Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
QUAL vs XLC: how they differ
QUAL and XLC hold 10% of their weight in the same names, and QUAL returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF and State Street(R) Communication Services Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, QUAL and XLC hold 10% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | QUAL | XLC |
|---|---|---|
| META PLATFORMS, INC. | 3.50% | 19.93% |
| ALPHABET INC. | 2.54% | 13.10% |
| ALPHABET INC. | 2.12% | 10.44% |
| NETFLIX, INC. | 2.00% | 4.84% |
| ELECTRONIC ARTS INC. | 0.19% | 4.64% |
| OMNICOM GROUP INC. | 0.05% | 2.51% |
| Only in QUAL | Only in XLC |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA CORPORATION 6.52% | Take-Two Interactive Software Inc 5.26% |
| APPLE INC. 6.28% | Comcast Corp 4.71% |
| MICROSOFT CORPORATION 5.05% | Warner Bros Discovery Inc 4.67% |
| LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION 3.23% | Walt Disney Co/The 4.49% |
| THE TJX COMPANIES, INC. 3.19% | T-Mobile US Inc 4.16% |
| VISA INC. 3.09% | Verizon Communications Inc 4.15% |
| ELI LILLY AND COMPANY 2.92% | AT&T Inc 4.10% |
| KLA CORPORATION 2.79% | Live Nation Entertainment Inc 3.50% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026.
| QUAL iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF | XLC State Street(R) Communication Services Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | State Street |
| What it is | MSCI USA Quality Factor | Communication services |
| Total return, 1 year | +16.0% | −2.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −1.5 pts | −19.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 98.9% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 121 | 23 |
QUAL in plain words
QUAL is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI USA Quality Factor. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +16.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 99% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 121 positions, with the top ten at 39.1%. It sat 3.1% below its high of Aug 13, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
XLC in plain words
XLC is an index equity fund tracking the Communication services. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −2.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 23 positions, with the top ten at 76.2%. It sat 5.7% below its high of Jan 30, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QUAL or XLC?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QUAL returned +16.0% and XLC returned −2.0%, so QUAL returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, QUAL or XLC?
- QUAL charges 0.15% a year and XLC charges 0.08%, so XLC is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do QUAL and XLC overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 99% of QUAL and 100% of XLC by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 10% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Other comparisons
Where to next
Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, QUAL against XLC, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/QUAL-XLC Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources