- ISIN
- US46429B2916
- CUSIP
- 46429B291
- Issuer
- iShares
- Inception Date
- Feb 14, 2012
- Region
- North America (U.S.)
- Category
- Corporate Bonds
- Leveraged
- 1x (No leverage)
- Index Tracked
- Bloomberg U.S. Corporate Aaa - A Capped Index
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Bond
- Assets Under Management
- $1B
Highlights
- Avg. Volume (1M)
- 254K
- Avg. Volume Value (1M)
- $11.91M
Share Price Chart
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Performance
QLTA Performance Chart
iShares Aaa - A Rated Corporate Bond ETF (QLTA) is down 1.1% since the beginning of the year. QLTA is currently trading at $47 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of QLTA shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $967.
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Returns By Period
iShares Aaa - A Rated Corporate Bond ETF (QLTA) has returned -1.05% so far this year and 1.22% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, QLTA has returned 1.68% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.26% annually.
iShares Aaa - A Rated Corporate Bond ETF
- 1D
- -0.17%
- 1M
- -1.71%
- 6M
- -1.29%
- YTD
- -1.05%
- 1Y
- 1.22%
- 3Y*
- 4.10%
- 5Y*
- -0.66%
- 10Y*
- 1.68%
- ALL TIME*
- 2.40%
Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)
- 1D
- 0.70%
- 1M
- 0.09%
- 6M
- 7.94%
- YTD
- 9.41%
- 1Y
- 20.07%
- 3Y*
- 17.84%
- 5Y*
- 11.25%
- 10Y*
- 13.26%
- ALL TIME*
- 8.09%
QLTA Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Feb 16, 2012, QLTA's average daily return is +0.01%, while the average monthly return is +0.21%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 27.5 years.
Historically, 59% of months were positive and 41% were negative. The best month was Nov 2023 with a return of +5.9%, while the worst month was Apr 2022 at -5.3%. The longest winning streak lasted 5 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 5 months.
On a daily basis, QLTA closed higher 52% of trading days. The best single day was Mar 23, 2020 with a return of +7.5%, while the worst single day was Mar 18, 2020 at -4.7%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0.25% | 1.24% | -1.78% | 0.30% | 0.63% | 0.08% | -1.72% | -1.05% | |||||
| 2025 | 0.49% | 2.10% | -0.26% | 0.12% | -0.05% | 1.69% | -0.07% | 1.04% | 1.45% | 0.35% | 0.77% | -0.47% | 7.36% |
| 2024 | -0.44% | -1.48% | 1.22% | -2.63% | 1.83% | 0.56% | 2.40% | 1.67% | 1.74% | -2.70% | 1.32% | -2.08% | 1.23% |
| 2023 | 4.16% | -3.42% | 3.16% | 0.55% | -1.49% | 0.40% | 0.19% | -0.95% | -2.86% | -1.80% | 5.93% | 3.97% | 7.60% |
| 2022 | -3.07% | -1.68% | -2.66% | -5.32% | 1.74% | -2.75% | 3.60% | -3.80% | -5.05% | -1.12% | 5.63% | -1.20% | -15.14% |
| 2021 | -1.56% | -2.03% | -1.46% | 1.02% | 0.34% | 1.68% | 1.23% | -0.32% | -1.35% | 0.38% | 0.07% | -0.28% | -2.32% |
Benchmark Metrics
iShares Aaa - A Rated Corporate Bond ETF has an annualized alpha of 1.55%, beta of 0.08, and R2 of 0.04 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since February 16, 2012.
- This ETF participated in 22.64% of S&P 500 Index downside but only 16.74% of its upside - more exposed to losses than it benefited from rallies.
- Beta of 0.08 may look defensive, but with R2 of 0.04 this ETF is largely uncorrelated with S&P 500 Index - low beta reflects independence, not downside protection. See the Volatility section for a true picture of this ETF's risk.
- R2 of 0.04 means this ETF moves largely independently of S&P 500 Index - capture ratios reflect limited market correlation rather than active downside protection. Consider using a more representative benchmark.
- Alpha
- 1.55%
- Beta
- 0.08
- R²
- 0.04
- Upside Capture
- 16.74%
- Downside Capture
- 22.64%
Expense Ratio
QLTA has an expense ratio of 0.15%, which is considered low.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
QLTA ranks 23 for risk / return — above 23% of ETFs peers on PortfoliosLab. Its historical combined result is below the peer median.
Risk / Return Metrics
The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares Aaa - A Rated Corporate Bond ETF (QLTA) 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.
| QLTA | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | -0.93 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | -1.26 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.08 | 1.25 | -0.17 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 0.75 | 2.00 | -1.25 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 1.91 | 8.49 | -6.59 |
Dividends
Dividend History
iShares Aaa - A Rated Corporate Bond ETF provided a 4.20% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $1.95 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 4 consecutive years.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $1.95 | $2.08 | $1.92 | $1.63 | $1.29 | $1.10 | $1.35 | $1.63 | $1.55 | $1.41 | $1.33 | $1.51 |
Dividend yield | 4.20% | 4.33% | 4.11% | 3.39% | 2.79% | 1.96% | 2.31% | 2.99% | 3.09% | 2.67% | 2.59% | 2.99% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for iShares Aaa - A Rated Corporate Bond 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 | $0.18 | $0.18 | $0.18 | $0.19 | $0.18 | $0.18 | $1.08 | |||||
| 2025 | $0.00 | $0.17 | $0.19 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $0.18 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $0.35 | $2.08 |
| 2024 | $0.00 | $0.15 | $0.15 | $0.16 | $0.16 | $0.16 | $0.16 | $0.14 | $0.17 | $0.17 | $0.16 | $0.35 | $1.92 |
| 2023 | $0.00 | $0.10 | $0.13 | $0.13 | $0.13 | $0.14 | $0.13 | $0.14 | $0.14 | $0.14 | $0.15 | $0.30 | $1.63 |
| 2022 | $0.00 | $0.09 | $0.10 | $0.09 | $0.10 | $0.10 | $0.14 | $0.10 | $0.09 | $0.12 | $0.12 | $0.25 | $1.29 |
| 2021 | $0.00 | $0.09 | $0.10 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.18 | $1.10 |
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 Aaa - A Rated Corporate Bond 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 Aaa - A Rated Corporate Bond ETF was 22.27%, occurring on Oct 20, 2022. The portfolio has not yet recovered.
The current iShares Aaa - A Rated Corporate Bond ETF drawdown is 4.72%.
Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater | Related event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
-22.27%Oct 2022 | 2y 2mo | — | 5y 12moAug 2020 - now | Bear market2022 |
-15.24%Mar 2020 | 10d | 2mo 11d | 2mo 21dMar 2020 - May 2020 | COVID crash2020 |
-7.06%Jun 2013 | 1mo 22d | 11mo 7d | 1y 24dMay 2013 - May 2014 | — |
-5.63%Dec 2016 | 5mo 7d | 8mo 11d | 1y 1moJul 2016 - Aug 2017 | — |
-4.40%Jul 2015 | 4mo 29d | 8mo 18d | 1y 1moFeb 2015 - Mar 2016 | — |
Drawdown Indicators
| QLTA | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -22.27% | -56.78% | +34.51% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -2.81% | -9.10% | +6.29% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -5.36% | -18.90% | +13.54% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -21.36% | -25.43% | +4.07% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -22.27% | -33.92% | +11.65% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -4.72% | -1.58% | -3.14% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -4.66% | -10.70% | +6.04% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 1.10% | 2.14% | -1.04% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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