Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
VHT vs XLP: how they differ
VHT and XLP hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and VHT returned more over the year.
Vanguard Health Care Index Fund and State Street(R) Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, VHT and XLP hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in VHT | Only in XLP |
|---|---|
| Eli Lilly & Co 14.07% | Walmart Inc 10.84% |
| Johnson & Johnson 8.48% | Costco Wholesale Corp 9.06% |
| AbbVie Inc 6.10% | Procter & Gamble Co/The 7.46% |
| UnitedHealth Group Inc 5.46% | Coca-Cola Co/The 6.87% |
| Merck & Co Inc 4.67% | Philip Morris International Inc 6.16% |
| Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc 2.93% | Colgate-Palmolive Co 4.71% |
| Amgen Inc 2.87% | Altria Group Inc 4.55% |
| Gilead Sciences Inc 2.64% | Monster Beverage Corp 4.47% |
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.
| VHT Vanguard Health Care Index Fund | XLP State Street(R) Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | Vanguard | State Street |
| What it is | Health Care | Consumer staples |
| Total return, 1 year | +21.6% | +6.3% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +4.1 pts | −11.2 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 85.6% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 401 | 34 |
VHT in plain words
VHT is an index equity fund tracking the Health Care. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +21.6% 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, 86% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 401 positions, with the top ten at 52.0%. It sat 5.7% below its high of Aug 19, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
XLP in plain words
XLP is an index equity fund tracking the Consumer staples. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +6.3% 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 34 positions, with the top ten at 62.6%. It sat 6.2% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VHT or XLP?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VHT returned +21.6% and XLP returned +6.3%, so VHT returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, VHT or XLP?
- VHT charges 0.09% a year and XLP charges 0.08%, so XLP is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do VHT and XLP overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 86% of VHT and 100% of XLP 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, VHT against XLP, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/VHT-XLP Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
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