XARvsITAETF Comparison

ETF 1

XAR

State Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF

ETF 2

ITA

iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF

State Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF (XAR) and iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) belong to the same industry segment: . XAR's top 3 sector exposures are Industrials, Non-Energy Materials and Technology. In contrast, ITA's top sector exposures are Industrials, Non-Energy Materials and Non-Corporate. XAR is less expensive with a Total Expense Ratio (TER) of 0.35%, versus 0.38% for ITA. XAR is up 7.72% year-to-date (YTD) with +$888M in YTD flows. ITA performs worse with 6.93% YTD performance, and -$162M in YTD flows. Run a side-by-side ETF comparison of XAR and ITA 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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XAR vs ITA performance and flow charts

Performance

Cumulative Flows

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Data Services

Historic performance and flows

Data as of 07/20/2026

		1M	3M	YTD	1Y	3Y	5Y
Perf.	XAR ITA	-6.61%-2.64%	-5.99%-1.04%	+7.72%+6.93%	+19.04%+18.40%	+114.11%+100.12%	+111.40%+125.52%
Flows	XAR ITA	-$774M-$142M	-$47M-$532M	+$888M-$162M	+$1.26B+$2.82B	+$2.06B+$2.42B	+$2.36B+$5.01B

Volatility and drawdown

		3M	1Y	3Y	5Y
Volatility	XAR ITA	+31.79%+26.24%	+28.18%+22.37%	+23.58%+19.98%	+23.61%+20.29%
Max drawdown	XAR ITA	-10.71%-8.52%	-17.03%-15.79%	-19.74%-15.79%	-28.28%-18.75%
Max drawdown duration	XAR ITA	14d14d	182d122d	109d122d	853d227d

Trading data

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	XAR	ITA
Last sale 7/21/2026 at 3:59 PM	$265.31	$231.24
Previous close 07/20/2026	$259.31	$229.27
Consolidated volume 07/20/2026
Average volume 30 days
Average discount or premium 30 days
Average Bid/Ask spread 30 days

Replication quality

Data as of June 30, 2026

1-year trailing difference

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

Main metrics

Last update 7/21/2026 at 3:59 PM

Live

Closed

	XAR	ITA
Last price	$265.31	$231.24
1D performance	+2.31%	+0.86%
AuM	$5.84 B	$13.48 B
E/R	0.35%	0.38%

Characteristics

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

More XAR data on Trackinsight

More ITA data on Trackinsight

Exposure

Countries

XAR

USA

98.62%

Other

1.38%

ITA

USA

99.92%

Other

0.08%

Sectors

XAR

Industrials

93.67%

Other

6.33%

ITA

Industrials

95.89%

Other

4.11%

Diversification

XAR

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

44.3%

ITA

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

86.26%

Top 15 holdings

Data as of June 30, 2026

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%

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%

Frequently asked questions about XAR and ITA

How have the XAR and ITA ETFs performed in 2026?

As of July 20, 2026, XAR is up 7.72% year-to-date (YTD), while ITA has returned 6.93%. That puts XAR better performer ahead so far this year.

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

Year-to-date, the XAR ETF saw +$888M in flows, compared to -$162M for ITA.

Which ETF is more volatile: XAR or ITA?

Over the past year, XAR had a volatility of 28.18%, while ITA experienced 22.37%.

Which ETF is bigger: XAR or ITA?

As of July 20, 2026, XAR holds $5.84 B in assets under management (AUM), while ITA manages $13.48 B.

What sectors do the XAR and ITA ETFs invest in?

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

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

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

XARvsITAETF Comparison

State Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF

iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF

XAR vs ITA 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 XAR and ITA ETFs performed in 2026?

As of July 20, 2026, XAR is up 7.72% year-to-date (YTD), while ITA has returned 6.93%. That puts XAR better performer ahead so far this year.

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

Year-to-date, the XAR ETF saw +$888M in flows, compared to -$162M for ITA.

Which ETF is more volatile: XAR or ITA?

Over the past year, XAR had a volatility of 28.18%, while ITA experienced 22.37%.

Which ETF is bigger: XAR or ITA?

As of July 20, 2026, XAR holds $5.84 B in assets under management (AUM), while ITA manages $13.48 B.

What sectors do the XAR and ITA ETFs invest in?

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

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

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

Which ETF is more diversified: XAR or ITA?

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

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