Launched on June 12, 2000, the iShares U.S. Consumer Staples ETF (IYK Quick QuoteIYK - Free Report) is a passively managed exchange traded fund designed to provide a broad exposure to the Consumer Staples - Broad segment of the equity market.

Passively managed ETFs are becoming increasingly popular with institutional as well as retail investors due to their low cost, transparency, flexibility and tax efficiency. They are excellent vehicles for long term investors.

Sector ETFs also provide investors access to a broad group of companies in particular sectors that offer low risk and diversified exposure. Consumer Staples - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 14, placing it in bottom 13%.

Index Details

The fund is sponsored by Blackrock. It has amassed assets over $1.64 billion, making it one of the larger ETFs attempting to match the performance of the Consumer Staples - Broad segment of the equity market. IYK seeks to match the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Consumer Goods Index before fees and expenses.

The Russell 1000 Consumer Staples RIC 22.5/45 Capped Index measures the performance of the consumer goods sector of the U.S. equity market.

Costs

Since cheaper funds tend to produce better results than more expensive funds, assuming all other factors remain equal, it is important for investors to pay attention to an ETF's expense ratio.

Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.37%, making it on par with most peer products in the space.

It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.44%.

Sector Exposure and Top Holdings

It is important to delve into an ETF's holdings before investing despite the many upsides to these kinds of funds like diversified exposure, which minimizes single stock risk. And, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.

This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Consumer Staples sector -- about 85.4% of the portfolio, followed by Healthcare.

Looking at individual holdings, Procter & Gamble (PG) accounts for about 13.63% of total assets, followed by Coca-cola (KO) and Philip Morris International (PM).

The top 10 holdings account for about 67.6% of total assets under management.

Performance and Risk

So far this year, IYK has added roughly 17.36%, and is up about 14.24% in the last one year (as of 10/21/2026). During this past 52-week period, the fund has traded between $65.23 and $77.64.

The ETF has a beta of 0.40 and standard deviation of 12.6% for the trailing three-year period, making it a medium risk choice in the space. With about 57 holdings, it effectively diversifies company-specific risk.

Alternatives

iShares U.S. Consumer Staples ETF carries a Zacks ETF Rank of 3 (Hold), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Thus, IYK is a reasonable option for those seeking exposure to the Consumer Staples ETFs area of the market. Investors might also want to consider some other ETF options in the space.

Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares (VDC) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Consumer Staples 25/50 Index and the State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) tracks Consumer Staples Select Sector Index. Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares has $8.02 billion in assets, State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF has $14.81 billion. VDC has an expense ratio of 0.09%, and XLP charges 0.08%.

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.