SMAX
Hamilton U.S. Equity Yield Maximizer ETF

Full SMAX fund page
VS
VFV
Vanguard S&P 500 Index ETF

Full VFV fund page

Hamilton U.S. Equity Yield Maximizer ETF (SMAX) and Vanguard S&P 500 Index ETF (VFV) offer distinct profiles for Canadian ETF investors. A direct comparison shows that SMAX focuses its top 3 sector exposures on Information Technology, Communication Services, and Health Care, while VFV leans towards Information Technology, Financials, and Communication Services. When evaluating costs, SMAX features a management fee (MER) of 0.65%, compared to 0.08% for VFV. Performance-wise, SMAX has returned 6.35% year-to-date with +$94 M in net flows, whereas VFV is at 4.88% with +$1 B. Use the comparison tool below to benchmark these funds across top 10 holdings, yield, sector weights and historical returns.

NAV Performance and Flows

0.02.04.06.08.0%Apr 1Apr 9Apr 16Apr 23Apr 30

Key Data

Historical performance and flows

As of May 1, 2026
1M3MYTD1Y3Y
Perf.
SMAX
+7.82%+5.39%+6.35%+32.65%-
VFV
+7.67%+3.23%+4.88%+27.93%+80.86%
Flows
SMAX
-$54 M+$76 M+$94 M+$163 M-
VFV
+$257 M+$913 M+$1,415 M+$3,652 M+$13,541 M

SMAX vs VFV exposure

Countries

SMAX
USA
89.00%
Other
11.00%
VFV
USA
96.54%

Sectors

SMAX
Information Technology
31.70%
Communication Services
12.00%
Other
11.00%
Health Care
8.40%
Financials
8.20%
Industrials
8.00%
Other
20.70%
VFV
Information Technology
33.83%
Financials
10.23%
Communication Services
10.21%
Consumer Discretionary
9.99%
Health Care
9.30%
Industrials
8.30%
Other
18.14%
As of May 1, 2026

Top 10 Holdings

SMAX
EXXON
4.40%
JOHNSON&JOHNSON
4.30%
NETFLIX
4.20%
IE000S9YS762
4.20%
NEXTERA ENERGY
4.20%
APPLE
4.20%
CATERPILLAR
4.10%
PROLOGIS REIT
4.10%
LILLY
4.10%
ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES
4.10%
VFV
NVIDIA
7.56%
APPLE
6.65%
MICROSOFT-T
4.90%
AMAZON.COM INC
3.63%
ALPHABET INC-CL
2.99%
BROADCOM LIMITED
2.62%
ALPHABET INC-CL
2.39%
META PLATFORMS
2.23%
TESLA
1.86%
BERKSHIRE HATHWAY
1.57%

Diversification

SMAX
Total weight of top 10 holdings out of 23 total
41.90%
VFV
Total weight of top 10 holdings out of 503 total
36.40%

Characteristics

Compare
SMAX
VFV
ProviderHamilton ETFsVanguard
ManagementActively managedPassively managed
Benchmark-S&P 500 ( CAD NY Rate ) Net Total Return 30% Index - CAD
Replication Method
Asset ClassEquityEquity
Dividend PolicyDistributingDistributing
Trailing 12m distribution yield10.47%0.89%
Meets ESG criteriaNoNo
Inception DateOctober 25, 2023November 2, 2012

Frequently asked questions about SMAX and VFV

Which ETF has performed better year to date: SMAX or VFV?
As of May 1, 2026, SMAX has returned 6.35% year to date, while VFV has returned 4.88%. SMAX is ahead on YTD performance.
Which ETF is larger by assets under management: SMAX or VFV?
As of May 1, 2026, SMAX manages $965.54 M in assets, while VFV manages $30.35 B. VFV is the larger fund by AUM.
How are SMAX and VFV managed?
SMAX is actively managed by Hamilton ETFs. It does not track an index. VFV is passively managed by Vanguard. It tracks the S&P 500 ( CAD NY Rate ) Net Total Return 30% Index - CAD benchmark.
What sectors do SMAX and VFV emphasize?
SMAX is most exposed to Information Technology, Communication Services, and Health Care. VFV is most exposed to Information Technology, Financials, and Communication Services.
Which ETF is attracting more investor flows: SMAX or VFV?
Year to date, SMAX has seen +$93.54 M in net flows, compared with +$1,414.95 M for VFV. VFV has attracted more net investor money so far.
How do the fees of SMAX and VFV compare?
SMAX has an expense ratio of 0.78%, while VFV has an expense ratio of 0.09%.
What are the top holdings of SMAX and VFV?
SMAX's largest holdings include EXXON, JOHNSON&JOHNSON, and NETFLIX. VFV's top holdings include NVIDIA, APPLE, and ALPHABET INC-CL.
Which ETF is more diversified: SMAX or VFV?
SMAX holds 23 securities, while VFV holds 478. On holdings count, VFV is the more diversified portfolio.

Recent articles about SMAX and VFV

CboeTrackinsight
The ETF Market Canada is brought to you by Cboe in partnership with Trackinsight SA who is providing all the data, analysis and editorial content on this site. Unless explicitly stated as such, any information that you receive is not real-time.

All content on the ETF Market Canada is for your general information use only, Cboe is not responsible for any use of content by you outside this scope. In particular, the content does not constitute any form of advice, recommendation, representation, endorsement or arrangement by Cboe and is not intended to be relied upon by users in making (or refraining from making) any specific investment or other decisions.
diamonds