What this ETF is trying to do

The iShares NASDAQ Top 30 Stocks ETF (QTOP) is designed to provide exposure to 30 of the largest companies listed on the NASDAQ exchange. It focuses on a small group of high-profile companies rather than the entire market.

What the numbers show

As of October 6, 2026, the share price of QTOP was $40.27.

When looking at performance, there are two different ways to measure success:

• Price Return: This measures only the change in the share price. The one-year price return was 28.29%, and the year-to-date (YTD) price return was 26.00%.

• Total Return: This reflects the overall return, including the cash distributions paid to investors. The one-year total return was 28.75%, and the YTD total return was 26.33%.

To put this in perspective, the estimated price from roughly one year ago was $31.39. If an investor had put $10,000 into the ETF a year ago, the price-only growth would have increased that amount to approximately $12,829.

Income and distribution explanation

This ETF pays out cash to investors, which is called a distribution. It usually pays these distributions quarterly. Over the last 12 months, it made 4 payouts.

The distribution yield is 0.31%. It is important for beginners to know that a distribution yield is not the same as a total return. While distributions provide cash income, they do not guarantee that the original investment (the principal) will stay the same or grow.

NAV Erosion Explanation

"NAV erosion" happens when the actual value of the fund's underlying assets drops over time. StockValueFinder uses an erosion-risk score to measure this. QTOP has an erosion score of 100, and the label states "No price erosion detected." Additionally, the severe erosion-risk flag is false, meaning the price trend did not trigger a warning.

Top Holdings

The fund holds a total of 34 companies. Because the holdings list is partial, we only see the largest ones. As of October 8, 2026, the top holdings included:

• NVIDIA Corp: 10.73%

• Apple Inc: 9.48%

• Microsoft Corp: 7.43%

• Micron Technology Inc: 6.47%

• Advanced Micro Devices Inc: 5.51%

• Meta Platforms Inc Class A: 4.31%

• Amazon.com Inc: 4.09%

• Alphabet Inc Class A: 3.94%

• Tesla Inc: 3.72%

• Alphabet Inc Class C: 3.67%

Pros

• Strong one-year price and total returns.

• No detected price erosion.

• Exposure to some of the largest tech companies in the world.

Cons

• Very low distribution yield (0.31%) for those seeking high income.

• Concentrated in a small number of stocks (only 30).

Beginner Takeaway

QTOP is a fund for investors who want to own a small group of the biggest NASDAQ companies. While it has shown strong price growth over the last year, it provides very little cash income. Investors should remember that a high return in the past does not guarantee future results.