ITAvsXARETF Comparison

ETF 1

ITA

iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF

ETF 2

XAR

State Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF

iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) and State Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF (XAR) belong to the same industry segment: . ITA's top 3 sector exposures are Industrials, Non-Energy Materials and Non-Corporate. In contrast, XAR's top sector exposures are Industrials, Non-Energy Materials and Technology. ITA is more expensive with a Total Expense Ratio (TER) of 0.37%, versus 0.35% for XAR. ITA is up 14.8% year-to-date (YTD) with +$124M in YTD flows. XAR performs better with 18.03% YTD performance, and +$964M in YTD flows. Run a side-by-side ETF comparison of ITA and XAR 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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ITA vs XAR performance and flow charts

Performance

Cumulative Flows

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Data Services

Historic performance and flows

Data as of 08/19/2026

		1M	3M	YTD	1Y	3Y	5Y
Perf.	ITA XAR	+7.35%+9.56%	+12.93%+9.43%	+14.80%+18.03%	+27.99%+34.62%	+119.34%+140.97%	+148.15%+146.60%
Flows	ITA XAR	+$285M+$63M	-$293M+$100M	+$124M+$964M	+$2.82B+$1.25B	+$2.84B+$2.12B	+$5.20B+$2.45B

Volatility and drawdown

		3M	1Y	3Y	5Y
Volatility	ITA XAR	+24.71%+31.22%	+23.03%+29.02%	+20.20%+23.98%	+20.41%+23.80%
Max drawdown	ITA XAR	-8.52%-11.11%	-15.79%-17.03%	-15.79%-19.74%	-18.75%-27.60%
Max drawdown duration	ITA XAR	29d35d	122d204d	122d109d	227d608d

Trading data

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	ITA	XAR
Last sale 8/20/2026 at 1:30 PM	$237.56	$271.78
Previous close 08/19/2026	$246.15	$284.10
Consolidated volume 08/19/2026
Average volume 30 days
Average discount or premium 30 days
Average Bid/Ask spread 30 days

Replication quality

Data as of July 31, 2026

1-year trailing difference

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	ITA	XAR
Tracking error
Tracking difference
1 year cumulative return difference
Best
Worst
Daily return difference
Average
Worst

Main metrics

Last update 8/20/2026 at 1:30 PM

Live

Closed

	ITA	XAR
Last price	$237.56	$271.78
1D performance	-3.49%	-4.34%
AuM	$14.75 B	$6.47 B
E/R	0.37%	0.35%

Characteristics

	ITA	XAR
Management strategy	Passive	Passive
Provider	iShares	State Street Investment Management
Benchmark	Dow Jones U.S. Select Aerospace & Defense Index	S&P Aerospace & Defense Select Industry Index
N° of holdings	48	47
Asset class	Equities	Equities
Trailing 12m distribution yield	Join	Join
Inception date	May 1, 2006	September 28, 2011
ESG	No	No

More ITA data on Trackinsight

More XAR data on Trackinsight

Exposure

Countries

ITA

USA

99.92%

Other

0.08%

XAR

USA

98.62%

Other

1.38%

Sectors

ITA

Industrials

95.89%

Other

4.11%

XAR

Industrials

93.67%

Other

6.33%

Diversification

ITA

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

86.26%

XAR

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

44.3%

Top 15 holdings

Data as of June 30, 2026

ITA

GE Aerospace

22.61%

RTX Corp.

14.82%

The Boeing Co.

8.90%

TransDigm Group, Inc.

4.59%

Howmet Aerospace, Inc.

4.50%

General Dynamics Corp.

4.33%

Lockheed Martin Corp.

4.05%

Northrop Grumman Corp.

3.92%

L3Harris Technologies, Inc.

3.80%

Rocket Lab Corp.

3.63%

Axon Enterprise, Inc.

3.17%

Carpenter Technology Corp.

2.15%

Curtiss-Wright Corp.

1.96%

FTAI Aviation Ltd.

1.95%

ATI, Inc.

1.89%

XAR

VSE Corp.

3.40%

Axon Enterprise, Inc.

3.22%

StandardAero, Inc.

3.11%

FTAI Aviation Ltd.

3.08%

Carpenter Technology Corp.

3.04%

GE Aerospace

3.02%

Woodward, Inc.

2.98%

HEICO Corp.

2.86%

Moog, Inc.

2.86%

TransDigm Group, Inc.

2.83%

Hexcel Corp.

2.81%

Karman Holdings, Inc.

2.80%

Howmet Aerospace, Inc.

2.77%

ATI, Inc.

2.77%

RTX Corp.

2.75%

Frequently asked questions about ITA and XAR

How have the ITA and XAR ETFs performed in 2026?

As of August 19, 2026, ITA is up 14.8% year-to-date (YTD), while XAR has returned 18.03%. That puts XAR better performer ahead so far this year.

Which ETF is attracting more investor money: ITA or XAR?

Year-to-date, the ITA ETF saw +$124M in flows, compared to +$964M for XAR.

Which ETF is more volatile: ITA or XAR?

Over the past year, ITA had a volatility of 23.03%, while XAR experienced 29.02%.

Which ETF is bigger: ITA or XAR?

As of August 19, 2026, ITA holds $14.75 B in assets under management (AUM), while XAR manages $6.47 B.

What sectors do the ITA and XAR ETFs invest in?

ITA leans toward sectors like Industrials. Meanwhile, XAR focuses on Industrials.

What are the top holdings of the ITA ETF and XAR ETF?

ITA top holdings include GE Aerospace, RTX Corp. and The Boeing Co.. XAR holds in its top three: VSE Corp., Axon Enterprise, Inc. and StandardAero, Inc..

ITAvsXARETF Comparison

iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF

State Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF

ITA vs XAR 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 ITA and XAR ETFs performed in 2026?

As of August 19, 2026, ITA is up 14.8% year-to-date (YTD), while XAR has returned 18.03%. That puts XAR better performer ahead so far this year.

Which ETF is attracting more investor money: ITA or XAR?

Year-to-date, the ITA ETF saw +$124M in flows, compared to +$964M for XAR.

Which ETF is more volatile: ITA or XAR?

Over the past year, ITA had a volatility of 23.03%, while XAR experienced 29.02%.

Which ETF is bigger: ITA or XAR?

As of August 19, 2026, ITA holds $14.75 B in assets under management (AUM), while XAR manages $6.47 B.

What sectors do the ITA and XAR ETFs invest in?

ITA leans toward sectors like Industrials. Meanwhile, XAR focuses on Industrials.

What are the top holdings of the ITA ETF and XAR ETF?

ITA top holdings include GE Aerospace, RTX Corp. and The Boeing Co.. XAR holds in its top three: VSE Corp., Axon Enterprise, Inc. and StandardAero, Inc..

Which ETF is more diversified: ITA or XAR?

ITA holds 50 securities with 86.26% of its assets in the top 15. XAR has 48 securities and a top 15 weight of 44.3%.

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