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QDEFvsAFLGETF Comparison

ETF 1

QDEF

FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive Index Fund ETF

This fund is part of

US Multi-Factor

-0.38%

Full QDEF fund page

VS

ETF 2

AFLG

First Trust Active Factor Large Cap ETF

This fund is part of

US Multi-Factor

-0.38%

Full AFLG fund page

FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive Index Fund ETF (QDEF) and First Trust Active Factor Large Cap ETF (AFLG) belong to the same industry segment: US Multi-Factor. QDEF's top 3 sector exposures are Information Technology, Health Care and Financials. In contrast, AFLG's top sector exposures are Information Technology, Consumer Discretionary and Financials. QDEF is less expensive with a Total Expense Ratio (TER) of 0.38%, versus 0.55% for AFLG. QDEF is up 4.67% year-to-date (YTD) with +$10M in YTD flows. AFLG performs better with 7.49% YTD performance, and +$99M in YTD flows. Run a side-by-side ETF comparison of QDEF and AFLG 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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QDEF vs AFLG 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 04/28/2026

		1M	3M	YTD	1Y	3Y	5Y
Perf.	QDEF AFLG	+8.06%+11.44%	+2.59%+4.22%	+4.67%+7.49%	+25.91%+28.63%	+65.75%+80.28%	+77.97%+76.82%
Flows	QDEF AFLG	+$4M+$66M	+$6M+$95M	+$10M+$99M	+$31M+$257M	+$11M+$508M	-$148M+$505M

Volatility and drawdown

		3M	1Y	3Y	5Y
Volatility	QDEF AFLG	+11.76%+14.49%	+10.14%+11.85%	+12.14%+14.20%	+14.03%+16.30%
Max drawdown	QDEF AFLG	-6.99%-8.14%	-6.99%-8.14%	-14.47%-17.58%	-21.30%-23.51%
Max drawdown duration	QDEF AFLG	66d47d	66d47d	191d205d	566d741d

Trading data

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	QDEF	AFLG
Last sale 4/29/2026 at 4:22 PM	$84.20	$41.81
Previous close 04/28/2026	$84.50	$41.81
Consolidated volume 04/28/2026
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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	QDEF	AFLG
Tracking error
Tracking difference
1 year cumulative return difference
Best
Worst
Daily return difference
Average
Worst

Main metrics

Last update 4/29/2026 at 4:22 PM

Live

Closed

	QDEF	AFLG
Last price	$84.20	$41.81
1D performance	-0.36%	+0.00%
AuM	$523.67 M	$605.53 M
E/R	0.38%	0.55%

Characteristics

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

More QDEF data on Trackinsight

More AFLG data on Trackinsight

Exposure

Countries

QDEF

USA

94.32%

Other

5.68%

AFLG

USA

96.18%

Other

3.82%

Sectors

QDEF

Information Techn.

30.32%

Health Care

12.53%

Financials

11.16%

Consumer Staples

7.2%

Other

38.78%

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%

Diversification

QDEF

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

44.27%

AFLG

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

35.78%

Top 15 holdings

Data as of March 31, 2026

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%

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%

Frequently asked questions about QDEF and AFLG

How have the QDEF and AFLG ETFs performed in 2026?

As of April 28, 2026, QDEF is up 4.67% year-to-date (YTD), while AFLG has returned 7.49%. That puts AFLG better performer ahead so far this year.

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

Year-to-date, the QDEF ETF saw +$10M in flows, compared to +$99M for AFLG.

Which ETF is more volatile: QDEF or AFLG?

Over the past year, QDEF had a volatility of 10.14%, while AFLG experienced 11.85%.

Which ETF is bigger: QDEF or AFLG?

As of April 28, 2026, QDEF holds $523.67 M in assets under management (AUM), while AFLG manages $605.53 M.

What sectors do the QDEF and AFLG ETFs invest in?

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

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

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

Which ETF is more diversified: QDEF or AFLG?

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

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

July 16, 2024

QDEF

QDEFvsAFLGETF Comparison

FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive Index Fund ETF

First Trust Active Factor Large Cap ETF

QDEF vs AFLG 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 QDEF and AFLG ETFs performed in 2026?

As of April 28, 2026, QDEF is up 4.67% year-to-date (YTD), while AFLG has returned 7.49%. That puts AFLG better performer ahead so far this year.

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

Year-to-date, the QDEF ETF saw +$10M in flows, compared to +$99M for AFLG.

Which ETF is more volatile: QDEF or AFLG?

Over the past year, QDEF had a volatility of 10.14%, while AFLG experienced 11.85%.

Which ETF is bigger: QDEF or AFLG?

As of April 28, 2026, QDEF holds $523.67 M in assets under management (AUM), while AFLG manages $605.53 M.

What sectors do the QDEF and AFLG ETFs invest in?

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

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

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

Which ETF is more diversified: QDEF or AFLG?

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

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

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