Skip to content
etf.net

WDGF vs XAR

WisdomTree Global Defense Fund

WDGFBNasdaq

State Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF

XARANYSE Arca

Overlap

Expense ratio

XAR −0.10pt a year

WDGF0.45%XAR0.35%

Avg volume · 30D

XAR 250.9×the volume

WDGF1.17KXAR293K

WDGF vs XAR Performance

Oct 31, 2025 – Nov 2, 2026

−2.0%WDGF−6.9%XAR

Oct 31, 2025 to Nov 2, 2026. WDGF −2.0%. XAR −6.9%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.5%10%15%20%Oct 2025May 2026Nov 2026
Expense ratio
WDGF 0.45%
XAR 0.35%, better
Fund size
WDGF $5M
XAR $5.3B
1Y total return
WDGF −2.0%, better
XAR −6.9%
Yield (12M)
WDGF No data
XAR 0.18%
Holdings
WDGF 138
XAR 51
Avg volume (30D)
WDGF 1.17K sh
XAR 293K sh, better
NAV per share
WDGF $30.76
XAR $235.33
52W range

ETF.net Grade

WDGF: Cost 66, Risk 60, Mission not scored, Tradability 29, Holdings 70, Durability 40. XAR: Cost 92, Risk 31, Mission not scored, Tradability 90, Holdings 87, Durability 93.
Pillar letters and Scores for WDGF, XAR, with each pillar’s weight
PillarWDGFXAR
Cost30% weightB66A92Higher
Mission25% weightNot scoredNot scored
Risk15% weightB60HigherD31
Tradability15% weightD29A90Higher
Holdings10% weightA70A87Higher
Durability5% weightC40A93Higher

Rank among Defense & Aerospace funds

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

Same Category. WDGF and XAR are both graded against the same 25 Defense & Aerospace funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Defense & Aerospace⁠

Category · 25 funds
See all 25 ›

XAR ranks 1st and WDGF 7th of 25 funds in the Defense & Aerospace Category.

  1. Rank 1AXARState Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETFScore 78
  2. Rank 2AITAiShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETFScore 74
  3. Rank 6BIDEFiShares Defense Industrials ActScore 58
  4. Rank 7BWDGFWisdomTree Global Defense FundScore 56
  5. Rank 8BSHLDGlobal X Defense Tech ETFScore 55

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

WDGFBWisdomTree Global Defense Fund

XARAState Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF

In short

WDGF No data

XAR Most 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.

Stated mandate

WDGF No data

XAR 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

WDGF No data

  • XAR 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

WDGF No data

  • XAR 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.

Full WDGF profile⁠

Full XAR profile⁠

WDGF vs XAR 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.

WDGF vs XAR Cost

Overpaying WDGF vs XAR

$1,915

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

  • WDGF 0.45%

    $9,041

  • XAR 0.35%

    $7,126

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • WDGF 0.45%
  • XAR 0.35%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2K$4K$6K$8K$10K051015202530WDGF $9,041XAR $7,126

Year by year

YearWDGFXAROverpaying
10$812$634$178
20$3,128$2,454$674
30$9,041$7,126$1,915

Expense ratio

  • 0.45%WDGF
  • 0.35%XAR, cheaper
  • Middle half of Defense & Aerospace funds
  • Median 0.50%

XAR cheapest of 25 funds

WDGF 7th cheapest of 25 funds

WDGF vs XAR Dividends

Last 12 months to Nov 2, 2026
Yield (12M)
WDGF No data
XAR 0.18%
Payout (12M)
WDGF No data
XAR $0.42
Last payment
WDGF $0.02
XAR $0.13
Ex-dividend
WDGF Dec 26, 2025
XAR Sep 21, 2026
Paid on
WDGF Dec 30, 2025
XAR Sep 23, 2026
Frequency
WDGF Irregular
XAR Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

WDGFIrregular · 1 paymentAll WDGF payments⁠
One bar per payment. 1 payment from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Dec 26, 2025 $0.02. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.502017202020232026YTD
XARQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll XAR payments⁠
One bar per payment. 39 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 17, 2017 $0.13; Jun 16, 2017 $0.10; Sep 15, 2017 $0.31; Dec 15, 2017 $0.09; Mar 16, 2018 $0.12; Jun 15, 2018 $0.09; Sep 21, 2018 $0.59; Dec 24, 2018 $0.14; Mar 18, 2019 $0.16; Jun 24, 2019 $0.13; Sep 23, 2019 $0.40; Dec 23, 2019 $0.13; Mar 23, 2020 $0.43; Jun 22, 2020 $0.09; Sep 21, 2020 $0.09; Dec 21, 2020 $0.10; Mar 22, 2021 $0.65; Jun 21, 2021 $0.12; Sep 20, 2021 $0.09; Dec 20, 2021 $0.12; Mar 21, 2022 $0.13; Jun 21, 2022 $0.12; Sep 19, 2022 $0.20; Dec 19, 2022 $0.10; Mar 20, 2023 $0.12; Jun 20, 2023 $0.14; Sep 18, 2023 $0.12; Dec 18, 2023 $0.35; Mar 18, 2024 $0.16; Jun 24, 2024 $0.16; Sep 23, 2024 $0.21; Dec 23, 2024 $0.57; Mar 24, 2025 $0.19; Jun 23, 2025 $0.13; Sep 22, 2025 $0.52; Dec 22, 2025 $0.12; Mar 23, 2026 $0.11; Jun 22, 2026 $0.06; Sep 21, 2026 $0.13. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.502017202020232026YTD

WDGF vs XAR Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
WDGF 22.3%since Oct 2025XAR 23.1%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
WDGF −0.26since Oct 2025XAR 0.93
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
WDGF −19.9%since Sep 2025XAR −27.6%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
WDGF 0.43XAR 1.26

WDGF and XAR in the news

All news⁠

Popular comparisons

  • WDGFBvsITAA

    WisdomTree Global Defense Fund · iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.45% · 0.37%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • XARAvsITAA

    State Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF · iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.35% · 0.37%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • WDGFBvsFLDZB

    WisdomTree Global Defense Fund · TrueShares Patriot Defense ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.45% · 0.40%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • XARAvsFLDZB

    State Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF · TrueShares Patriot Defense ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.35% · 0.40%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • WDGFBvsFOWFB

    WisdomTree Global Defense Fund · Pacer Solactive Whitney Future of Warfare ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.45% · 0.49%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • XARAvsFOWFB

    State Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF · Pacer Solactive Whitney Future of Warfare ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.35% · 0.49%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.