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Is iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF (IFRA) a Strong ETF Right Now?
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Launched on 04/03/2018, the iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF (IFRA - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.
Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.
But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.
Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.
While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Managed by Blackrock, IFRA has amassed assets over $4 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the NYSE FACTSET U.S. INFRASTRUCTURE INDEX .
The NYSE FactSet U.S. Infrastructure Index comprises of equities of U.S. companies that have infrastructure exposure and that could benefit from a potential increase in domestic infrastructure activities.
Cost & Other Expenses
For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund's return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.
Annual operating expenses for IFRA are 0.30%, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 1.79%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
For IFRA, it has heaviest allocation in the Utilities sector --about 42.2% of the portfolio --while Industrials and Materials round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Caterpillar Inc (CAT) accounts for about 4.36% of the fund's total assets, followed by Quanta Services Inc (PWR) and Union Pacific (UNP).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 25.62% of IFRA's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, IFRA has added roughly 9.59%, and was up about 9.35% in the last one year (as of 10/19/2026). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $50.77 and $64.07.
IFRA has a beta of 0.95 and standard deviation of 16.21% for the trailing three-year period. With about 168 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastructure ETF (GRID) tracks NASDAQ OMX Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastructure Index and the Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE) tracks INDXX U.S. Infrastructure Development Index. First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastructure ETF has $11.47 billion in assets, Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF has $13.47 billion. GRID has an expense ratio of 0.56% and PAVE changes 0.47%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs
Bottom Line
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.
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Is iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF (IFRA) a Strong ETF Right Now?
Launched on 04/03/2018, the iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF (IFRA - Free Report) is a smart beta exchange traded fund offering broad exposure to the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs category of the market.
What Are Smart Beta ETFs?
The ETF industry has long been dominated by products based on market cap weighted indexes, a strategy created to reflect the market or a particular market segment.
Investors who believe in market efficiency should consider market cap indexes, as they replicate market returns in a low-cost, convenient, and transparent way.
But, there are some investors who would rather invest in smart beta funds; these funds track non-cap weighted strategies, and are a strong option for those who prefer choosing great stocks in order to beat the market.
Based on specific fundamental characteristics, or a combination of such, these indexes attempt to pick stocks that have a better chance of risk-return performance.
While this space offers a number of choices to investors, including simplest equal-weighting, fundamental weighting and volatility/momentum based weighting methodologies, not all these strategies have been able to deliver superior results.
Fund Sponsor & Index
Managed by Blackrock, IFRA has amassed assets over $4 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs in the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs. Before fees and expenses, this particular fund seeks to match the performance of the NYSE FACTSET U.S. INFRASTRUCTURE INDEX .
The NYSE FactSet U.S. Infrastructure Index comprises of equities of U.S. companies that have infrastructure exposure and that could benefit from a potential increase in domestic infrastructure activities.
Cost & Other Expenses
For ETF investors, expense ratios are an important factor when considering a fund's return; in the long-term, cheaper funds actually have the ability to outperform their more expensive cousins if all other things remain the same.
Annual operating expenses for IFRA are 0.30%, which makes it one of the least expensive products in the space.
It's 12-month trailing dividend yield comes in at 1.79%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure that minimizes single stock risk, investors should also look at the actual holdings inside the fund. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
For IFRA, it has heaviest allocation in the Utilities sector --about 42.2% of the portfolio --while Industrials and Materials round out the top three.
When you look at individual holdings, Caterpillar Inc (CAT) accounts for about 4.36% of the fund's total assets, followed by Quanta Services Inc (PWR) and Union Pacific (UNP).
Its top 10 holdings account for approximately 25.62% of IFRA's total assets under management.
Performance and Risk
So far this year, IFRA has added roughly 9.59%, and was up about 9.35% in the last one year (as of 10/19/2026). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $50.77 and $64.07.
IFRA has a beta of 0.95 and standard deviation of 16.21% for the trailing three-year period. With about 168 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk .
Alternatives
iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF is an excellent option for investors seeking to outperform the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs segment of the market. There are other ETFs in the space which investors could consider as well.
First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastructure ETF (GRID) tracks NASDAQ OMX Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastructure Index and the Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE) tracks INDXX U.S. Infrastructure Development Index. First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Smart Grid Infrastructure ETF has $11.47 billion in assets, Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF has $13.47 billion. GRID has an expense ratio of 0.56% and PAVE changes 0.47%.
Investors looking for cheaper and lower-risk options should consider traditional market cap weighted ETFs that aim to match the returns of the Utilities/Infrastructure ETFs
Bottom Line
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.