IHF vs. VHT

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF (IHF) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT).

IHF and VHT are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. IHF is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Health Care Providers Index. It was launched on May 5, 2006. VHT is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the MSCI US Investable Market Health Care 25/50 Index. It was launched on Jan 26, 2004. Both IHF and VHT are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

IHF vs. VHT - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF (IHF) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

IHF vs. VHT - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
IHF iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF	-12.43%	0.92%	-7.90%	-1.11%	-7.11%	24.46%	17.67%	22.34%	9.56%	25.45%
VHT Vanguard Health Care ETF	-5.04%	15.46%	2.66%	2.52%	-5.60%	20.57%	18.29%	21.87%	5.58%	23.26%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, IHF achieves a -12.43% return, which is significantly lower than VHT's -5.04% return. Over the past 10 years, IHF has underperformed VHT with an annualized return of 6.52%, while VHT has yielded a comparatively higher 9.72% annualized return.

IHF

• 1D: 2.12%
• 1M: -9.01%
• YTD: -12.43%
• 6M: -14.61%
• 1Y: -19.84%
• 3Y*: -4.54%
• 5Y*: -2.75%
• 10Y*: 6.52%

VHT

• 1D: 2.24%
• 1M: -7.50%
• YTD: -5.04%
• 6M: 5.91%
• 1Y: 4.70%
• 3Y*: 6.16%
• 5Y*: 5.09%
• 10Y*: 9.72%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

IHF vs. VHT - Expense Ratio Comparison

IHF has a 0.43% expense ratio, which is higher than VHT's 0.10% expense ratio.

IHF

iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF

VHT

Vanguard Health Care ETF

Return for Risk

IHF vs. VHT — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

IHF

IHF Risk / Return Rank: 2
IHF Sharpe Ratio Rank: 1
IHF Sortino Ratio Rank: 2
IHF Omega Ratio Rank: 1
IHF Calmar Ratio Rank: 1
IHF Martin Ratio Rank: 2

VHT

VHT Risk / Return Rank: 21
VHT Sharpe Ratio Rank: 20
VHT Sortino Ratio Rank: 20
VHT Omega Ratio Rank: 19
VHT Calmar Ratio Rank: 25
VHT Martin Ratio Rank: 21

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

IHF vs. VHT - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF (IHF) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	IHF	VHT	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	-0.82	0.27	-1.09
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	-0.96	0.49	-1.45
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	0.86	1.06	-0.20
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	-0.76	0.51	-1.27
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	-1.40	1.09	-2.49
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

IHF vs. VHT - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current IHF Sharpe Ratio is -0.82, which is lower than the VHT Sharpe Ratio of 0.27. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of IHF and VHT, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	IHF	VHT	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	-0.82	0.27	-1.09
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.15	0.34	-0.49
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.31	0.58	-0.26
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.34	0.56	-0.22

Correlation

The correlation between IHF and VHT is 0.78, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

IHF vs. VHT - Dividend Comparison

IHF's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.27%, less than VHT's 1.73% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
IHF iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF	1.27%	1.05%	0.86%	0.79%	0.74%	0.56%	0.53%	0.58%	4.01%	0.19%	0.25%	0.20%
VHT Vanguard Health Care ETF	1.73%	1.61%	1.53%	1.36%	1.33%	1.14%	1.21%	1.89%	1.38%	1.31%	1.45%	1.22%

Drawdowns

IHF vs. VHT - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum IHF drawdown since its inception was -58.42%, which is greater than VHT's maximum drawdown of -39.12%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for IHF and VHT.

Drawdown Indicators

	IHF	VHT	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-58.42%	-39.12%	-19.30%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-25.16%	-10.40%	-14.76%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-29.85%	-17.71%	-12.14%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-35.23%	-28.85%	-6.38%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-27.33%	-8.05%	-19.28%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-10.59%	-5.98%	-4.61%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	13.71%	4.96%	+8.75%

Volatility

IHF vs. VHT - Volatility Comparison

iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF (IHF) and Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT) have volatilities of 4.94% and 5.10%, respectively, indicating that both stocks experience similar levels of price fluctuations. This suggests that the risk associated with both stocks, as measured by volatility, is nearly the same. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	IHF	VHT	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	4.94%	5.10%	-0.16%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	15.72%	10.28%	+5.44%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	24.21%	17.61%	+6.60%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	18.90%	14.85%	+4.05%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	20.94%	16.94%	+4.00%