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QLTYvsSMAXETF Comparison

ETF 1

QLTY

GMO U.S. Quality ETF

This fund is part of

US Multi-Factor

-0.32%

Full QLTY fund page

VS

ETF 2

SMAX

iShares Large Cap Max Buffer Sep ETF

This fund is part of

Options Strategies

-0.19%

Full SMAX fund page

GMO U.S. Quality ETF (QLTY) belongs to the US Multi-Factor segment. iShares Large Cap Max Buffer Sep ETF (SMAX) is part of the Options Strategies segment. QLTY's top 3 sector exposures are Technology, Healthcare and Consumer Non-Cyclicals. In contrast, SMAX's top sector exposures are Technology, Finance and Healthcare. QLTY is less expensive with a Total Expense Ratio (TER) of 0.5%, versus 0.53% for SMAX. QLTY is up 10.34% year-to-date (YTD) with +$1.63B in YTD flows. SMAX performs worse with 5.39% YTD performance, and -$34M in YTD flows. Run a side-by-side ETF comparison of QLTY and SMAX 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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QLTY vs SMAX performance and flow charts

Performance

Cumulative Flows

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Data Services

Historic performance and flows

Data as of 09/16/2026

		1M	3M	YTD	1Y	3Y	5Y
Perf.	QLTY SMAX	-1.27%+0.43%	+2.29%+1.88%	+10.34%+5.39%	+18.09%+7.25%	n/an/a	n/an/a
Flows	QLTY SMAX	+$94M-$1M	+$458M-$4M	+$1.63B-$34M	+$1.95B+$515K	--	--

Volatility and drawdown

		3M	1Y	3Y	5Y
Volatility	QLTY SMAX	+10.54%+2.03%	+12.65%+2.77%	n/an/a	n/an/a
Max drawdown	QLTY SMAX	-2.71%-0.43%	-11.64%-1.93%	n/an/a	n/an/a
Max drawdown duration	QLTY SMAX	17d15d	112d44d	n/an/a	n/an/a

Trading data

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	QLTY	SMAX
Last sale 9/17/2026 at 1:30 PM	$42.53	$28.37
Previous close 09/16/2026	$42.26	$28.32
Consolidated volume 09/16/2026
Average volume 30 days
Average discount or premium 30 days
Average Bid/Ask spread 30 days

Main metrics

Last update 9/17/2026 at 1:30 PM

Live

Closed

	QLTY	SMAX
Last price	$42.53	$28.37
1D performance	+0.64%	+0.17%
AuM	$5.08 B	$88.42 M
E/R	0.5%	0.53%

Characteristics

	QLTY	SMAX
Management strategy	Active	Active
Provider	GMO	iShares
Benchmark	-	-
N° of holdings	43	501
Asset class	-	-
Trailing 12m distribution yield	Join	Join
Inception date	November 13, 2023	September 30, 2024
ESG	No	No

More QLTY data on Trackinsight

More SMAX data on Trackinsight

Exposure

Countries

QLTY

USA

97.75%

Other

2.25%

SMAX

USA

102.01%

Other

-2.01%

Sectors

QLTY

Technology

46.32%

Healthcare

24.04%

Consumer Non-Cycl.

12.32%

Finance

8.64%

Other

8.67%

SMAX

Technology

46.23%

Finance

14.48%

Healthcare

9.28%

Consumer Non-Cycl.

9.23%

Industrials

8.09%

Other

12.68%

Diversification

QLTY

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

58.12%

SMAX

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

45.4%

Top 15 holdings

Data as of July 31, 2026

QLTY

Microsoft Corp.

7.19%

Apple, Inc.

5.09%

Alphabet, Inc.

4.95%

Johnson & Johnson

4.38%

Lam Research Corp.

4.13%

Broadcom Inc.

4.06%

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

3.91%

Texas Instruments Incorporated

3.74%

Meta Platforms, Inc.

3.68%

Amazon.com, Inc.

3.40%

Visa, Inc.

2.90%

UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

2.84%

KLA Corp.

2.67%

Eli Lilly & Co.

2.62%

Mastercard, Inc.

2.56%

SMAX

Apple, Inc.

7.90%

NVIDIA Corp.

7.62%

Microsoft Corp.

5.40%

Amazon.com, Inc.

3.72%

Alphabet, Inc.

3.16%

Broadcom Inc.

2.96%

Alphabet, Inc.

2.54%

Meta Platforms, Inc.

1.91%

Micron Technology, Inc.

1.59%

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

1.52%

Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.

1.51%

Eli Lilly & Co.

1.47%

BlackRock Cash Funds - Treasury

1.42%

Tesla, Inc.

1.40%

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.

1.28%

Frequently asked questions about QLTY and SMAX

How have the QLTY and SMAX ETFs performed in 2026?

As of September 16, 2026, QLTY is up 10.34% year-to-date (YTD), while SMAX has returned 5.39%. That puts QLTY better performer ahead so far this year.

Which ETF is attracting more investor money: QLTY or SMAX?

Year-to-date, the QLTY ETF saw +$1.63B in flows, compared to -$34M for SMAX.

Which ETF is more volatile: QLTY or SMAX?

Over the past year, QLTY had a volatility of 12.65%, while SMAX experienced 2.77%.

Which ETF is bigger: QLTY or SMAX?

As of September 16, 2026, QLTY holds $5.08 B in assets under management (AUM), while SMAX manages $88.42 M.

What sectors do the QLTY and SMAX ETFs invest in?

QLTY leans toward sectors like Technology, Healthcare and Consumer Non-Cyclicals. Meanwhile, SMAX focuses on Technology, Finance and Healthcare.

What are the top holdings of the QLTY ETF and SMAX ETF?

QLTY top holdings include Microsoft Corp., Apple, Inc. and Alphabet, Inc.. SMAX holds in its top three: Apple, Inc., NVIDIA Corp. and Microsoft Corp..

Which ETF is more diversified: QLTY or SMAX?

QLTY holds 43 securities with 58.12% of its assets in the top 15. SMAX has 504 securities and a top 15 weight of 45.4%.

GMO's Tom Hancock on NYSE Arca: QLTY

July 25, 2024

QLTY

QLTYvsSMAXETF Comparison

GMO U.S. Quality ETF

iShares Large Cap Max Buffer Sep ETF

QLTY vs SMAX 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 QLTY and SMAX ETFs performed in 2026?

As of September 16, 2026, QLTY is up 10.34% year-to-date (YTD), while SMAX has returned 5.39%. That puts QLTY better performer ahead so far this year.

Which ETF is attracting more investor money: QLTY or SMAX?

Year-to-date, the QLTY ETF saw +$1.63B in flows, compared to -$34M for SMAX.

Which ETF is more volatile: QLTY or SMAX?

Over the past year, QLTY had a volatility of 12.65%, while SMAX experienced 2.77%.

Which ETF is bigger: QLTY or SMAX?

As of September 16, 2026, QLTY holds $5.08 B in assets under management (AUM), while SMAX manages $88.42 M.

What sectors do the QLTY and SMAX ETFs invest in?

QLTY leans toward sectors like Technology, Healthcare and Consumer Non-Cyclicals. Meanwhile, SMAX focuses on Technology, Finance and Healthcare.

What are the top holdings of the QLTY ETF and SMAX ETF?

QLTY top holdings include Microsoft Corp., Apple, Inc. and Alphabet, Inc.. SMAX holds in its top three: Apple, Inc., NVIDIA Corp. and Microsoft Corp..

Which ETF is more diversified: QLTY or SMAX?

QLTY holds 43 securities with 58.12% of its assets in the top 15. SMAX has 504 securities and a top 15 weight of 45.4%.

GMO's Tom Hancock on NYSE Arca: QLTY

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