ETF Evaluator:
iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF (AGG)
Follow This ETF
(as of Jul 31)
Best Performing in Intermediate Core Bond Over the Last Year
| 7.1% | Aptus Enhanced Yield ETF (JUCY) |
| 7.1% | Overlay Shares Core Bond ETF (OVB) |
| 6.8% | SGI Enhanced Core ETF (USDX) |
| 6.7% | Hartford Schroders Tax-Aware Bond ETF (HTAB) |
| 6.1% | Simplify Aggregate Bond ETF (AGGH) |
Risk
Index
Risk
Index
ETF Details
iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF Overview
iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF (AGG) is a passively managed Taxable Bond Intermediate Core Bond exchange-traded fund (ETF). iShares launched the ETF in 2003.
The investment seeks to track the investment results of the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index.
The index measures the performance of the total U.S. investment-grade bond market. The fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of the underlying index and TBAs that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the economic characteristics of the component securities of the underlying index, and the fund will invest at least 90% of its assets in fixed income securities of the types included in the underlying index that the advisor believes will help the fund track the underlying index.
About iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF (AGG)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 5.61 years: James Mauro (2011), Jonathan Graves (2025) and Marcus Tom (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: Bloomberg US Universal TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF has 13233 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 6.6% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond ETF group. iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF has 6.2% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0% There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 99.3% (93.1% domestic bond, 6.2% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF has 0.7% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $138 billion in total assets, which is above the $6 billion average for the Intermediate Core Bond category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
AGG Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF expense ratio is low compared to funds in the Intermediate Core Bond category. iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF has an expense ratio of 0.03%, which is 91% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a A. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 62%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 100% for the Intermediate Core Bond category.
Recently, in the month of June 2026, iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF returned 0.3%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Intermediate Core Bond category had an average return of 0.2%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF has a trailing yield of 3.97%, which is below the 4.35% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income monthly and its capital gains annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 0.7%, 0.1 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 3.8% over the past year (grade of C), 4.2% over the past three years (grade of C) and 0.1% per year over the past five years (grade of C) and 1.5% per year over the past 10 years (grade of D).
For more ETF grades, analysis and screening tools to help your investment discovery, join AAII for a $2, full-access trial. Learn more here: https://invest.aaii.com/membership.
Otherwise, for more information about iShares Core US Aggregate Bond ETF, including its riskiness, submit your email to unlock the rest of the article.
Gain access to exclusive AAII member-only content.
AGG Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 6/30/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| AGG Return (NAV) | 0.3% | 0.7% | 3.8% | 4.2% | 0.1% | 1.5% |
| AGG Return (Price) | 0.3% | 0.7% | 3.8% | 4.2% | 0.1% | 1.5% |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -0.001% | -0.050% | 0.008% | -0.011% | 0.002% | 0.017% |
| Intermediate Core Bond Avg | 0.2% | 0.8% | 4.1% | 4.4% | 0.2% | 1.7% |
| AGG Grade (NAV) | C | D | C | C | C | D |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 0.0% | -0.2% | -0.3% | -0.3% | -0.1% | -0.1% |
| AGG Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.1% |
AGG Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 6/30/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| AGG Return (NAV) | 0.7% | 7.2% | 1.4% | 5.6% | -13.1% | -1.7% | 7.4% | 8.7% | -0.0% | 3.5% | 2.6% |
| AGG Return (Price) | 0.7% | 7.2% | 1.3% | 5.7% | -13.0% | -1.8% | 7.5% | 8.5% | 0.1% | 3.6% | 2.4% |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 0.049% | -0.000% | -0.047% | 0.012% | -0.002% | 0.061% | 0.007% | -2.6% | -308.0% | 0.7% | -5.7% |
| Intermediate Core Bond Avg | 0.9% | 7.1% | 1.9% | 6.0% | -13.2% | -1.5% | 7.6% | 9.1% | -0.5% | 3.7% | 3.0% |
| AGG Grade (NAV) | D | C | D | D | A | C | D | D | B | D | D |
| +/- Category | -0.1% | 0.1% | -0.5% | -0.4% | 0.1% | -0.2% | -0.2% | -0.4% | 0.4% | -0.2% | -0.5% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 0.99 |
| R-Squared: | 100% |
| Standard Deviation: | 5.5% |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.02 |
| Category Risk Rating: | Below Average |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.45 |
| Total Risk Rating: | Low |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 4.0% |
| Total Assets: | $ 138,847 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 138,847 Mil |
| Turnover: | 62.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.03% |
| Index Fund: | Yes |
| Index Tracked: | Bloomberg US Universal TR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Monthly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 15.0 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 5.6 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Mauro James (2011), Graves Jonathan (2025), Tom Marcus (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 13233 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 6.6% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 6.2% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 93.1% |
| Foreign Bond: | 6.2% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.7% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | iShares |
| Phone Number: | 800-474-2737 |
| Website: | www.ishares.com |
| Inception Date: | September 22, 2003 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.03% (Rating: Low) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.32% |