FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive Index Fund (QDEF)
| Assets | $443.89M |
| Expense Ratio | 0.37% |
| PE Ratio | 20.05 |
| Shares Out | 5.95M |
| Dividend (ttm) | $1.33 |
| Dividend Yield | 1.76% |
| Ex-Dividend Date | Jun 20, 2025 |
| Payout Frequency | Quarterly |
| Payout Ratio | 35.29% |
| Volume | 1,619 |
| Open | 74.96 |
| Previous Close | 75.33 |
| Day's Range | 74.93 - 74.96 |
| 52-Week Low | 61.61 |
| 52-Week High | 75.50 |
| Beta | 0.85 |
| Holdings | 128 |
| Inception Date | Dec 14, 2012 |
About QDEF
Fund Home PageThe FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive Index Fund (QDEF) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in total market equity. The fund tracks an index of companies with higher dividend yield and lower beta than the Northern Trust 1250 Index. QDEF was launched on Dec 14, 2012 and is issued by FlexShares.
Top 10 Holdings
38.34% of assets| Name | Symbol | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Inc. | AAPL | 6.59% |
| NVIDIA Corporation | NVDA | 6.21% |
| Microsoft Corporation | MSFT | 5.50% |
| Broadcom Inc. | AVGO | 4.96% |
| Johnson & Johnson | JNJ | 2.88% |
| AbbVie Inc. | ABBV | 2.85% |
| The Procter & Gamble Company | PG | 2.81% |
| Philip Morris International Inc. | PM | 2.34% |
| Meta Platforms, Inc. | META | 2.19% |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co. | JPM | 2.01% |
Dividends
| Ex-Dividend | Amount | Pay Date |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 20, 2025 | $0.33721 | Jun 26, 2025 |
| Mar 21, 2025 | $0.21169 | Mar 27, 2025 |
| Dec 20, 2024 | $0.44618 | Dec 27, 2024 |
| Sep 20, 2024 | $0.33095 | Sep 26, 2024 |
| Jun 21, 2024 | $0.34211 | Jun 27, 2024 |
| Mar 15, 2024 | $0.18321 | Mar 21, 2024 |
Performance
QDEF had a total return of 15.90% in the past year, including dividends. Since the fund's inception, the average annual return has been 12.23%.
News
QDEF: Heavy IT Concentration Challenges This Fund's 'Defensiveness'
FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive Index Fund is rated a hold due to mixed qualities and higher fees compared to similar ETFs. QDEF's heavy IT sector concentration presents potential risks, especia...
QDEF: A Low Volatility Dividend ETF Outperforming Peers
The FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive Index Fund (QDEF) focuses on high-quality, low-volatility stocks, outperforming peers with significant technology exposure and underweight in energy and utili...
QDEF: FlexShares' Defensive Dividend ETF Fails To Stand Out
QDEF relies on a proprietary model to optimize a portfolio based on quality, beta, and dividend yield. At current prices, QDEF yields 1.98%. QDEF's expense ratio is 0.37%, which isn't a deal-breaker o...
QDEF: Great Name, But Holdings Don't Validate
The FlexShares Quality Dividend Defense Index Fund aims to capture defensive, high-quality dividend stocks. However, the top holdings of the fund, such as Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Broadcom, do no...
QDEF Vs. QDF: Which Is The Best FlexShares Quality Dividend Fund?
FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive Index Fund ETF (QDEF) is a variant of QDF aiming at reducing volatility.
QDEF: Should Investors Trust Its Gargantuan ROE?
QDEF is a dividend- and quality-focused ETF with a tilt towards low-beta stocks. QDEF has an almost 105% ROE, as per my calculations. But supersized ROE is misleading as it is skewed by companies with...
3 Quality Dividend Growth ETFs For Maximal Total Returns
Dividend growth investing is a great strategy for long-term investors, offering compounding from reinvestment, dividend growth, and stock price appreciation. The best dividend growth stocks and ETFs t...
QDEF: Unconvincing Low-Beta Variant Of QDF
FlexShares Quality Dividend Defensive Index Fund ETF holds 126 dividend stocks selected with a proprietary quality score and low-beta optimization. The QDEF ETF has outperformed a number of dividend E...
QDEF: Volatility-Averse Dividend Play With Issues Beneath The Surface
QDEF has a seemingly attractive strategy for selecting high-quality U.S. dividend stocks and optimizing the mix to reduce the beta. However, concerns include an inflated valuation, large exposure to A...
Dividend Investing: Broader Is Better For Multi-Asset Strategies
Investing in dividend-paying stocks has proved to be a helpful strategy, outperforming global markets over the long term. Dividend income strategies play an important role for multi-asset income portf...
5 ETFs to Protect Against the Market’s Wild Swings
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