ETF Evaluator: iShares MSCI Intl Quality Factor ETF (IQLT) Follow This ETF

iShares MSCI Intl Quality Factor ETF Overview

iShares MSCI Intl Quality Factor ETF (IQLT) is a passively managed International Equity Foreign Large Blend exchange-traded fund (ETF). iShares launched the ETF in 2015.

The investment seeks to track the investment results of the MSCI World ex USA Sector Neutral Quality Index. The fund generally will invest at least 80% of its assets in the component securities of its underlying index and in investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the component securities of its underlying index. The index measures the performance of international developed large- and mid-capitalization stocks exhibiting relatively higher quality characteristics as identified through three fundamental variables: return on equity, earnings variability and debt-to-equity.

About iShares MSCI Intl Quality Factor ETF (IQLT)

There are 4 members of the management team with an average tenure of 3.81 years: Jennifer Hsui (2015), Peter Sietsema (2025), Matt Waldron (2025) and Steven White (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.

The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI ACWI Ex USA NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and MSCI World ex US Sector Ntrl Qlty NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. iShares MSCI Intl Quality Factor ETF has 324 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 24.2% 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 MSCI Intl Quality Factor ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the International Equity ETF group. iShares MSCI Intl Quality Factor ETF has 97.9% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.9% There is 97.9% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). iShares MSCI Intl Quality Factor ETF has 0.7% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $13 billion in total assets, which is above the $9 billion average for the Foreign Large Blend 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.

IQLT 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 MSCI Intl Quality Factor ETF expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Foreign Large Blend category. iShares MSCI Intl Quality Factor ETF has an expense ratio of 0.30%, which is 24% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. 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 MSCI Intl Quality Factor ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 20%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 39% for the Foreign Large Blend category.

Recently, in the month of June 2026, iShares MSCI Intl Quality Factor ETF returned 1.8%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Foreign Large Blend category had an average return of -0.1%. 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 MSCI Intl Quality Factor ETF has a trailing yield of 2.41%, which is below the 2.63% category average. The fund normally distributes its income semi-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 MSCI Intl Quality Factor ETF Grades

Year to date, the ETF has returned 10.7%, 0.2 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 17.5% over the past year (grade of D), 14.6% over the past three years (grade of F) and 8.0% per year over the past five years (grade of D) and 10.0% per year over the past 10 years (grade of C).

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