Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
SDY vs XLC: how they differ
SDY and XLC hold 2% of their weight in the same names, and SDY returned more over the year.
State Street(R) SPDR(R) S&P(R) Dividend ETF and State Street(R) Communication Services Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, SDY and XLC hold 2% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | SDY | XLC |
|---|---|---|
| Verizon Communications Inc | 2.15% | 4.15% |
| Only in SDY | Only in XLC |
|---|---|
| Realty Income Corp 2.14% | Meta Platforms Inc 19.93% |
| Kenvue Inc 1.76% | Alphabet Inc 13.10% |
| Kimberly-Clark Corp 1.75% | Alphabet Inc 10.44% |
| AbbVie Inc 1.63% | Take-Two Interactive Software Inc 5.26% |
| QUALCOMM Inc 1.57% | Netflix Inc 4.84% |
| Texas Instruments Inc 1.56% | Comcast Corp 4.71% |
| Target Corp 1.55% | Warner Bros Discovery Inc 4.67% |
| Automatic Data Processing Inc 1.54% | Electronic Arts Inc 4.64% |
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 Jun 30, 2026.
| SDY State Street(R) SPDR(R) S&P(R) Dividend ETF | XLC State Street(R) Communication Services Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | State Street | State Street |
| What it is | SPDR S&P Dividend | Communication services |
| Total return, 1 year | +11.0% | −2.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −6.5 pts | −19.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 84.6% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 155 | 23 |
SDY in plain words
SDY is an index equity fund tracking the SPDR S&P Dividend. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +11.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 85% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 155 positions, with the top ten at 17.1%. It sat 3.9% below its high of Aug 24, 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, SDY or XLC?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SDY returned +11.0% and XLC returned −2.0%, so SDY returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, SDY or XLC?
- SDY charges 0.35% a year and XLC charges 0.08%, so XLC is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do SDY and XLC overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 85% of SDY and 100% of XLC by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 2% 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, SDY against XLC, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/SDY-XLC Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
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