At a glance
HTEC charges 0.68% a year, above the 0.48% average of the 8 funds most like it (the 7th cheapest of 9). It has $69.1M in assets, the 6th largest of that group; it paid 0.77% of its price in distributions over the past 12 months, annual. Over the past year it returned +36.8% with distributions reinvested (S&P 500: +11.5%), the best of those 9 funds; over three years it returned +27.4% a year. At its worst it fell 30.0% in the 2020 crash (S&P 500: 33.7%) and 39.7% in the 2022 bear market (S&P 500: 24.5%), and was back at its earlier high 2 months and 46 months after the lows. Its ten largest positions make up 22.1% of the fund, out of 62 in all.
The short version
ROBO Global Healthcare Technology and Innovation ETF (HTEC) tracks an index of 50 to 100 healthcare technology companies in fields such as diagnostics, genomics, robotics and telehealth. Each company is picked and weighted by a proprietary "HTEC Score," so no single stock dominates and smaller names like CareDx and Guardant Health lead the fund. It costs 0.68% a year, above the 0.48% average for similar funds, and its price has swung sharply.
Price history
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HTEC +36.8% over the year to Oct 27, 2026, total return with distributions reinvested.
How it has behaved
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | Since start | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HTEC official prospectus, to Dec 31, 2025 | — | +23.98% | — | -3.90% | — | +6.13% |
| HTEC price data to Oct 27, 2026 | +28.0% | +36.8% | +27.4% | -0.2% | — | +9.0% |
- Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, HTEC returned +36.8%, 1st of 9 among similar funds.
- Its 5-year annualized return was -0.2%.
- In the 2020 COVID crash it fell 30% and regained its old high 1.6 months after the low.
- Its worst full calendar year was 2022 (-33.7%); its best was 2020 (+65.0%).
- The deepest fall in its price history was 57.5% (Feb 12, 2021 to Oct 30, 2023), not yet recovered.
Show as a table
| Year | Price data | Prospectus (official) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +28.0% | — |
| 2025 | +23.9% | +23.98% |
| 2024 | +2.7% | +2.81% |
| 2023 | -2.9% | -3.04% |
| 2022 | -33.7% | -33.56% |
| 2021 | -0.3% | -0.20% |
| 2020 | +65.0% | +65.22% |
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Before this security existed |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Lost 30% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 30%, back to its old high 1.6 months after the low |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Lost 39.7% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 39.7%, back to its old high 46.3 months after the low |
Dividends and income
Show as a table
| Year | Per share | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $0.3500 | +1650.0% |
| 2021 | $0.0200 |
What's inside
As of Jul 31, 2026, the fund held 62 securities; the ten largest made up 22.13% of assets.
| Holding | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| CAREDX, INC. | 2.68% | |
| GUARDANT HEALTH, INC. | 2.31% | |
| NATERA, INC. | 2.23% | |
| Twist Bioscience Corp | 2.23% | |
| THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC INCORPORATED | 2.18% | |
| MEDPACE HOLDINGS, INC. | 2.12% | |
| ADAPTIVE BIOTECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION | 2.11% | |
| IQVIA HOLDINGS INC | 2.10% | |
| ILLUMINA, INC. | 2.09% | |
| ARROWHEAD PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. | 2.08% | |
| REGENERON PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. | 1.97% | |
| GLAUKOS CORPORATION | 1.92% | |
| VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INCORPORATED | 1.91% | |
| STRYKER CORPORATION | 1.91% | |
| LIVANOVA PLC | 1.87% |
By country
United States 82.73%Switzerland 4.97%Hong Kong 3.69%Germany 1.85%Netherlands 1.62%By asset type
Stocks 99.81%What changed recently
- Over the three months to Jul 31, 2026, investors added a net $7.6M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
- Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +2.78%, +7.05%, +4.68%.
How it works
HTEC is an index fund that tries to match the ROBO Global Healthcare Technology and Innovation Index, before fees. The index, owned by VettaFi's ROBO Global Index LLC, spans nine sub-sectors, including diagnostics, genomics, robotics, telehealth and medical instruments. Each company gets an "HTEC Score" from 1 to 100, based on revenue from innovative healthcare technology and leadership in the field. Entry requires a score of at least 50, a market value above $200 million and at least $2 million in average daily trading. An environmental, social and governance (ESG) screen rules out some companies.
The index holds 50 to 100 stocks; it held 62 as of August 3, 2026. Weights generally follow each company's score, not its size, so positions stay fairly even. As of July 31, 2026, the largest holding, CareDx, was about 2.7% of assets, and the top 10 totaled about 22%.
The index adds stocks and reweights quarterly, and can drop one at any time after a merger, delisting or similar event. The provider expects at least 20% of the index to be non-US stocks, possibly including China A-shares, which trade on mainland Chinese exchanges. The fund normally holds every index stock in index proportions but may use a sample. It held no derivatives as of July 31, 2026.
What it really costs
- HTEC charges 0.68% a year, versus an average of 0.48% for the similar funds below (7th of 9, cheapest first).
- Of that, 0.8% is the management fee; the rest covers other fund expenses.
- The fee includes a 0.12% waiver from the adviser, which may end.
- Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $69 in the first year and $979 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).
| Cost of $10,000 (SEC example) | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HTEC | $69 | $243 | $432 | $979 |
In a retirement portfolio
HTEC is a narrow, volatile bet on one corner of healthcare, so it fits better as a small add-on than as a foundation.
HTEC could add exposure to diagnostics, genomics and medical technology on top of a broad stock portfolio, but its swings have been large. It fell 30% in the 2020 COVID crash and recovered in about 1.6 months. In the 2022 bear market it dropped 39.7% and took about 46 months, until August 21, 2026, to get back to that starting level. Its deepest fall was 57.5%, from February 12, 2021 to October 30, 2023, and it had not regained that 2021 peak as of October 27, 2026. Its worst calendar year was 2022, at -33.56%. Anyone who had to sell shares during a stretch like that would lock in heavy losses. The fund launched in 2019, so it has no record from 2008. Income is small: a 0.77% trailing yield, paid once a year. Past results don't predict the future, and a plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.
Who it may suit — and who should look elsewhere
May suit
- Investors who want a small, score-weighted slice of diagnostics and genomics stocks such as CareDx, Guardant Health, Natera and Twist Bioscience.
- Long-horizon investors who can sit through deep drops, like the 57.5% fall from February 2021 to October 2023.
- Investors who want some foreign healthcare exposure. Switzerland and Hong Kong were the largest markets outside the 83% US weight as of July 31, 2026.
Look elsewhere if
- Cost-focused investors: the 0.68% expense ratio is far above the 0.09% charged by Vanguard Health Care ETF (VHT).
- Investors who need regular income: the trailing yield was 0.77% as of October 27, 2026, paid only once a year.
- Retirees who may need to sell in a downturn: the fund took about 46 months to recover from its 2022 drop.
Close alternatives
Matched by holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports.
| Fund | Overlap | Cost | Net assets | 1 yr | 3 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HTEC this fund | — | 0.68% | $69.1M | +36.8% | +27.4% |
| FXH First Trust Health Care AlphaDEX Fund | 32% | 0.6% | $1.05B | +19.7% | +15.1% |
| RSPH Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Health Care ETF | 31% | 0.4% | $766.9M | +28.4% | +16.6% |
| MDEV First Trust Indxx Medical Devices ETF | 30% | 0.7% | $1.9M | +4.2% | +10.3% |
| XHE SPDR S&P Health Care Equipment ETF | 28% | 0.35% | $151.4M | +14.1% | +11.7% |
| HELX Franklin Genomic Advancements ETF | 28% | 0.5% | $27.9M | +28.8% | +20.4% |
| BMED iShares Health Innovation Active ETF | 24% | 0.85% | $11.2M | +24.8% | +20.2% |
| IYH iShares U.S. Healthcare ETF | 23% | 0.39% | $3.56B | +23.8% | +15.0% |
Questions investors ask
Does HTEC pay a dividend?
Yes, but it's small and paid once a year. As of October 27, 2026, HTEC's trailing 12-month yield was 0.77%, or about $0.35 per share. The fund owns mostly growth-focused healthcare technology companies, and many of them pay little or no dividend. Investors looking for steady income from a healthcare fund will get little from HTEC. Its appeal is its exposure to fields like diagnostics and genomics, not its payouts.
What's the difference between HTEC and VHT?
VHT is a broad, low-cost healthcare fund, while HTEC is a narrow healthcare technology fund. VHT charges 0.09% a year against HTEC's 0.68%. VHT had about $22 billion in assets as of August 31, 2026, while HTEC had about $69 million as of July 31, 2026. Only 23% of their holdings overlap. HTEC returned 36.8% over one year through October 27, 2026. VHT returned 28.9% through October 30, 2026.
What stocks are in HTEC?
HTEC held 62 stocks as of July 31, 2026, with no single stock above 3%. The largest were CareDx (2.7%), Guardant Health (2.3%), Natera (2.2%), Twist Bioscience (2.2%) and Thermo Fisher Scientific (2.2%). The top 10 made up about 22% of the fund. About 83% of assets were in US companies, and Switzerland and Hong Kong were the largest foreign markets.
How much did HTEC lose in 2022?
HTEC lost 33.56% in calendar 2022, according to its prospectus, and that was its worst year. Measured from the market peak on January 3, 2022 to the low on October 12, 2022, it fell 39.7%. It didn't get back to its January 2022 level until August 21, 2026, about 46 months later. Its deepest drop overall was 57.5%, from February 2021 to October 2023.
What is HTEC's expense ratio?
HTEC's expense ratio is 0.68%, according to its prospectus filed August 27, 2026. That figure reflects a 0.80% management fee reduced by a 0.12% fee waiver. Similar funds average 0.48%, and HTEC ranks 7th cheapest of 9. Under the SEC's standard example, $10,000 invested at a 5% yearly return would cost about $69 after one year, $432 after five years and $979 after ten years.