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AFLGvsQDEFETF Comparison

ETF 1

AFLG

First Trust Active Factor Large Cap ETF

This fund is part of

US Multi-Factor

+0.52%

Full AFLG fund page

VS

ETF 2

QDEF

FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive Index Fund ETF

This fund is part of

US Multi-Factor

+0.52%

Full QDEF fund page

First Trust Active Factor Large Cap ETF (AFLG) and FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive Index Fund ETF (QDEF) belong to the same industry segment: US Multi-Factor. AFLG's top 3 sector exposures are Information Technology, Consumer Discretionary and Financials. In contrast, QDEF's top sector exposures are Information Technology, Health Care and Financials. AFLG is more expensive with a Total Expense Ratio (TER) of 0.55%, versus 0.38% for QDEF. AFLG is up 7.31% year-to-date (YTD) with +$97M in YTD flows. QDEF performs worse with 4.82% YTD performance, and +$10M in YTD flows. Run a side-by-side ETF comparison of AFLG and QDEF below, and assess how they stack up in performance, liquidity, risk, exposure, holdings, and more, helping you select the best ETF for your investments.

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AFLG vs QDEF performance and flow charts

Performance

Cumulative Flows

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Daily, global ETF data for advanced analysis or integration into apps (API), from our partner Trackinsight.

Data Services

Historic performance and flows

Data as of 04/24/2026

		1M	3M	YTD	1Y	3Y	5Y
Perf.	AFLG QDEF	+8.64%+6.43%	+4.64%+3.16%	+7.31%+4.82%	+29.34%+26.87%	+79.02%+66.94%	+76.45%+76.95%
Flows	AFLG QDEF	+$64M+$4M	+$81M+$6M	+$97M+$10M	+$258M+$33M	+$506M+$7M	+$502M-$164M

Volatility and drawdown

		3M	1Y	3Y	5Y
Volatility	AFLG QDEF	+14.52%+11.80%	+11.83%+10.14%	+14.26%+12.19%	+16.30%+14.03%
Max drawdown	AFLG QDEF	-8.14%-6.99%	-8.14%-6.99%	-17.58%-14.47%	-23.51%-21.30%
Max drawdown duration	AFLG QDEF	47d66d	47d66d	205d191d	741d566d

Trading data

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	AFLG	QDEF
Last sale 4/27/2026 at 1:30 PM	$42.05	$84.60
Previous close 04/24/2026	$41.96	$84.60
Consolidated volume 04/24/2026
Average volume 30 days
Average discount or premium 30 days
Average Bid/Ask spread 30 days

Replication quality

Data as of March 31, 2026

1-year trailing difference

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AFLG

is actively managed and doesn’t replicate an index

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	AFLG	QDEF
Tracking error
Tracking difference
1 year cumulative return difference
Best
Worst
Daily return difference
Average
Worst

Main metrics

Last update 4/27/2026 at 1:30 PM

Live

Closed

	AFLG	QDEF
Last price	$42.05	$84.60
1D performance	+0.21%	-0.00%
AuM	$602.41 M	$524.44 M
E/R	0.55%	0.38%

Characteristics

	AFLG	QDEF
Management strategy	Active	Passive
Provider	First Trust	FlexShares
Benchmark	-	Northern Trust Quality Dividend Defensive Index
N° of holdings	229	129
Asset class	-	Equities
Trailing 12m distribution yield	Join	Join
Inception date	December 3, 2019	December 14, 2012
ESG	No	No

More AFLG data on Trackinsight

More QDEF data on Trackinsight

Exposure

Countries

AFLG

USA

96.18%

Other

3.82%

QDEF

USA

94.32%

Other

5.68%

Sectors

AFLG

Information Techn.

31.01%

Consumer Discreti.

9.72%

Financials

9.27%

Industrials

8.9%

Communication Ser.

8.76%

Health Care

8.54%

Other

23.8%

QDEF

Information Techn.

30.32%

Health Care

12.53%

Financials

11.16%

Consumer Staples

7.2%

Other

38.78%

Diversification

AFLG

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

35.78%

QDEF

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

44.27%

Top 15 holdings

Data as of March 31, 2026

AFLG

NVIDIA

6.96%

APPLE

5.87%

ALPHABET INC-CL

5.54%

MICROSOFT-T

3.44%

BROADCOM LIMITED

2.21%

AMAZON.COM INC

2.03%

NEWMONT CORP

1.52%

BERKSHIRE HATHWAY

1.33%

US5128073062

1.16%

FIRSTENERGY

1.13%

ALTRIA GROUP

0.98%

LOEWS

0.94%

EXXON

0.91%

APPLIED MATERIAL

0.89%

SEAGATE TECHNOLOGY HOLDINGS PLC

0.87%

QDEF

APPLE

7.56%

NVIDIA

6.25%

BROADCOM LIMITED

4.37%

MICROSOFT-T

3.66%

JOHNSON&JOHNSON

2.91%

ABBVIE

2.90%

PROCTERGAMBLE

2.59%

ALPHABET INC-CL

2.17%

PHILLIP MORRIS

2.04%

JPMORGAN CHASE

1.95%

ALPHABET INC-CL

1.74%

CISCO-T

1.68%

KLA CORPORATION

1.54%

MERCK & CO INC

1.53%

TJX

1.38%

Frequently asked questions about AFLG and QDEF

How have the AFLG and QDEF ETFs performed in 2026?

As of April 24, 2026, AFLG is up 7.31% year-to-date (YTD), while QDEF has returned 4.82%. That puts AFLG better performer ahead so far this year.

Which ETF is attracting more investor money: AFLG or QDEF?

Year-to-date, the AFLG ETF saw +$97M in flows, compared to +$10M for QDEF.

Which ETF is more volatile: AFLG or QDEF?

Over the past year, AFLG had a volatility of 11.83%, while QDEF experienced 10.14%.

Which ETF is bigger: AFLG or QDEF?

As of April 24, 2026, AFLG holds $602.41 M in assets under management (AUM), while QDEF manages $524.44 M.

What sectors do the AFLG and QDEF ETFs invest in?

AFLG leans toward sectors like Information Technology, Consumer Discretionary and Financials. Meanwhile, QDEF focuses on Information Technology, Health Care and Financials.

What are the top holdings of the AFLG ETF and QDEF ETF?

AFLG top holdings include NVIDIA, APPLE and ALPHABET INC-CL. QDEF holds in its top three: APPLE, NVIDIA and BROADCOM LIMITED.

Which ETF is more diversified: AFLG or QDEF?

AFLG holds 239 securities with 35.78% of its assets in the top 15. QDEF has 130 securities and a top 15 weight of 44.27%.

ETF Central's Ultimate Guide to Dividend Investing, Part 4: Dividend Quality ETFs

July 16, 2024

QDEF

AFLGvsQDEFETF Comparison

First Trust Active Factor Large Cap ETF

FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive Index Fund ETF

AFLG vs QDEF performance and flow charts

Performance

Cumulative Flows

Get all the metrics on this page, and more, through a reliable ETF data feed

Countries

Sectors

Diversification

Top 15 holdings

How have the AFLG and QDEF ETFs performed in 2026?

As of April 24, 2026, AFLG is up 7.31% year-to-date (YTD), while QDEF has returned 4.82%. That puts AFLG better performer ahead so far this year.

Which ETF is attracting more investor money: AFLG or QDEF?

Year-to-date, the AFLG ETF saw +$97M in flows, compared to +$10M for QDEF.

Which ETF is more volatile: AFLG or QDEF?

Over the past year, AFLG had a volatility of 11.83%, while QDEF experienced 10.14%.

Which ETF is bigger: AFLG or QDEF?

As of April 24, 2026, AFLG holds $602.41 M in assets under management (AUM), while QDEF manages $524.44 M.

What sectors do the AFLG and QDEF ETFs invest in?

AFLG leans toward sectors like Information Technology, Consumer Discretionary and Financials. Meanwhile, QDEF focuses on Information Technology, Health Care and Financials.

What are the top holdings of the AFLG ETF and QDEF ETF?

AFLG top holdings include NVIDIA, APPLE and ALPHABET INC-CL. QDEF holds in its top three: APPLE, NVIDIA and BROADCOM LIMITED.

Which ETF is more diversified: AFLG or QDEF?

AFLG holds 239 securities with 35.78% of its assets in the top 15. QDEF has 130 securities and a top 15 weight of 44.27%.

ETF Central's Ultimate Guide to Dividend Investing, Part 4: Dividend Quality ETFs

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