iShares Global Water UCITS ETF (Dist) (IH2O.L)
A single purchase quietly spreads your money across around 50 global water utilities and water-technology companies.
Is iShares Global Water UCITS ETF (Dist) a good fund for a UK beginner?
The honest version: A single purchase quietly spreads your money across around 50 global water utilities and water-technology companies.
Over about 2 years to 2026-07-15. This is the share price only; any dividends would add to it. Past performance is not a guide to the future, and it could just as easily have fallen.
This is a fund, so it moves with its whole basket (Thematic) - not any single company's news. One share having a bad day barely shows up here.
What does iShares Global Water UCITS ETF (Dist) do?
This fund tracks the S&P Global Water index, focusing specifically on water utilities and technology companies around the world. Buying a share in this fund means your money is divided among companies like American Water Works, Xylem, and United Utilities, rather than putting all your eggs in one basket. The ongoing charge is 0.65% a year, which means approximately £6.50 annually for every £1,000 invested is taken automatically from the fund to cover running costs. As a distributing fund, any dividends collected from these companies are paid out to you as cash rather than automatically reinvested.
Holds around 50 global water utilities and water-technology companies; a single theme, so less diversified than a broad fund.
What's actually inside this fund?
Its 10 biggest holdings
- 1American Water Works Co Inc7.7%
- 2Xylem Inc7.4%
- 3Companhia De Saneamento Basico Do Estado De Sao Paulo7.3%
- 4Essential Utilities Inc5.7%
- 5Veralto Corp5.2%
- 6United Utilities Group PLC Class A4.1%
- 7Ecolab Inc4.1%
- 8Severn Trent PLC3.9%
- 9Advanced Drainage Systems Inc3.6%
- 10Watts Water Technologies Inc Class A3.4%
The top 10 add up to about 52% of the fund. A large chunk sits in just a handful of names - less spread than the total holding count suggests.
By sector
- Industrials45%
- Utilities45%
- Materials6%
- Energy2%
- Technology1%
- Consumer cyclical0%
- Real estate0%
Top holdings and sector split from the fund's published data as of the figures date - they drift over time as the fund and the index change.
- Targeted exposure to global water utilities and technology in one simple step
- Spreads your money across around 50 different companies in this specific sector
- Regular cash payouts from the dividends collected by the fund
- Focuses on a single theme, making it less diversified than a broad global fund
- Its value falls when the water sector or its underlying markets fall
- Currency swings can affect returns for a UK investor as holdings are global
- Heavy concentration in its largest holdings and specific sectors like industrials and utilities
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VanEck Defense UCITS ETF (Acc)What are the pros and cons of iShares Global Water UCITS ETF (Dist)?
How many points the write-up makes each way — a balance check, not a score or verdict.
- Targeted exposure to global water utilities and technology in one simple step
- Spreads your money across around 50 different companies in this specific sector
- Regular cash payouts from the dividends collected by the fund
- Focuses on a single theme, making it less diversified than a broad global fund
- Its value falls when the water sector or its underlying markets fall
- Currency swings can affect returns for a UK investor as holdings are global
- Heavy concentration in its largest holdings and specific sectors like industrials and utilities
Built from public filings & market prices, checked for an education-only tone, and never a price target. How we make these →
This plain-English summary was auto-generated on 2026-08-01 from public data and checked for an education-only, no-advice tone (the figures above carry their own, usually fresher, 'as of' date). It's information, never a recommendation.