Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
VDE vs XLV: how they differ
VDE and XLV hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and VDE returned more over the year.
Vanguard Energy 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, VDE and XLV hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in VDE | Only in XLV |
|---|---|
| Exxon Mobil Corp 21.37% | Eli Lilly & Co 16.56% |
| Chevron Corp 14.53% | Johnson & Johnson 10.67% |
| ConocoPhillips 5.79% | AbbVie Inc 7.76% |
| Williams Cos Inc/The 3.65% | UnitedHealth Group Inc 6.59% |
| SLB Ltd 3.49% | Merck & Co Inc 5.54% |
| Marathon Petroleum Corp 3.29% | Amgen Inc 3.41% |
| Valero Energy Corp 3.19% | Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc 3.25% |
| EOG Resources Inc 3.06% | 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 and May 31, 2026.
| VDE Vanguard Energy 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 | Energy | Health care |
| Total return, 1 year | +50.6% | +20.4% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +33.1 pts | +2.9 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 81.6% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 105 | 59 |
VDE in plain words
VDE is an index equity fund tracking the Energy. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +50.6% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 82% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 105 positions, with the top ten at 64.0%.
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, VDE or XLV?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VDE returned +50.6% and XLV returned +20.4%, so VDE returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, VDE or XLV?
- VDE charges 0.09% a year and XLV charges 0.08%, so XLV is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do VDE and XLV overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 82% of VDE and 100% of XLV 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.
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, VDE against XLV, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/VDE-XLV Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources