Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
VHT vs XLV: how they differ
VHT and XLV hold 84% of their weight in the same names, and VHT returned more over the year.
Vanguard Health Care 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, VHT and XLV hold 84% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | VHT | XLV |
|---|---|---|
| Eli Lilly & Co | 14.07% | 16.56% |
| Johnson & Johnson | 8.48% | 10.67% |
| AbbVie Inc | 6.10% | 7.76% |
| UnitedHealth Group Inc | 5.46% | 6.59% |
| Merck & Co Inc | 4.67% | 5.54% |
| Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc | 2.93% | 3.25% |
| Amgen Inc | 2.87% | 3.41% |
| Gilead Sciences Inc | 2.64% | 2.74% |
| Intuitive Surgical Inc | 2.39% | 2.46% |
| Abbott Laboratories | 2.36% | 2.76% |
| Pfizer Inc | 2.36% | 2.40% |
| Bristol-Myers Squibb Co | 1.84% | 2.05% |
| Only in VHT | Only in XLV |
|---|---|
| Medtronic PLC 1.50% | Medtronic PLC 1.75% |
| Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc 0.63% | STERIS PLC 0.36% |
| Natera Inc 0.47% | |
| REVOLUTION Medicines Inc 0.40% | |
| Illumina Inc 0.39% | |
| Insmed Inc 0.36% | |
| United Therapeutics Corp 0.36% | |
| STERIS PLC 0.33% |
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 | 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 | Health Care | Health care |
| Total return, 1 year | +21.6% | +20.4% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +4.1 pts | +2.9 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 85.6% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 401 | 59 |
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.
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, VHT or XLV?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VHT returned +21.6% and XLV returned +20.4%, so VHT returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, VHT or XLV?
- VHT charges 0.09% a year and XLV charges 0.08%, so XLV is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do VHT and XLV overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 86% of VHT and 100% of XLV by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 84% 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 XLV, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/VHT-XLV Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources