points	0.40%	0.44%
ServicenowNOW	ETHO +0.03 points	0.27%	0.30%
Idexx LaboratoriesIDXX	ESGU +0.01 points	0.30%	0.29%

All 268 ESGU holdings⁠All 283 ETHO 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.

ESGU vs ETHO Cost

Overpaying ETHO vs ESGU

$5,904

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

ESGU 0.15%
$3,137
ETHO 0.45%
$9,041

Amount$10,000

Years30 years

Cost over time

ESGU 0.15%
ETHO 0.45%
Overpaying

Year by year

Year	ESGU	ETHO	Overpaying
10	$274	$812	$538
20	$1,071	$3,128	$2,057
30	$3,137	$9,041	$5,904

Expense ratio

0.15%ESGU, cheaper
0.45%ETHO

ESGU0.15%ETHO0.45%

0.08%0.95%

Middle half of US ESG & Values Index funds
Median 0.25%

ESGU 13th cheapest of 47 funds

ETHO 36th cheapest of 47 funds

ESGU vs ETHO Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026

Yield (12M): ESGU 0.94%, better; ETHO 0.70%
Payout (12M): ESGU $1.55; ETHO $0.56
Last payment: ESGU $0.38; ETHO $0.56
Ex-dividend: ESGU Sep 15, 2026; ETHO Dec 30, 2025
Paid on: ESGU Sep 18, 2026; ETHO Dec 31, 2025
Frequency: ESGU Quarterly; ETHO Annual

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

ESGUQuarterly · 41 paymentsAll ESGU payments⁠

ETHOAnnual · 32 paymentsAll ETHO payments⁠

ESGU vs ETHO Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

ESGU
ETHO

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years: ESGU 12.8%, betterETHO 15.5%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years: ESGU 1.35, betterETHO 0.98
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years: ESGU −26.1%, betterETHO −30.7%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years: ESGU 1.04ETHO 1.13; Market = 1

ESGU and ETHO in the news

All news⁠

ETF Filings
iShares files for a screened MSCI USA ETF that omits ESG from the name
Sep 4, 2026ESGU

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ESGU vs ETHO

In short

Stated mandate

Why people hold it

Worth knowing

How ESGU and ETHO differ

Level by level

Sector

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Concentration

Asset class

Holdings

Only in ESGU

Only in ETHO

Weight gaps

Cost over time

Year by year

Distribution history

Fall from peak · 5 years

Risk facts

iShares files for a screened MSCI USA ETF that omits ESG from the name

How ESGU and ETHO differ

Level by level

Sector

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Concentration

Asset class

Holdings

Only in ESGU

Only in ETHO

Weight gaps