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QDEF ETF · FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive Index Fund ETF
The QDEF Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) is provided by FlexShares. It is built to track an index: Northern Trust Quality Dividend Defensive Index. The QDEF ETF provides physical exposure, so by buying it you actually own parts of all the 124 underlying holdings. This share class generates a stream of income by distributing dividends.
Last update Yesterday at 7:59 PM UTC
LIVE
CLOSED
This fund is part ofUS Multi-Factor1M perf.-2.90%
Last price
$82.13
-0.36%
1M perf.
-2.47%
1M flows
+€1.8M
AuM
€435M
E/R
0.38%
Rating
ESG Consensus®
QDEF
$82.13
-0.36%
Performance & flows
December 11, 2025 → March 11, 2026
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QDEF
$82.10
+0.30%
Historic performance and flows
| 1M | 3M | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | MTD | QTD | YTD | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perf. | -2.47% | +0.30% | +19.90% | +72.98% | +83.19% | -2.07% | +1.47% | +1.47% | |
| Flows |
Key fund info
This ETF's jurisdiction country is not in your region (Europe and Middle East) ·
Main characteristics
More details
NAV
3/11/2026
$82.10
1D NAV change
-0.36%
Dividend policy
Replication method
Direct (Physical)
Replication model
Optimized sampling
No. of holdings
124
Inception date
12/14/2012
Jurisdiction
United States
Distribution
United States
Legal structure
Open-end Fund
Base currency
USD
Dividend distribution
Trailing 12-month distr. yield
Distribution frequency
Last distribution
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Classification
Product type
Benchmark
Northern Trust Quality Dividend Defensive Index
Asset class
Factors
N/A
Investment strategy
The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Northern Trust Quality Dividend Defensive IndexTM (Underlying Index)
Tax optimisation
PEA
France
UK Reporting Status
United Kingdom
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Enterprise
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Risk profile
Historical risk/return profile
| 3M | 1Y | 3Y | 5Y | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Returns | +0.30% | +19.90% | +72.98% | +83.19% |
| Volatility | ||||
| Perf./Volatility | ||||
| Max drawdown |
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Synthetic Risk and Reward Indicator (SRRI)
UCITS
N/A
PRIIPS
N/A
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Enterprise
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Countries
USA
94.11%
Ireland
1.20%
Unavailable
3.46%
Other
1.23%
Sectors
Information Technology
30.79%
Health Care
13.04%
Financials
11.80%
Communication Services
7.18%
Industrials
7.17%
Consumer Staples
7.03%
Consumer Discretionary
7.00%
Real Estate
3.98%
Unavailable
3.51%
Other
8.52%
Diversification
Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 124
Top 15 holdings
Data as of January 31, 2026
APPLE
NVIDIA
BROADCOM LIMITED
MICROSOFT-T
JOHNSON&JOHNSON
ABBVIE
PROCTERGAMBLE
ALPHABET INC-CL
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PHILLIP MORRIS
JPMORGAN CHASE
ALPHABET INC-CL
CISCO-T
KLA CORPORATION
MERCK & CO INC
GILEAD SCIENCES
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Built for professionals: access exclusive exposure metrics in Trackinsight Enterprise.
Enterprise
Trackinsight Enterprise helps professional and institutional ETF investors tackle operational, regulatory, and analytical challenges at every stage of the investment process.
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Integrates ESG criteria
No
SDG
ESG Consensus® by Conser
Data as of December 31, 2025
MethodologyOur partner Conser gathers the industry's consensus on the business practices of the underlying holdings. We have computed the following metrics about QDEF ETF's sustainability, based on their methodology.
ESG Consensus®
ESG Consensus® is based on the Final Sustainability Grade, which itself consists of 10 grades. Our partner Conser calculates the exact grade, based on market intelligence, using their proprietary ESG Consensus® methodology.
QDEF’s has a Final Sustainability Grade of either B+, B, or B-.
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D
This fund’s exact Final Sustainability Grade is available in Trackinsight Enterprise.
Learn more about Trackinsight EnterpriseHoldings review
81.32% of holdings have positive scoring
21.68% of holdings have negative scoring
22.46%
33.83%
25.04%
16.12%
Consensus levels
Strong
Medium
Weak
Built for professionals: access exclusive sustainability metrics in Trackinsight Enterprise.
Enterprise
Trackinsight Enterprise helps professional and institutional ETF investors tackle operational, regulatory, and analytical challenges at every stage of the investment process.
Learn more about Trackinsight EnterpriseReplication
Trackinsight replication rating:
Replication quality
Calculated over 12m, as of February 27, 2026
Tracking error
Tracking difference
Replication information
Index
Northern Trust Quality Dividend Defensive Total Return Index - USD
Index ticker
NTUQDDFT Index
Index dividend policy
GTR
Replication method
Replication model
Built for professionals: access exclusive replication metrics in Trackinsight Enterprise.
Enterprise
Trackinsight Enterprise helps professional and institutional ETF investors tackle operational, regulatory, and analytical challenges at every stage of the investment process.
Learn more about Trackinsight EnterpriseIssuer
FlexShares
FlexShares ID Card
Number of funds
36
Total AuM
€22.62B
Expense ratio range
0.09% - 0.58%
Average expense ratio
0.2633%
Top 5 funds by FlexShares
Frequently asked questions about QDEF
What does FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive Index Fund ETF, QDEF, invest in?
QDEF is a Passive ETF. This ETF provides exposure to Other Large Cap US Equities.
Which benchmark or index does QDEF replicate?
QDEF tracks the Northern Trust Quality Dividend Defensive Total Return Index - USD, through a optimized sampling replication method.
What is the Total Expense ratio (TER) of QDEF?
QDEF carries a total expense ratio (TER) of 0.38%, indicating the annual cost for holding the fund.
When was QDEF launched?
QDEF was introduced to the market on December 14, 2012. It trades on United States
Who is the ETF issuer of QDEF?
FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive Index Fund ETF, QDEF, is provided by FlexShares. Learn more about FlexShares here.
What is the current assets under management (AUM) of QDEF?
QDEF oversees €435M in assets as of March 11, 2026.
How has QDEF performed lately?
Based on data from March 11, 2026, QDEF returned -2.47% over the past month, 0.30% over the last three months and 1.47% year-to-date.
What are the latest inflows or outflows for QDEF?
As of March 11, 2026, QDEF recorded net flows of +€1.6M over the last month and +€3.4M year-to-date.
Does QDEF distribute dividends?
QDEF follows a distributing dividend policy, meaning it pays out income to investors. As of March 11, 2026, its 12-month trailing yield was 1.71%.
What are the main country or region exposures of QDEF?
As of January 31, 2026, QDEF has significant geographic allocations in USA and Ireland.
In which sector or theme does QDEF invest in?
As of January 31, 2026, QDEF focuses largely on Information Technology, Health Care and Financials.
How many securities does QDEF hold and how diversified is it?
As of January 31, 2026, QDEF holds 124 positions in its portfolio, with 45.64% of assets concentrated in its top 15 holdings.
What are the main positions in QDEF?
As of January 31, 2026, QDEF top three holdings include APPLE, NVIDIA and BROADCOM LIMITED.
What is the base currency of QDEF?
The base currency of QDEF is USD.
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