QDEF: FLEXSHARES QUALITY DIVIDEND DEFENSIVE INDEX FUND
What this ETF is trying to do
The FLEXSHARES QUALITY DIVIDEND DEFENSIVE INDEX FUND (ticker: QDEF) is an ETF designed to focus on quality dividend-paying companies. It seeks to provide a balance of income and stability by investing in stocks that meet specific quality standards.
What the numbers show
The data shows that QDEF has experienced growth in both its share price and its total return. It is important to know the difference between these two: price return only tracks how much the share price moves, while total return includes both the price movement and the extra money earned from distributions.
Here is a look at the performance:
• Year-to-Date (YTD): The price return is approximately 12.22%, while the total return is approximately 13.37%.
• One-Year: The price return was approximately 13.87%, and the total return was approximately 15.81%.
• Three-Year: The price return was approximately 66.50%, and the total return was approximately 76.01%.
Based on an estimated price from roughly one year ago of $79.79, the current price is $90.85.
Income and distribution explanation
QDEF provides cash to investors through distributions. The distribution yield is approximately 1.57%. This number represents the cash paid out relative to the current ETF price.
The fund usually pays these distributions on a quarterly basis (four times a year). Over the last 12 months, there were 4 payouts. Most of these recent payments occurred on a Friday.
NAV erosion explanation
"NAV erosion" refers to a decline in the Net Asset Value (the actual value of the assets held by the fund). The supplied data is sufficient to evaluate price erosion, but it does not include enough historical NAV-per-share data to confirm or rule out NAV erosion.
However, looking at the price-based evidence, the fund has an erosion-risk score of 100, which is labeled as "No price erosion detected." The erosion severity is rated as "good," and there is no severe erosion-risk flag.
Top Holdings
The following are the top holdings in the fund (note that this is a partial list):
• Apple Inc (9.06%)
• NVIDIA Corp (7.34%)
• Microsoft Corp (4.57%)
• Johnson & Johnson (2.88%)
• Broadcom Inc (2.73%)
• Alphabet Inc Class A (2.40%)
• Philip Morris International Inc (2.10%)
• JPMorgan Chase & Co (2.01%)
• Alphabet Inc Class C (1.91%)
• Eli Lilly and Co (1.87%)
Holdings can change over time. This list was updated on October 11, 2026.
Pros
• The fund has shown positive price returns and total returns over the last one, three, and five years.
• It has a high income rating grade of "A."
• There are no signs of price erosion detected in the current data.
Cons
• The distribution yield (1.57%) is relatively low compared to some other types of income-focused funds.
Beginner takeaway
QDEF is an ETF that focuses on quality companies. For investors, it has shown both share-price growth and total returns (which include dividends) over several years. While it provides regular quarterly income, the yield is modest. The data suggests the fund has maintained a healthy price trend without significant price erosion.
Top Holdings
Structured portfolio holdings supplied by the ETF data provider. These figures are not generated by the AI article.
| # | Holding | Ticker | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | APPLE INC | AAPL | 9.06% |
| 2 | NVIDIA CORP | NVDA | 7.34% |
| 3 | MICROSOFT CORP | MSFT | 4.57% |
| 4 | JOHNSON & JOHNSON | JNJ | 2.88% |
| 5 | BROADCOM INC | AVGO | 2.73% |
| 6 | ALPHABET INC CLASS A | GOOGL | 2.40% |
| 7 | PHILIP MORRIS INTERNATIONAL INC | PM | 2.10% |
| 8 | JPMORGAN CHASE & CO | JPM | 2.01% |
| 9 | ALPHABET INC CLASS C | GOOG | 1.91% |
| 10 | ELI LILLY AND CO | LLY | 1.87% |