Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
USMV vs XLC: how they differ
USMV and XLC hold 5% of their weight in the same names, and USMV returned more over the year.
iShares MSCI USA Min Vol 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, USMV and XLC hold 5% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | USMV | XLC |
|---|---|---|
| VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC. | 1.49% | 4.15% |
| T-MOBILE US, INC. | 1.17% | 4.16% |
| AT&T INC. | 0.99% | 4.10% |
| ELECTRONIC ARTS INC. | 0.85% | 4.64% |
| ALPHABET INC. | 0.45% | 10.44% |
| NETFLIX, INC. | 0.23% | 4.84% |
| META PLATFORMS, INC. | 0.09% | 19.93% |
| Only in USMV | Only in XLC |
|---|---|
| CISCO SYSTEMS, INC. 1.81% | Alphabet Inc 13.10% |
| NVIDIA CORPORATION 1.64% | Take-Two Interactive Software Inc 5.26% |
| EXXON MOBIL CORPORATION 1.60% | Comcast Corp 4.71% |
| MICROSOFT CORPORATION 1.56% | Warner Bros Discovery Inc 4.67% |
| DUKE ENERGY CORPORATION 1.55% | Walt Disney Co/The 4.49% |
| THE SOUTHERN COMPANY 1.53% | Live Nation Entertainment Inc 3.50% |
| AMPHENOL CORPORATION 1.51% | Omnicom Group Inc 2.51% |
| Chubb Limited 1.50% | EchoStar Corp 1.67% |
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.
| USMV iShares MSCI USA Min Vol 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 Min Vol Factor | Communication services |
| Total return, 1 year | +6.6% | −2.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −10.9 pts | −19.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 94.8% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 170 | 23 |
USMV in plain words
USMV is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI USA Min Vol Factor. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +6.6% 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, 95% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 170 positions, with the top ten at 15.7%.
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, USMV or XLC?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, USMV returned +6.6% and XLC returned −2.0%, so USMV returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, USMV or XLC?
- USMV charges 0.15% a year and XLC charges 0.08%, so XLC is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do USMV and XLC overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 95% of USMV and 100% of XLC 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.
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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, USMV against XLC, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/USMV-XLC Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources