Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
QUAL vs XLP: how they differ
QUAL and XLP hold 5% of their weight in the same names, and QUAL returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF and State Street(R) Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, QUAL and XLP hold 5% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | QUAL | XLP |
|---|---|---|
| COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION | 1.31% | 9.06% |
| WALMART INC. | 1.23% | 10.84% |
| THE PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY | 0.93% | 7.46% |
| THE COCA-COLA COMPANY | 0.75% | 6.87% |
| Pepsico, Inc. | 0.46% | 4.34% |
| MONSTER BEVERAGE CORPORATION | 0.16% | 4.47% |
| THE HERSHEY COMPANY | 0.06% | 1.69% |
| Only in QUAL | Only in XLP |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA CORPORATION 6.52% | Philip Morris International Inc 6.16% |
| APPLE INC. 6.28% | Colgate-Palmolive Co 4.71% |
| MICROSOFT CORPORATION 5.05% | Altria Group Inc 4.55% |
| META PLATFORMS, INC. 3.50% | Mondelez International Inc 4.17% |
| LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION 3.23% | Target Corp 3.87% |
| THE TJX COMPANIES, INC. 3.19% | Keurig Dr Pepper Inc 2.90% |
| VISA INC. 3.09% | Sysco Corp 2.60% |
| ELI LILLY AND COMPANY 2.92% | Archer-Daniels-Midland Co 2.40% |
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 | XLP State Street(R) Consumer Staples 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 | Consumer staples |
| Total return, 1 year | +16.0% | +6.3% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −1.5 pts | −11.2 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 98.9% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 121 | 34 |
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.
XLP in plain words
XLP is an index equity fund tracking the Consumer staples. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +6.3% 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 34 positions, with the top ten at 62.6%. It sat 6.2% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, QUAL or XLP?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, QUAL returned +16.0% and XLP returned +6.3%, so QUAL returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, QUAL or XLP?
- QUAL charges 0.15% a year and XLP charges 0.08%, so XLP is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do QUAL and XLP overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 99% of QUAL and 100% of XLP by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 5% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Other comparisons
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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 XLP, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/QUAL-XLP Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources