NLR — VanEck Uranium and Nuclear ETF
Materials Ranked #420 of 458 tracked ETFs · Issued by VanEck
NLR Price Performance — Growth of $10,000
Value of a $10,000 investment in NLR over time, compared with SPY. Both lines are rebased to $10,000 on the first shared date. Based on total returns — prices are adjusted for dividends and splits, so this assumes distributions were reinvested. Hover or tap the chart for exact values.
NLR Drawdown
The "underwater" chart: NLR's decline from its highest prior value at each point in time. It shows how deep past losses ran and how long the fund took to recover to break-even.
What If You'd Invested in NLR?
See what a lump sum in NLR would have grown to, with the option to add a regular monthly contribution on top. Figures use total returns — dividends are assumed reinvested.
Past performance doesn't predict future results. Assumes contributions on the first trading day of each month, no trading costs or taxes, and reinvested distributions. History is limited to the range published in the site's daily return data.
Overview
The VanEck Uranium and Nuclear ETF (NLR) operates within the Materials category, which ETFValuer currently tracks with 15 funds. Issued by VanEck, the fund manages $4.21 billion in assets while trading at a price of $102.70 per share. It holds an overall rank of #420 out of 458 tracked ETFs across all categories and has received an ETFValuer grade of D with a score of 39.5 out of 100. Investors pay an expense ratio of 0.52% to hold the fund, which offers a dividend yield of 2.73%. The substantial asset base suggests significant investor adoption despite the fund's lower ranking and grade relative to the broader market.
Recent price action shows a sharp decline, with the fund falling 3.24% over one day and 7.80% over one week. This downward momentum accelerated over the last month, resulting in a 12.18% loss, and extended further to a 27.21% drop over three months. The six-month return reflects continued weakness at -34.04%, while the year-to-date figure stands at -22.81%. Over the past year, the fund recorded a return of -11.17%, contrasting sharply with its three-year performance of +84.08%. This pattern indicates a significant divergence between the strong long-term trend and the severe short-term deterioration.
The fund carries a volatility label of Very High, supported by a beta of 1.13 which suggests price movements that are more pronounced than the broader market. A Sharpe ratio of -0.37 indicates that the risk-adjusted returns have been negative over the measured period. The maximum drawdown of -37.52% highlights the potential for severe capital erosion during market downturns. This combination of high volatility, elevated beta, negative risk-adjusted returns, and deep drawdowns implies the fund experiences significant swings in both directions. Investors face a profile where potential gains are accompanied by substantial downside risk and high sensitivity to market movements.
AI-generated summary based on the data on this page.
NLR Top Holdings
| # | Holding | % of Net Assets | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cameco Corp | 7.97% | $364M |
| 2 | Constellation Energy Corp | 7.90% | $361M |
| 3 | BWX Technologies Inc | 6.66% | $304M |
| 4 | Public Service Enterprise Group Inc | 6.10% | $279M |
| 5 | PG&E Corp | 5.58% | $255M |
| 6 | Fortum Oyj | 5.25% | $240M |
| 7 | CGN Power Co Ltd | 4.84% | $221M |
| 8 | NAC Kazatomprom JSC | 4.58% | $209M |
| 9 | Uranium Energy Corp | 4.55% | $208M |
| 10 | CEZ AS | 4.43% | $202M |
Holdings as of 2026-03-31 per the fund's most recent SEC N-PORT-P filing. Top 10 holdings make up 57.9% of net assets — a rough gauge of concentration risk (the higher this figure, the more the fund's return depends on a handful of names). To see how NLR's holdings overlap with other ETFs you own or are considering, check the Stock Overlap tool.
Which Funds Overlap With NLR
Holding two funds that own the same companies adds cost and complexity without adding much diversification. These tracked ETFs share the most names with NLR's top 10 — URA overlaps most, holding 2 of the same companies as NLR's top 10 (12.5% of NLR's assets).
| ETF | Name | Shared Companies | NLR Weight | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| URA | Global X Uranium ETF | 2 | 12.5% | Cameco Corp, Uranium Energy Corp |
| VO | Vanguard Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF | 1 | 7.9% | Constellation Energy Corp |
| XLU | State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF | 1 | 7.9% | Constellation Energy Corp |
| VPU | Vanguard Utilities Index Fund ETF Shares | 1 | 7.9% | Constellation Energy Corp |
| JXI | iShares Global Utilities ETF | 1 | 7.9% | Constellation Energy Corp |
Compares the top 10 reported holdings of each fund, so it's a floor on true overlap — two S&P 500 trackers overlap ~100% even when only 10 names are listed. Use the Stock Overlap tool to search by individual company.
Market Backdrop
10-Year Treasury Yield: 4.61% (as of 2026-07-28) — The yield on 10-year US Treasury bonds — the standard "risk-free rate" benchmark used to contextualize this fund’s Sharpe ratio and returns.
CBOE Volatility Index (VIX): 18.21 (as of 2026-07-28) — A real-time gauge of expected S&P 500 volatility over the next 30 days — useful context for this fund’s own volatility label.
Federal Funds Rate: 3.63% (as of 2026-06-01) — The Federal Reserve’s target policy rate, which anchors short-term borrowing costs across the economy.
What NLR's Fees Cost You
NLR charges an expense ratio of 0.52% a year, deducted automatically from the fund's value. Small percentages compound into real money — adjust the figures below to see the impact on your own numbers.
Assumes a constant gross return and no additional contributions — a simplification, but it isolates exactly what the expense ratio costs. Try the full fee calculator to model contributions and compare any two funds.
NLR Dividend Income Estimator
NLR currently yields 2.73%. Enter an amount to see the income that implies, or set a monthly income target to see the investment it would take.
Based on the fund's current trailing yield, which varies with price and distributions — treat it as an estimate, not a guarantee. Yields are not adjusted for tax.
NLR Liquidity, Domicile & Tax Treatment
Liquidity: Quoted bid/ask spread is 0.32% and average daily volume is 495K/day. Tighter spreads and higher volume mean lower round-trip trading costs; this is a live-market snapshot and can widen during volatile sessions. AUM of $4.21B provides ample scale, supporting tight spreads and issuer commitment to keep the fund open.
Domicile & tax treatment: NLR is a US-domiciled, SEC-registered ('40 Act) exchange-traded fund. Dividends and capital gains distributions are reported to US investors on Form 1099-DIV, and the fund is not subject to the PFIC reporting or UCITS-specific rules that apply to Irish- or Luxembourg-domiciled funds. Non-US investors should note that US-domiciled ETFs are generally subject to 30% US withholding tax on dividends (unless reduced by treaty) and to US estate tax exposure on the position — Irish-domiciled UCITS ETFs tracking the same index often avoid both, which is why non-US residents frequently prefer the UCITS equivalent where one exists. This is general information, not tax advice — consult a tax professional for your situation.
NLR Performance History
| Period | Return |
|---|---|
| 1-Day | -3.24% |
| 1-Week | -7.80% |
| 1-Month | -12.18% |
| 3-Month | -27.21% |
| 6-Month | -34.04% |
| YTD | -22.81% |
| 1-Year | -11.17% |
| 3-Year | +84.08% |
How NLR Compares to Other Materials ETFs
| Rank | Grade | Ticker | Name | 1-Year | Exp. Ratio | AUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #139 | B |
COPX | Global X Copper Miners ETF | +75.08% | 0.65% | $7.15B |
| #194 | C |
GDX | VanEck Gold Miners ETF | +40.91% | 0.51% | $22.8B |
| #216 | C |
RING | iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF | +44.20% | 0.39% | $2.20B |
| #219 | C |
SILJ | Amplify Junior Silver Miners ETF | +59.75% | 0.69% | $3.40B |
| #221 | C |
GDXJ | VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF | +46.96% | 0.52% | $7.08B |
| #224 | C |
SIL | Global X Silver Miners ETF | +50.64% | 0.65% | $4.21B |
| #250 | C |
XME | State Street SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF | +28.49% | 0.35% | $4.38B |
| #294 | C |
IYM | iShares U.S. Basic Materials ETF | +22.78% | 0.38% | $1.41B |
| #316 | C |
XLB | State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF | +15.75% | 0.08% | $8.17B |
| #334 | C |
LIT | Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF | +55.36% | 0.75% | $1.77B |
| #363 | C |
VAW | Vanguard Materials Index Fund ETF Shares | +14.27% | 0.09% | $4.49B |
| #386 | D |
FMAT | Fidelity MSCI Materials Index ETF | +14.23% | 0.084% | $624M |
| #398 | D |
MOO | VanEck Agribusiness ETF | +15.62% | 0.56% | $944M |
| #420 | D |
NLR | VanEck Uranium and Nuclear ETF | -11.17% | 0.52% | $4.21B |
| #422 | D |
URA | Global X Uranium ETF | -4.10% | 0.69% | $6.00B |