What Is XMHQ? Invesco S&P MidCap Quality ETF
Last updated October 2026
Short answer
XMHQ is Invesco S&P MidCap Quality ETF, an ETF that tracks an S&P index of higher-quality US mid-cap companies, screened from the S&P MidCap 400 on measures such as return on equity, accruals and leverage at a 0.25% expense ratio. XMHQ selects US mid-cap companies scoring well on quality measures, typically profitability, earnings consistency and balance-sheet strength, and weights them by their quality scores rather than purely by size. The result is far more concentrated than most mid-cap funds: as of October 2026 the ten largest positions are roughly 30.8% of the portfolio, and the largest, TechnipFMC, is 4.5%. It holds $5.4B, charges 0.25%, yields 0.59% and has been running since 2006. As of 2026-10-16 its price was up 10.5% year to date and 10.5% over one year. Industrials at 30% is the dominant sector, which says something about where quality characteristics cluster in the mid-cap market.
XMHQ is issued by Invesco and tracks an S&P index of higher-quality US mid-cap companies, screened from the S&P MidCap 400 on measures such as return on equity, accruals and leverage. It charges a 0.25% expense ratio, holds approximately $5.4B in assets under management, yields about 0.59%, and launched in 2006.
Quality weighting produces real concentration
Most mid-cap funds hold hundreds of companies at weights so small that no single holding matters. XMHQ does not. As of October 2026, TechnipFMC at 4.5%, Medpace at 3.8%, nVent Electric at 3.5%, Exelixis at 3.4%, Manhattan Associates at 3.3%, United Therapeutics at 3.0%, Curtiss-Wright at 2.7% and Carpenter Technology at 2.3% are substantial individual positions for a fund in this category. Illumina, Everpure and Nextpower, all top-ten names in the summer, have dropped out of the top ten, and Manhattan Associates, Carlisle and Lincoln Electric have come in.
The reason is the weighting method. Rather than sizing by market capitalisation alone, the index scales weights by quality score, so companies scoring highest receive proportionally more. Concentration is therefore an outcome of the design rather than a side effect, and it means individual company results move this fund in a way they do not move a broad mid-cap index fund.
It also means turnover. Quality scores change as company results change, so the portfolio is reconstituted more actively than a plain market-cap index would be. Weights shift at each rebalance even for companies that stay in the fund, because their scores relative to everyone else's have moved. This is a feature of factor funds generally and one of the costs embedded in owning them, sitting inside results rather than in the stated fee.
Where quality shows up in the mid-cap market
As of October 2026 industrials at 30% is the largest sector by a wide margin, followed by technology at 18%, financials at 16%, healthcare at 14%, consumer discretionary at 10% and energy at 8%. That is a very different profile from a large-cap quality fund, which would typically be dominated by software and consumer brands.
The named holdings show why. Curtiss-Wright makes engineered components for defence and nuclear applications. nVent Electric makes electrical connection and protection products. Carpenter Technology produces specialty alloys. TechnipFMC provides subsea equipment and services for energy production. Carlisle makes roofing and building envelope products, and Lincoln Electric makes welding equipment. These are established industrial businesses with defensible positions in specific niches, which is exactly the profile a quality screen surfaces at this end of the market.
Healthcare arrives through a different route. Medpace in clinical research services and Exelixis and United Therapeutics in specialty pharmaceuticals are businesses with high margins and, in several cases, entrenched positions. They cluster in the portfolio because the screen rewards profitability.
Fee, income and the fit
The 0.25% fee sits above passive mid-cap index funds and below active mid-cap management. That is the standard positioning for a factor product, and the case for paying it depends on whether the quality screen adds something a plain mid-cap fund does not. Nothing on this page speaks to whether it has over the long run. For the record, as of 2026-10-16 the price was up 10.5% in 2026 and 10.5% over one year.
The 0.59% yield is low, which is worth flagging because quality is sometimes conflated with income. It is not. Quality screens select for profitability and balance-sheet strength, and profitable mid-cap companies frequently reinvest heavily rather than distribute. If you want mid-cap income, this fund is not built for it.
XMHQ suits an investor who wants mid-cap exposure filtered toward more profitable, less leveraged businesses and accepts the resulting concentration and turnover. It is the wrong tool as a broad mid-cap core holding, given how concentrated it is, and the wrong tool for someone who wants the cheapest available exposure to the middle of the US market.
XMHQ holdings: top 10
Approximate weights as of October 2026. Each ticker links to its individual stock guide in Walnut.
| Rank | Ticker | Company | % of XMHQ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FTI | TechnipFMC PLC | 4.5% | |
| 2 | MEDP | Medpace Holdings Inc | 3.8% | |
| 3 | NVT | nVent Electric PLC | 3.5% | |
| 4 | EXEL | Exelixis Inc | 3.4% | |
| 5 | MANH | Manhattan Associates Inc | 3.3% | |
| 6 | UTHR | United Therapeutics Corp | 3.0% | |
| 7 | CW | Curtiss-Wright Corp | 2.7% | |
| 8 | CRS | Carpenter Technology Corp | 2.3% | |
| 9 | CSL | Carlisle Companies Inc | 2.2% | |
| 10 | LECO | Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc | 2.1% |
How do I invest in XMHQ?
There are three common ways to get XMHQ exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) of XMHQ directly at any major broker that lists it. Hold it as a core position and layer more concentrated ideas on top. Or build it into a thematic portfolio in Walnut, so XMHQ sits alongside other holdings that express the same thesis, with target weights you can rebalance toward. XMHQ trades like a stock during market hours, so you buy it the same way you would any listed share.
New to buying funds? See how to buy an ETF, step by step.
Is XMHQ a good buy?
Whether XMHQ is a good buy depends less on any single call and more on your time horizon and what you already hold: it tracks an S&P index of higher-quality US mid-cap companies, screened from the S&P MidCap 400 on measures such as return on equity, accruals and leverage, so the real question is whether you want that exposure in your mix and at what weight. We walk through valuation, concentration, and what would have to be true for it to outperform from here in is XMHQ a buy?
The bottom line on XMHQ
XMHQ gives you an S&P index of higher-quality US mid-cap companies, screened from the S&P MidCap 400 on measures such as return on equity, accruals and leverage exposure in one ticker at a 0.25% expense ratio. Most investors use it as a core holding and layer more concentrated thematic portfolios on top.
More on XMHQ
Whether XMHQ is worth buying today depends more on your time horizon and what you already hold than on any single call. We walk through valuation, concentration, and what would have to be true for it to outperform from here in is XMHQ a buy?
XMHQ yields 0.59% as of October 2026, paid by passing through the dividends of its underlying holdings. For the payout schedule, history, and how the distributions are taxed, see XMHQ dividend: yield and schedule.
For what analysts expect from the companies XMHQ holds, its yield as a guide to income, and why no one publishes a price target for the fund itself, see the XMHQ forecast.
New to funds like XMHQ? Start with what an ETF is, then how to buy an ETF, or browse the full guide to ETF investing.
Wondering how XMHQ fits the portfolio you already own? Walnut is an AI investing app that connects your brokerage read-only and answers questions like that about your actual holdings: overlap, concentration, and how each position tracks the S&P 500. Compare the best AI portfolio analyzers or see the best AI investing apps in 2026.
Investing in XMHQ with AI
Connect the broker you already use and ask Walnut's AI how XMHQ fits what you actually hold: what it overlaps with, what it leaves you exposed to, and how it has tracked the S&P 500. Read-only by default, and you approve anything before it reaches your broker.
FAQ
What does quality mean in XMHQ?
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It is a defined set of financial measures rather than a judgement about company reputation. The screen typically evaluates return on equity, the accruals ratio as a check on earnings quality, and financial leverage. Companies scoring well on those measures receive higher weights. It is a mechanical process applied to published accounts, not an assessment of management or products.
How concentrated is XMHQ for a mid-cap fund?
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Unusually so. As of October 2026 the ten largest positions are roughly 30.8% of the portfolio, with the largest at 4.5%. Most mid-cap index funds spread across hundreds of names with no position above 1%. The concentration comes from weighting by quality score rather than by size alone, so individual company results have a visible effect here.
Why is industrials 30% of XMHQ?
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Because that is where consistently profitable, well-capitalised businesses cluster in the US mid-cap market. nVent Electric, Curtiss-Wright, Carpenter Technology, Carlisle and Lincoln Electric, all top-ten holdings as of October 2026, are specialised manufacturers with defensible niche positions. A large-cap quality fund would look completely different, dominated by software and consumer brands, which is why the two are not interchangeable.
Does the quality screen reduce risk?
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It selects for financial characteristics associated with stability, such as lower leverage and steadier earnings. That is not the same as lower risk overall, particularly given the concentration: 30.8% in ten positions increases exposure to individual company outcomes. The screen changes what kind of risk you hold rather than reducing the total amount of it.
Why is XMHQ's dividend yield only 0.59%?
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Because quality screens select on profitability and balance-sheet strength, not on distributions. Many highly profitable mid-cap businesses reinvest their earnings into capacity or research rather than paying them out. Investors who assume a quality label implies dividend reliability are importing an association from large-cap dividend funds that does not apply here.
How does XMHQ differ from a plain mid-cap index fund?
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Three ways. It holds fewer companies, it weights them by quality score rather than by size, and it costs more. The result is a portfolio that will diverge from the mid-cap market in both directions, with a strong industrials tilt and a much smaller number of positions carrying real weight. It is a tilt, not a substitute.
Does XMHQ have high turnover?
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More than a market-cap index fund. Quality scores shift as company results are reported, so the portfolio is reconstituted to reflect them, and weights change even when holdings do not. That is inherent to factor investing. The ETF structure limits the tax consequences of that trading, but the transaction costs sit inside the fund's results.
Is 0.25% reasonable for XMHQ?
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It is typical for a factor ETF, above passive mid-cap index funds and below active management. The screening and periodic reconstitution require work that a market-cap fund does not, which explains part of the difference. Whether it is worth paying depends entirely on whether you want the quality tilt, since the plain exposure is available cheaper.
What is XMHQ's expense ratio?
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XMHQ has an expense ratio of 0.25% per year as of October 2026, charged by Invesco and deducted from the fund's value rather than billed to you separately. On a $10,000 position that is roughly $25 a year. Fees compound over time, so on a long-term holding the expense ratio is one of the few return drivers you control. It is worth comparing against other funds that track an S&P index of higher-quality US mid-cap companies, screened from the S&P MidCap 400 on measures such as return on equity, accruals and leverage before you choose.
How do I compare XMHQ to similar ETFs?
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Put a few fields side by side: the expense ratio (fees compound over decades), the index or strategy it tracks, the top holdings and how much they overlap with what you already own, the dividend yield, and the AUM, liquidity, and bid-ask spread that affect trading costs. For index funds, tracking error (how closely it follows its index) and tax efficiency matter too. XMHQ's figures are above; the full method is in Walnut's guide on how to compare ETFs.
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Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Holdings weights and fund statistics on this page are approximations stamped to October 2026; verify current figures against Invesco's fund page or your broker before investing.