Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
SPYD vs XLU: how they differ
SPYD and XLU hold 11% of their weight in the same names, and SPYD returned more over the year.
State Street(R) SPDR(R) Portfolio S&P 500(R) High Dividend ETF and State Street(R) Utilities Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, SPYD and XLU hold 11% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | SPYD | XLU |
|---|---|---|
| Edison International | 1.48% | 2.02% |
| Evergy Inc | 1.35% | 1.41% |
| Dominion Energy Inc | 1.35% | 4.24% |
| Duke Energy Corp | 1.28% | 6.97% |
| Exelon Corp | 1.25% | 3.37% |
| Eversource Energy | 1.22% | 1.92% |
| FirstEnergy Corp | 1.21% | 1.75% |
| Pinnacle West Capital Corp | 1.38% | 0.92% |
| AES Corp/The | 1.24% | 0.74% |
| Only in SPYD | Only in XLU |
|---|---|
| Iron Mountain Inc 1.62% | NextEra Energy Inc 12.93% |
| Franklin Resources Inc 1.57% | Southern Co/The 7.62% |
| CVS Health Corp 1.53% | Constellation Energy Corp 5.61% |
| Host Hotels & Resorts Inc 1.53% | American Electric Power Co Inc 5.26% |
| Target Corp 1.48% | Sempra 4.28% |
| APA Corp 1.48% | Entergy Corp 3.71% |
| Viatris Inc 1.46% | Vistra Corp 3.55% |
| Kimco Realty Corp 1.46% | Xcel Energy Inc 3.54% |
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.
| SPYD State Street(R) SPDR(R) Portfolio S&P 500(R) High Dividend ETF | XLU State Street(R) Utilities Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | State Street | State Street |
| What it is | SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend | Utilities |
| Total return, 1 year | +12.9% | +2.4% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −4.6 pts | −15.1 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.07% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 78 | 31 |
SPYD in plain words
SPYD is an index equity fund tracking the SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +12.9% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.07% 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 78 positions, with the top ten at 15.1%. It sat 4.3% below its high of Aug 24, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
XLU in plain words
XLU is an index equity fund tracking the Utilities. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +2.4% 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 31 positions, with the top ten at 57.7%. It sat 10.0% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, SPYD or XLU?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPYD returned +12.9% and XLU returned +2.4%, so SPYD returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, SPYD or XLU?
- SPYD charges 0.07% a year and XLU charges 0.08%, so SPYD is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do SPYD and XLU overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 100% of SPYD and 100% of XLU by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 11% 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, SPYD against XLU, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/SPYD-XLU Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources