Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
VB vs XLU: how they differ
VB and XLU 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) Utilities Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, VB and XLU hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | VB | XLU |
|---|---|---|
| NRG Energy Inc | 0.38% | 2.18% |
| Atmos Energy Corp | 0.35% | 2.03% |
| Evergy Inc | 0.23% | 1.41% |
| Pinnacle West Capital Corp | 0.16% | 0.92% |
| NiSource Inc | 0.14% | 1.61% |
| AES Corp/The | 0.13% | 0.74% |
| Alliant Energy Corp | 0.12% | 1.39% |
| Only in VB | Only in XLU |
|---|---|
| Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd 0.55% | NextEra Energy Inc 12.93% |
| Jabil Inc 0.49% | Southern Co/The 7.62% |
| REVOLUTION Medicines Inc 0.46% | Duke Energy Corp 6.97% |
| Astera Labs Inc 0.45% | Constellation Energy Corp 5.61% |
| Natera Inc 0.45% | American Electric Power Co Inc 5.26% |
| EMCOR Group Inc 0.45% | Sempra 4.28% |
| Twilio Inc 0.38% | Dominion Energy Inc 4.24% |
| MKS Instruments Inc 0.37% | Entergy Corp 3.71% |
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 | XLU State Street(R) Utilities Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | Vanguard | State Street |
| What it is | Small-Cap | Utilities |
| Total return, 1 year | +15.2% | +2.4% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −2.3 pts | −15.1 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 21.7% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 1311 | 31 |
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.
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, VB or XLU?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VB returned +15.2% and XLU returned +2.4%, so VB returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, VB or XLU?
- VB charges 0.03% a year and XLU charges 0.08%, so VB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do VB and XLU overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 22% of VB and 100% of XLU 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 XLU, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/VB-XLU Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources