Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
VB vs XLV: how they differ
VB and XLV hold 2% of their weight in the same names, and XLV returned more over the year.
Vanguard Small-Cap Index Fund and State Street(R) Health Care Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, VB and XLV hold 2% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | VB | XLV |
|---|---|---|
| Moderna Inc | 0.30% | 0.43% |
| Incyte Corp | 0.23% | 0.33% |
| Viatris Inc | 0.23% | 0.32% |
| Centene Corp | 0.19% | 0.53% |
| Cooper Cos Inc/The | 0.17% | 0.24% |
| Revvity Inc | 0.15% | 0.22% |
| Align Technology Inc | 0.14% | 0.20% |
| Solventum Corp | 0.14% | 0.20% |
| Bio-Techne Corp | 0.14% | 0.19% |
| Baxter International Inc | 0.13% | 0.19% |
| Charles River Laboratories International | 0.13% | 0.19% |
| Insulet Corp | 0.13% | 0.18% |
| Only in VB | Only in XLV |
|---|---|
| Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd 0.55% | Eli Lilly & Co 16.56% |
| Jabil Inc 0.49% | Johnson & Johnson 10.67% |
| REVOLUTION Medicines Inc 0.46% | AbbVie Inc 7.76% |
| Astera Labs Inc 0.45% | UnitedHealth Group Inc 6.59% |
| Natera Inc 0.45% | Merck & Co Inc 5.54% |
| EMCOR Group Inc 0.45% | Amgen Inc 3.41% |
| Twilio Inc 0.38% | Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc 3.25% |
| NRG Energy Inc 0.38% | Abbott Laboratories 2.76% |
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 | XLV State Street(R) Health Care Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | Vanguard | State Street |
| What it is | Small-Cap | Health care |
| Total return, 1 year | +15.2% | +20.4% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −2.3 pts | +2.9 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 21.7% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 1311 | 59 |
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.
XLV in plain words
XLV is an index equity fund tracking the Health care. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +20.4% 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 59 positions, with the top ten at 61.7%. It sat 5.9% below its high of Aug 19, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VB or XLV?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VB returned +15.2% and XLV returned +20.4%, so XLV returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, VB or XLV?
- VB charges 0.03% a year and XLV charges 0.08%, so VB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do VB and XLV overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 22% of VB and 100% of XLV 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.
Other comparisons
Where to next
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 XLV, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/VB-XLV Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources