At a glance
HYXF charges 0.35% a year, above the 0.31% average of the 7 funds most like it (the 4th cheapest of 8). It has $194.4M in assets, the 8th largest of that group; it paid 6.2% of its price in distributions over the past 12 months, monthly. Over the past year it returned +0.9% with distributions reinvested, 7th of those 8 funds; over three years it returned +8.8% a year. At its worst it fell 15.6% in the 2022 bear market (S&P 500: 24.5%), and was back at its earlier high 18 months after the low. Its ten largest positions make up 5.7% of the fund, out of 604 in all.
The short version
The iShares ESG Advanced High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYXF), from BlackRock, tracks the Bloomberg MSCI US High Yield Choice ESG Screened Index. That index holds U.S. dollar "junk" bonds (bonds rated below investment grade) from companies with favorable environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings. It excludes the entire energy sector, companies tied to fossil fuels, and businesses such as tobacco, gambling and weapons. It charges 0.35% a year, more than broad high-yield ETFs such as USHY (0.08%) and SPHY (0.05%).
Price history
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HYXF +0.9% 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HYXF official prospectus, to Dec 31, 2025 | — | +8.81% | — | +3.65% | — | +5.26% |
| Bloomberg US Universal Index index, same period | — | +7.58% | — | +0.06% | — | +2.05% |
| HYXF price data to Oct 27, 2026 | 0.0% | +0.9% | +8.8% | +3.2% | — | +3.1% |
- Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, HYXF returned +0.9%, 7th of 8 among similar funds.
- Its 5-year annualized return was +3.2%.
- Its worst full calendar year was 2022 (-11.9%); its best was 2023 (+11.8%).
- The deepest fall in its price history was 16.3% (Sep 15, 2021 to Sep 27, 2022), recovered by Jun 5, 2024.
Show as a table
| Year | Price data | Prospectus (official) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +0.0% | — |
| 2025 | +8.8% | +8.81% |
| 2024 | +8.3% | +7.85% |
| 2023 | +11.8% | +12.47% |
| 2022 | -11.9% | -11.94% |
| 2021 | — | +2.91% |
| 2020 | — | +5.73% |
| 2019 | — | +15.29% |
| 2018 | — | -0.66% |
| 2017 | — | +5.85% |
| 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 | Not in the price data, which starts Feb 22, 2021 |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Lost 14.9% over that stretch · deepest drop along the way 15.6%, back to its old high 17.7 months after the low |
Dividends and income
Show as a table
| Year | Per share | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | $2.1000 | |
| 2025 | $2.9100 | -1.0% |
| 2024 | $2.9400 | +9.7% |
| 2023 | $2.6800 | +14.9% |
| 2022 | $2.3316 |
What's inside
As of Jul 31, 2026, the fund held 604 securities; the ten largest made up 5.71% of assets, and 16.61% sat in cash and money-market holdings.
| Holding | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| NEXSTAR MEDIA INC Bonds and notes | 0.71% | |
| WULF COMPUTE LLC Bonds and notes | 0.69% | |
| EMRLD BOR / EMRLD CO-ISS Bonds and notes | 0.60% | |
| 1011778 BC / NEW RED FIN Bonds and notes | 0.58% | |
| DAVITA INC Bonds and notes | 0.56% | |
| APLD COMPUTECO LLC Bonds and notes | 0.54% | |
| CARVANA CO Bonds and notes | 0.53% | |
| LEVEL 3 FINANCING INC Bonds and notes | 0.53% | |
| QXO BUILDING PRODUCTS Bonds and notes | 0.49% | |
| WINDSTREAM SERVICES/ESCR Bonds and notes | 0.48% | |
| APLD COMPUTECO 2 LLC Bonds and notes | 0.45% | |
| RAKUTEN GROUP INC Bonds and notes | 0.44% | |
| IQVIA INC Bonds and notes | 0.43% | |
| LEVEL 3 FINANCING INC Bonds and notes | 0.43% | |
| SIRIUS XM RADIO LLC Bonds and notes | 0.42% |
By country
United States 87.95%Canada 2.85%Bermuda 1.03%Japan 0.78%Luxembourg 0.78%By issuer
Companies 90.4%Other 6.17%The bonds mature in 5.5 years on average (weighted by size), with an average coupon of 6.21%.
Source: N-PORT holdings report as of Jul 31, 2026. Cash, money-market funds and derivatives are shown separately from the securities list.What changed recently
- Over the three months to Jul 31, 2026, investors added a net $24K (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
- Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +0.52%, +0.40%, -0.36%.
How it works
The index starts with the Bloomberg US Corporate High Yield Index. That index holds fixed-rate, U.S. dollar corporate bonds from developed-market companies. To qualify, a bond needs at least one year left until it matures, and it must be rated below investment grade by the middle of its ratings from Moody's, S&P Global Ratings and Fitch. The fund's index then keeps only bonds with at least $400 million outstanding.
MSCI then screens the issuers. A company needs an MSCI ESG rating of at least BB, on a scale from CCC to AAA. It also needs a controversy score of at least 3, on a 0-to-10 scale where 0 is the most severe. The index removes the whole energy sector and any company with ties to coal, oil or gas. It also excludes companies involved in alcohol, gambling, tobacco, adult entertainment, weapons, nuclear power, palm oil, genetically modified organisms, for-profit prisons and predatory lending.
Bonds are weighted by market value, and no single issuer can be more than 2% of the index. The index rebalances on the last business day of each month and had 625 bonds as of October 31, 2025. BlackRock uses "representative sampling," meaning the fund holds a selection of bonds that together behave like the index, rather than every bond in it. The fund held 604 bonds as of July 31, 2026, and its portfolio turnover was 47%.
What it really costs
- HYXF charges 0.35% a year, versus an average of 0.31% for the similar funds below (4th of 8, cheapest first).
- Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $36 in the first year and $443 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).
| Cost of $10,000 (SEC example) | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HYXF | $36 | $113 | $197 | $443 |
Structure and tax notes
- Bond prices move opposite to interest rates; the longer the maturities it holds, the more its price reacts to rate changes.
In a retirement portfolio
HYXF pays monthly from a portfolio of high-yield corporate bonds, so its main job in a portfolio is producing income, not providing safety.
HYXF pays income monthly, and its trailing 12-month yield was 6.2% as of October 27, 2026. The fund launched in 2016, so it has no record from 2008. For calendar 2020 it returned 5.73%, but its daily price history here starts in 2021, so it can't show how the fund behaved during the COVID crash. In the 2022 bear market it fell 15.6% between January 3 and September 27, 2022, and took about 18 months to recover. Its deepest drop was 16.3%, from September 2021 to September 2022, and it took about 20 months to get back to its old high. Its worst calendar year was 2022, at -11.94%. Selling shares in a stretch like that would lock in losses. In the SEC's standard example, the 0.35% fee costs $36 in the first year on $10,000. Past results don't predict future ones, and a plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.
Who it may suit — and who should look elsewhere
May suit
- Income seekers who want monthly payments from high-yield bonds; the trailing yield was 6.2% as of October 27, 2026.
- Investors who want high-yield bonds without energy, fossil-fuel, tobacco, gambling or weapons issuers.
- Holders who want broad diversification: about 600 bonds, a 2% cap per issuer, and a top 10 of just 5.71% as of July 31, 2026.
Look elsewhere if
- Cost-focused investors: USHY (0.08%) and SPHY (0.05%) are similar high-yield ETFs that charge far less than HYXF's 0.35%.
- Anyone who needs a stable cushion: HYXF fell 15.6% in 2022 and took about 18 months to recover.
- Investors who want a large fund: with $194 million in net assets as of July 31, 2026, HYXF is the smallest in its eight-fund comparison group.
Close alternatives
Matched by bond funds with the closest average maturity and issuer mix (N-PORT).
| Fund | Avg. maturity | Cost | Net assets | 1 yr | 3 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HYXF this fund | 5.5 yrs | 0.35% | $194.4M | +0.9% | +8.8% |
| HYG iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond E… | 5.4 yrs | 0.49% | $16.19B | +0.9% | +7.4% |
| USHY iShares Broad USD High Yield Corporate Bond… | 5.4 yrs | 0.08% | $28.59B | +1.2% | +7.7% |
| SPHY SPDR Portfolio High Yield Bond ETF | 5.4 yrs | 0.05% | $11.33B | +1.8% | +8.9% |
| FLHY Franklin High Yield Corporate ETF | 5.4 yrs | 0.4% | $1.18B | +2.4% | +9.2% |
| BBHY JPMorgan BetaBuilders USD High Yield Corpor… | 5.3 yrs | 0.07% | $622.6M | +1.5% | +8.6% |
| JNK SPDR Bloomberg High Yield Bond ETF | 5.8 yrs | 0.4% | $7.35B | +1.6% | +8.7% |
| SRLN SPDR Blackstone Senior Loan ETF | 5.2 yrs | 0.7% | $5.21B | +3.7% | +7.0% |
Questions investors ask
Does HYXF pay monthly dividends?
Yes. HYXF pays income every month. Over the 12 months to October 27, 2026, it paid about $2.80 per share, a trailing yield of 6.2%. The money comes from interest on its bonds, which had an average coupon (interest rate) of 6.21% as of July 31, 2026. Payments can fall if interest rates drop or if companies repay their bonds early, because the fund would then have to buy lower-yielding bonds.
What's the difference between HYXF and USHY?
Both are iShares high-yield corporate bond ETFs with average maturities of about five and a half years. USHY tracks the broad high-yield market for 0.08% a year. HYXF adds ESG and industry screens, such as excluding energy companies, and charges 0.35%. Through late October 2026, the two funds had the same 8.8% annualized return over three years. Over one year, HYXF returned 0.9% and USHY returned 1.9%. USHY is also far larger, with $28.6 billion in net assets compared with $194 million for HYXF.
Is HYXF a junk bond fund?
Yes. Every bond in its index must be rated below investment grade, based on the middle of the ratings from Moody's, S&P Global Ratings and Fitch. Bonds like these are often called "junk bonds." They pay more interest because the companies behind them are more likely to default, and their prices swing more than those of higher-quality bonds. The ESG screens limit which companies the fund can own, but they don't raise its credit quality.
What are HYXF's largest holdings?
As of July 31, 2026, the largest positions were bonds from Nexstar Media (0.71%), WULF Compute (0.69%), EMRLD Borrower (0.60%), 1011778 BC / New Red Finance (0.58%) and DaVita (0.56%). The ten largest positions made up only 5.71% of the fund, which held 604 bonds in total. About 88% of assets were in U.S. issuers, followed by Canada at 2.85%. No energy companies appear, because the index excludes that sector.
How has HYXF performed since it launched?
According to its prospectus, HYXF returned an average of 5.26% a year from its June 2016 launch through December 31, 2025. Its five-year average was 3.65% a year, and it gained 8.81% in 2025. Its weakest year was 2022, a loss of 11.94%, and its worst quarter was -9.33% in the second quarter of 2022. Later returns were weaker. Its price return over the year to October 27, 2026 was 0.9%, the lowest among its seven comparison funds.