Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
VB vs XLC: how they differ
VB and XLC hold 1% of their weight in the same names, and VB returned more over the year.
Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund and State Street(R) Communication Services Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, VB and XLC hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | VB | XLC |
|---|---|---|
| Omnicom Group Inc | 0.25% | 2.51% |
| EchoStar Corp | 0.17% | 1.67% |
| News Corp | 0.11% | 1.09% |
| Trade Desk Inc/The | 0.09% | 0.93% |
| TKO Group Holdings Inc | 0.07% | 1.53% |
| Charter Communications Inc | 0.07% | 1.44% |
| Paramount Skydance Corp | 0.05% | 0.38% |
| News Corp | 0.04% | 0.41% |
| Only in VB | Only in XLC |
|---|---|
| Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd 0.55% | Meta Platforms Inc 19.93% |
| Jabil Inc 0.49% | Alphabet Inc 13.10% |
| REVOLUTION Medicines Inc 0.46% | Alphabet Inc 10.44% |
| Astera Labs Inc 0.45% | Take-Two Interactive Software Inc 5.26% |
| Natera Inc 0.45% | Netflix Inc 4.84% |
| EMCOR Group Inc 0.45% | Comcast Corp 4.71% |
| Twilio Inc 0.38% | Warner Bros Discovery Inc 4.67% |
| NRG Energy Inc 0.38% | 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.
| VB Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund | XLC State Street(R) Communication Services Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | Vanguard | State Street |
| What it is | Small-Cap | Communication services |
| Total return, 1 year | +15.2% | −2.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −2.3 pts | −19.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 21.7% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 1311 | 23 |
VB in plain words
VB is an index equity fund tracking the Small-Cap. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +15.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 22% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1311 positions, with the top ten at 4.3%. It sat 5.1% below its high of Aug 14, 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, VB or XLC?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VB returned +15.2% and XLC returned −2.0%, so VB returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, VB or XLC?
- VB charges 0.03% a year and XLC charges 0.08%, so VB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do VB and XLC overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 22% of VB and 100% of XLC by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 1% 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, VB against XLC, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/VB-XLC Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources