Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
VBK vs XLB: how they differ
VBK and XLB hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and VBK returned more over the year.
Vanguard Small-Cap Growth Index Fund and State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, VBK and XLB hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | VBK | XLB |
|---|---|---|
| Albemarle Corp | 0.23% | 2.13% |
| Only in VBK | Only in XLB |
|---|---|
| Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd 1.27% | Linde PLC 14.08% |
| REVOLUTION Medicines Inc 1.07% | Newmont Corp 5.85% |
| Astera Labs Inc 1.05% | Freeport-McMoRan Inc 5.31% |
| Natera Inc 1.04% | Corteva Inc 4.97% |
| Twilio Inc 0.88% | Sherwin-Williams Co/The 4.95% |
| Casey's General Stores Inc 0.83% | Ecolab Inc 4.73% |
| Carpenter Technology Corp 0.82% | Vulcan Materials Co 4.72% |
| Curtiss-Wright Corp 0.79% | CRH PLC 4.67% |
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 Jun 30, 2026.
| VBK Vanguard Small-Cap Growth Index Fund | XLB State Street(R) Materials Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | Vanguard | State Street |
| What it is | Small-Cap Growth | Materials |
| Total return, 1 year | +13.8% | +12.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −3.7 pts | −5.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.05% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 10.2% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 545 | 26 |
VBK in plain words
VBK is an index equity fund tracking the Small-Cap Growth. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +13.8% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 10% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 545 positions, with the top ten at 9.3%. It sat 7.0% below its high of Aug 17, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
XLB in plain words
XLB is an index equity fund tracking the Materials. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +12.0% 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 26 positions, with the top ten at 58.5%. It sat 5.1% below its high of Aug 26, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VBK or XLB?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VBK returned +13.8% and XLB returned +12.0%, so VBK returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, VBK or XLB?
- VBK charges 0.05% a year and XLB charges 0.08%, so VBK is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do VBK and XLB overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 10% of VBK and 100% of XLB by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 0% 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, VBK against XLB, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/VBK-XLB Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources