- ISIN
- US4642888360
- CUSIP
- 464288836
- Issuer
- iShares
- Inception Date
- May 5, 2006
- Region
- North America (U.S.)
- Category
- Health & Biotech Equities
- Leveraged
- 1x (No leverage)
- Index Tracked
- Dow Jones U.S. Select Pharmaceuticals Index
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Equity
- Asset Class Size
- Multi-Cap
- Asset Class Style
- Growth
- Assets Under Management
- $956M
Share Price Chart
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Performance
IHE Performance Chart
iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF (IHE) is up 9.9% since the beginning of the year. IHE is currently trading at $93 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of IHE shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,640.
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Returns By Period
iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF (IHE) has returned 9.89% so far this year and 45.56% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, IHE has returned 8.82% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.88% annually.
iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF
- 1D
- 0.83%
- 1M
- 1.54%
- YTD
- 9.89%
- 6M
- 8.65%
- 1Y
- 45.56%
- 3Y*
- 17.81%
- 5Y*
- 10.40%
- 10Y*
- 8.82%
Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)
- 1D
- -0.37%
- 1M
- -0.01%
- YTD
- 9.16%
- 6M
- 8.64%
- 1Y
- 25.22%
- 3Y*
- 19.78%
- 5Y*
- 11.99%
- 10Y*
- 13.88%
IHE Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since May 5, 2006, IHE's average daily return is +0.05%, while the average monthly return is +0.93%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 6.2 years.
Historically, 62% of months were positive and 38% were negative. The best month was Apr 2020 with a return of +13.2%, while the worst month was Oct 2008 at -13.0%. The longest winning streak lasted 9 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 5 months.
On a daily basis, IHE closed higher 53% of trading days. The best single day was May 7, 2010 with a return of +28.3%, while the worst single day was May 6, 2010 at -26.0%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2.18% | 5.95% | -5.31% | 1.10% | 4.67% | 1.31% | 9.89% | ||||||
| 2025 | 5.66% | 4.65% | -2.50% | -3.43% | -4.48% | 1.15% | 0.32% | 8.23% | 2.42% | 4.70% | 12.36% | 0.06% | 31.69% |
| 2024 | 2.95% | 6.67% | 0.45% | -5.65% | 2.62% | 1.33% | 2.94% | 6.73% | -2.60% | -2.15% | 0.22% | -4.78% | 8.13% |
| 2023 | -0.31% | -5.09% | -0.08% | 3.40% | -5.24% | 4.65% | 1.76% | 4.08% | -6.23% | -5.38% | 4.78% | 5.90% | 1.06% |
| 2022 | -4.56% | -3.62% | 6.23% | -3.32% | 3.53% | -1.08% | -0.58% | -7.55% | -3.24% | 6.80% | 3.47% | 0.06% | -4.87% |
| 2021 | 0.21% | -0.42% | -0.42% | 0.84% | 2.94% | 1.12% | 3.21% | 0.86% | -4.86% | 2.73% | -0.52% | 7.11% | 13.07% |
Benchmark Metrics
iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF has an annualized alpha of 4.59%, beta of 0.72, and R2 of 0.47 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since May 05, 2006.
- This ETF participates in less of S&P 500 Index's moves in both directions, but captures a larger share of gains (86.96%) than losses (79.36%) - typical of diversified or defensive assets.
- R2 of 0.47 means the benchmark explains less than half of this ETF's behavior - treat beta with caution or consider switching to a more representative benchmark.
- Alpha
- 4.59%
- Beta
- 0.72
- R²
- 0.47
- Upside Capture
- 86.96%
- Downside Capture
- 79.36%
Expense Ratio
IHE has an expense ratio of 0.42%, placing it in the medium range.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
IHE ranks 86 for risk / return — in the top 86% of ETFs on our site. This means strong returns relative to risk — exactly what professional investors look for. Well-suited for investors who want to maximize return per unit of risk.
Return / Risk — by metrics
The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF (IHE) and compare them to S&P 500 Index.
Values are calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. Risk-adjusted metrics are more stable over longer periods — use the period switch above to explore them.
| IHE | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | +0.64 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | +1.10 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.45 | 1.37 | +0.08 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 5.40 | 2.78 | +2.62 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 16.62 | 12.44 | +4.18 |
Dividends
Dividend History
iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF provided a 1.58% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $1.47 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 2 consecutive years.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $1.47 | $1.50 | $1.14 | $0.86 | $1.24 | $0.99 | $0.71 | $0.75 | $0.59 | $0.70 | $0.43 | $1.04 |
Dividend yield | 1.58% | 1.76% | 1.73% | 1.39% | 2.01% | 1.49% | 1.19% | 1.40% | 1.25% | 1.36% | 0.92% | 1.93% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.28 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.28 | $0.57 | ||||||
| 2025 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.29 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.31 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.31 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.59 | $1.50 |
| 2024 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.28 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.29 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.36 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.21 | $1.14 |
| 2023 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.22 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.20 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.30 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.13 | $0.86 |
| 2022 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.26 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.24 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.29 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.45 | $1.24 |
| 2021 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.21 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.24 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.28 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.26 | $0.99 |
Drawdowns
Drawdowns Chart
The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.
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Worst Drawdowns
The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.
The maximum drawdown for the iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF was 38.20%, occurring on Mar 5, 2009. Recovery took 197 trading sessions.
The current iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF drawdown is 2.26%.
Related event | Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Financial crisis2007–2009 | -38.20%Mar 2009 | 1y 9mo | 9mo 14d | 2y 6moMay 2007 - Dec 2009 |
COVID crash2020 | -32.24%Mar 2020 | 4y 8mo | 6mo 20d | 5y 2moJul 2015 - Oct 2020 |
2010 bear market2010 | -27.89%May 2010 | 1mo 13d | 4mo 17d | 6moMar 2010 - Sep 2010 |
2011 correction2011 | -16.88%Aug 2011 | 1mo 1d | 4mo 14d | 5mo 15dJul 2011 - Dec 2011 |
Bear market2022 | -16.03%Oct 2022 | 6mo 5d | 1y 3mo | 1y 10moApr 2022 - Feb 2024 |
Drawdown Indicators
| IHE | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -38.20% | -56.78% | +18.58% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -8.47% | -9.10% | +0.63% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -15.92% | -18.90% | +2.98% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -16.03% | -25.43% | +9.40% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -29.59% | -33.92% | +4.33% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -2.26% | -1.80% | -0.46% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -7.90% | -10.71% | +2.81% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 2.75% | 2.03% | +0.72% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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