Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
QUAL vs XLE: how they differ
QUAL and XLE hold 4% of their weight in the same names, and XLE returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF and State Street(R) Energy Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, QUAL and XLE hold 4% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | QUAL | XLE |
|---|---|---|
| SLB N.V. | 1.56% | 4.10% |
| TEXAS PACIFIC LAND CORPORATION | 0.71% | 1.52% |
| DIAMONDBACK ENERGY, INC. | 0.66% | 2.05% |
| HALLIBURTON COMPANY | 0.60% | 1.71% |
| DEVON ENERGY CORPORATION | 0.51% | 2.86% |
| Only in QUAL | Only in XLE |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA CORPORATION 6.52% | Exxon Mobil Corp 22.71% |
| APPLE INC. 6.28% | Chevron Corp 16.12% |
| MICROSOFT CORPORATION 5.05% | ConocoPhillips 6.58% |
| META PLATFORMS, INC. 3.50% | Williams Cos Inc/The 5.04% |
| LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION 3.23% | Valero Energy Corp 4.65% |
| THE TJX COMPANIES, INC. 3.19% | Marathon Petroleum Corp 4.49% |
| VISA INC. 3.09% | EOG Resources Inc 4.15% |
| ELI LILLY AND COMPANY 2.92% | Phillips 66 4.08% |
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 | XLE State Street(R) Energy 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 | Energy |
| Total return, 1 year | +16.0% | +50.7% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −1.5 pts | +33.2 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 98.9% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 121 | 21 |
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.
XLE in plain words
XLE is an index equity fund tracking the Energy. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +50.7% 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 21 positions, with the top ten at 75.7%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QUAL or XLE?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QUAL returned +16.0% and XLE returned +50.7%, so XLE returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, QUAL or XLE?
- QUAL charges 0.15% a year and XLE charges 0.08%, so XLE is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do QUAL and XLE overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 99% of QUAL and 100% of XLE by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 4% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
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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 XLE, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/QUAL-XLE Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources