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IYF vs VFH

iShares U.S. Financials ETF

IYFBNYSE Arca

Vanguard Financials ETF

VFHBNYSE Arca

Overlap

Expense ratio

VFH −0.28pt a year

IYF0.37%VFH0.09%

Avg volume · 30D

VFH 1.6×the volume

IYF372KVFH579K

10Y return · a year

IYF +0.2pt

IYF+13.1%VFH+12.9%

IYF vs VFH Performance

Oct 29, 2021 – Oct 30, 2026

+59.0%IYF+52.3%VFH

Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. IYF +59.0%. VFH +52.3%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−20%0%20%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026
Expense ratio
IYF 0.37%
VFH 0.09%, better
Fund size
IYF $3.74B
VFH $13.9B
1Y total return
IYF +8.5%
VFH +9.6%, better
Yield (12M)
IYF 1.49%
VFH 1.71%, better
Holdings
IYF 146
VFH 426
Avg volume (30D)
IYF 372K sh
VFH 579K sh, better
NAV per share
IYF $130.91
VFH $137.29
52W range

ETF.net Grade

IYF: Cost 53, Risk 57, Mission 84, Tradability 76, Holdings 55, Durability 76. VFH: Cost 88, Risk 53, Mission not scored, Tradability 56, Holdings 53, Durability 84.
Pillar letters and Scores for IYF, VFH, with each pillar’s weight
PillarIYFVFH
Cost30% weightC53A88Higher
Mission25% weightA84Not scored
Risk15% weightB57HigherC53
Tradability15% weightA76HigherB56
Holdings10% weightB55HigherC53
Durability5% weightA76A84Higher

Rank among Financials (Broad) funds

Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. IYF and VFH are both graded against the same 18 Financials (Broad) funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Financials (Broad)⁠

Category · 18 funds
See all 18 ›

VFH ranks 4th and IYF 5th of 18 funds in the Financials (Broad) Category.

  1. Rank 1AXLFState Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETFScore 82
  2. Rank 2AFNCLFidelity MSCI Financials Index ETFScore 76
  3. Rank 3AKIEState Street SPDR S&P Insurance ETFScore 72
  4. Rank 4BVFHVanguard Financials ETFScore 69
  5. Rank 5BIXGiShares Global Financials ETFScore 66
  6. Rank 5BIYFiShares U.S. Financials ETFScore 66
  7. Rank 7BKBWPInvesco KBW Property & Casualty Insurance ETFScore 61

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

IYFBiShares U.S. Financials ETF

VFHBVanguard Financials ETF

In short

IYF Trading since May 2000, IYF runs the US financials trade off the Russell 1000's financials slice, so mid-cap banks, insurers and brokers ride along with the megabanks. About 140 names at 0.37%, near the category median fee.

VFH Financials without the size filter. VFH holds roughly 400 US financial stocks, from the megabanks down to small regional lenders and insurers, for 0.09% a year.

Stated mandate

IYF The fund seeks to track an index composed of U.S. equities in the financials sector.

VFH VFH seeks to track the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Financials 25/50, providing passively managed, multicapitalization exposure to U.S. financial-sector equities.

Why people hold it

  • IYF The index is the financials cut of the Russell 1000 and includes large- and mid-cap companies, not just the giants: about 140 holdings spanning banks, insurers and card networks.sec.govishares.com
  • Built-in guardrails: no single issuer above 15%, and all names over 4.5% capped at 22.5% combined, monitored daily between quarterly rebalances.sec.gov
  • A multi-billion-dollar fund with a quarter-century track record, quarterly distributions, and enough daily turnover for ordinary-size orders.
  • Sits in the upper half of the broad US financials group, a crowded shelf of 18 funds.
  • VFH Owns the whole sector, not just the giants: roughly 400 US financial names through MSCI's US IMI Financials 25/50 index, megabanks through small regional lenders and insurers.vanguard.com
  • Costs 0.09% a year, a fraction of what the typical broad financials fund charges.vanguard.com
  • Running since 2004, now a multi-billion-dollar fund that trades actively, and it has stayed close to its index. One of the strongest implementations in the financials group.
  • Pays out quarterly, passively managed, no manager stock-picking inside the sector.

Worth knowing

  • IYF 0.37% is near the median for broad financials, but the index cheapskates undercut it badly: XLF at 0.08%, FNCL at 0.084%, VFH at 0.09%.
  • Capped is not spread thin. A few mega-cap financials can fill most of that 22.5% bucket, so the top of the book drives most of the movement.sec.gov
  • One sector, one country. Rates, credit losses and regulation hit banks, insurers and card networks at the same time, with no other sector to cushion it.
  • VFH One sector, one storyline: banks, insurers and brokers tend to move together with interest rates and the credit cycle.
  • The multicap reach cuts both ways. Small regional banks and niche insurers ride along with the megacaps, and they can swing harder.
  • Cost isn't the edge here: XLF and FNCL sit at essentially the same fee. Breadth of coverage is the real differentiator.

Full IYF profile⁠

Full VFH profile⁠

IYF vs VFH 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.

IYF vs VFH Cost

Overpaying IYF vs VFH

$5,615

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

  • IYF 0.37%

    $7,513

  • VFH 0.09%

    $1,898

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • IYF 0.37%
  • VFH 0.09%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2K$4K$6K$8K051015202530IYF $7,513VFH $1,898

Year by year

YearIYFVFHOverpaying
10$670$165$505
20$2,590$646$1,944
30$7,513$1,898$5,615

Expense ratio

  • 0.37%IYF
  • 0.09%VFH, cheaper
  • Middle half of Financials (Broad) funds
  • Median 0.37%

VFH 3rd cheapest of 18 funds

IYF 7th cheapest of 18 funds

IYF vs VFH Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
IYF 1.49%
VFH 1.71%, better
Payout (12M)
IYF $1.95
VFH $2.35
Last payment
IYF $0.42
VFH $0.45
Ex-dividend
IYF Sep 15, 2026
VFH Sep 23, 2026
Paid on
IYF Sep 18, 2026
VFH Sep 25, 2026
Frequency
IYF Quarterly
VFH Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

IYFQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll IYF payments⁠
One bar per payment. 39 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 24, 2017 $0.19; Jun 27, 2017 $0.21; Sep 26, 2017 $0.20; Dec 19, 2017 $0.28; Mar 22, 2018 $0.21; Jun 26, 2018 $0.27; Sep 26, 2018 $0.26; Dec 17, 2018 $0.28; Mar 20, 2019 $0.29; Jun 17, 2019 $0.27; Sep 24, 2019 $0.31; Dec 16, 2019 $0.27; Mar 25, 2020 $0.35; Jun 15, 2020 $0.24; Sep 23, 2020 $0.30; Dec 14, 2020 $0.26; Mar 25, 2021 $0.26; Jun 10, 2021 $0.21; Sep 24, 2021 $0.35; Dec 13, 2021 $0.28; Mar 24, 2022 $0.35; Jun 9, 2022 $0.28; Sep 26, 2022 $0.36; Dec 13, 2022 $0.41; Mar 23, 2023 $0.34; Jun 7, 2023 $0.29; Sep 26, 2023 $0.39; Dec 20, 2023 $0.41; Mar 21, 2024 $0.31; Jun 11, 2024 $0.30; Sep 25, 2024 $0.36; Dec 17, 2024 $0.46; Mar 18, 2025 $0.37; Jun 16, 2025 $0.37; Sep 16, 2025 $0.39; Dec 16, 2025 $0.57; Mar 17, 2026 $0.58; Jun 15, 2026 $0.38; Sep 15, 2026 $0.42. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$12017202020232026YTD
VFHQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll VFH payments⁠
One bar per payment. 39 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 24, 2017 $0.15; Jun 28, 2017 $0.27; Sep 27, 2017 $0.31; Dec 14, 2017 $0.35; Mar 16, 2018 $0.25; Jun 28, 2018 $0.36; Sep 24, 2018 $0.35; Dec 13, 2018 $0.40; Mar 21, 2019 $0.36; Jun 21, 2019 $0.38; Sep 26, 2019 $0.46; Dec 16, 2019 $0.46; Mar 10, 2020 $0.37; Jun 22, 2020 $0.41; Sep 11, 2020 $0.36; Dec 17, 2020 $0.48; Mar 26, 2021 $0.38; Jun 21, 2021 $0.37; Sep 29, 2021 $0.54; Dec 16, 2021 $0.51; Mar 24, 2022 $0.41; Jun 23, 2022 $0.41; Sep 28, 2022 $0.47; Dec 15, 2022 $0.62; Mar 24, 2023 $0.44; Jun 29, 2023 $0.44; Sep 28, 2023 $0.50; Dec 19, 2023 $0.54; Mar 22, 2024 $0.40; Jun 28, 2024 $0.46; Sep 27, 2024 $0.55; Dec 18, 2024 $0.66; Mar 25, 2025 $0.51; Jun 26, 2025 $0.47; Sep 24, 2025 $0.42; Dec 17, 2025 $0.67; Mar 24, 2026 $0.38; Jun 24, 2026 $0.85; Sep 23, 2026 $0.45. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$12017202020232026YTD

IYF vs VFH Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

  • IYF
  • VFH
Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. Worst fall: VFH −25.7% · Sep 2022. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−25%−20%−15%−10%−5%0%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
IYF 15.8%, betterVFH 15.9%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
IYF 1.15, betterVFH 1.11
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
IYF −25.1%, betterVFH −25.7%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
IYF 0.82VFH 0.82Same figure. Both funds show the same value, so neither comes out ahead.

IYF and VFH in the news

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