QUAL vs XLK Overlap

QUAL is an equity ETF from IShares, while XLK is a technology-focused equity ETF from SPDR. QUAL and XLK show meaningful overlap, with an estimated weighted overlap of 30.79%. They share 18 holdings in the loaded dataset, led by AAPL, NVDA, and MSFT.

30.8% overlap
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18Shared Holdings
OK
Moderate Overlap

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Quick Answer

QUAL is an equity ETF from IShares, while XLK is a technology-focused equity ETF from SPDR. QUAL and XLK show meaningful overlap, with an estimated weighted overlap of 30.79%. They share 18 holdings in the loaded dataset, led by AAPL, NVDA, and MSFT.

  • 30.79% weighted overlap across 18 shared holdings.
  • The top three shared holdings explain 57.35% of the measured overlap.
  • QUAL is the broader fund, while XLK is more targeted.
  • The overlap is mostly explained by the top shared positions rather than sector labels alone.
  • Holding both may add less diversification than the fund names imply.

Data Freshness

QUAL holdings
Mar 12, 2026
XLK holdings
Mar 12, 2026
Overlap computed
Mar 15, 2026
Data source
Financial Modeling Prep

Review the methodology for the overlap formula and refresh policy.

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About These ETFs

ETF A

QUAL

iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF

Issuer
IShares
Asset class
Equity
Expense ratio
0.15%
AUM
$49B
Inception
Jul 16, 2013

ETF B

XLK

State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF

Issuer
SPDR
Asset class
Equity
Expense ratio
0.08%
AUM
$88B
Inception
Dec 16, 1998

What Stands Out In This Comparison

01

What This Means

QUAL is an equity ETF from IShares, while XLK is a technology-focused equity ETF from SPDR. QUAL and XLK overlap enough to matter, but they still bring different exposures to a portfolio. The overlap is concentrated in holdings such as AAPL, NVDA, and MSFT, which explains why the score lands at 30.79%.

02

How They Differ

QUAL is an equity ETF from IShares, while XLK is a technology-focused equity ETF from SPDR. QUAL is the broader fund, while XLK is the more targeted sleeve. XLK has the lower expense ratio, while QUAL charges more for its exposure.

03

What Drives The Overlap

The overlap is driven by a relatively small set of large shared positions. The top three shared holdings account for 57.35% of the score, which means the result is heavily influenced by the biggest common weights rather than a long tail of tiny positions.

04

When One May Fit Better

If you want the broader portfolio building block, QUAL is usually the wider choice. If you want the more focused tilt, XLK is the narrower expression. XLK has the lower expense ratio, while QUAL charges more for its exposure.

Overlap Driver Snapshot

Concentration

The top three shared holdings explain 57.35% of the full overlap score.

That helps show whether the score comes from a handful of giant shared positions or from a broader mix of common holdings.

Shared Sector Tilt

Sector tags are not consistently available for the biggest shared positions in this dataset, so this comparison leans more on the specific holdings than on sector labels.

Top Shared Holdings

These are the holdings contributing the most to the overlap score between QUAL and XLK.

HoldingQUAL Wt.XLK Wt.Overlap
AAPL6.24%13.04%6.24%
NVDA6.23%15.20%6.23%
MSFT5.19%10.21%5.19%
LRCX2.79%2.39%2.39%
AMAT2.22%2.43%2.22%
KLAC2.39%1.69%1.69%
ANET1.24%1.27%1.24%
QCOM1.10%1.28%1.10%
ADBE1.38%1.02%1.02%
APP0.74%1.14%0.74%

Why These ETFs Overlap

QUAL is an equity ETF from IShares, while XLK is a technology-focused equity ETF from SPDR. The overlap exists because both funds allocate meaningful weight to the same holdings. In this dataset, the biggest shared drivers are AAPL, NVDA, and MSFT, which appear in both portfolios and push the overlap score higher.

Holding both QUAL and XLK can still be reasonable, but you should expect some duplication. The decision comes down to whether the non-overlapping parts of each ETF are important enough for your strategy.

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions About QUAL and XLK

What is the overlap between QUAL and XLK?+
QUAL and XLK currently show an estimated weighted overlap of 30.79% based on the loaded holdings data.
How many holdings do QUAL and XLK share?+
They share 18 holdings in the current dataset.
Is the QUAL and XLK overlap high?+
The current verdict is Moderate Overlap. That means the two ETFs have noticeable duplication in portfolio weight.
Why do QUAL and XLK overlap?+
QUAL and XLK overlap because the same large positions appear in both funds. In this comparison, the top three shared holdings explain 57.35% of the measured overlap score.
Which ETF is broader, QUAL or XLK?+
QUAL is the broader fund, while XLK is the more targeted sleeve. That does not automatically make one better, but it helps explain why the pair can overlap while still serving different roles.

How Overlap Is Calculated

A straightforward approach used by portfolio analysts.

Overlap = sum(min(Weight_A, Weight_B)) for each shared holding

For every stock that appears in both ETFs, we take the smaller of the two weights. Adding up all those minimums gives the total overlap percentage. A score of 100% means the two ETFs hold the exact same stocks in the same proportions.

Want the full explanation? Read the methodology page.

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