Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
DIA vs XLV: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, DIA returned +11.6% to XLV's +25.6%; 13% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $45.9bn for SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust and $47.0bn for State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLV costs 0.08 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 14.0 points.
| Measure | DIA | XLV |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +11.6% | +25.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 3.0%, high on Aug 5, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Dow Jones Industrial Average | Health Care Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.16% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $45.9bn | $47.0bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 13% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 54.7% | 60.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Dec 31, 1998 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,451 weekly returnsXLV returned slightly more: +938.5% to +919.5%. DIA and XLV swung about the same: 17.2% and 17.4%. XLV fell less at its worst: −37.9% to −50.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | DIA | XLV | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +919.5% | +938.5% | XLV (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.7% | +8.7% | Tie | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +469.6% | +589.5% | XLV | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 17.2% | 17.4% | Tie | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.3% | 12.2% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −50.9% | −37.9% | XLV | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.47 | 0.47 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.66 | 0.67 | Tie | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.17 | 0.23 | XLV | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,451 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, DIA and XLV hold 13% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
13% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
DIA and XLV on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
DIA and XLV do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. DIA follows Dow Jones Industrial Average and XLV follows Health Care Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 13% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 DIA returned +11.6% and XLV +25.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 14.0 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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DIA
DIA tracks the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +11.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.16% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 30 positions, with the top ten at 54.7%. It sat 3.0% below its high of Aug 5, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
XLV
XLV tracks an index of Health care. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +25.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 62 positions, with the top ten at 60.6%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, DIA or XLV?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DIA returned +11.6% and XLV +25.6%.
- Which is cheaper, DIA or XLV?
- XLV is cheaper, by 0.08 percentage points a year. That is about $8 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, DIA against XLV, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dia-vs-xlv
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). DIA against XLV. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dia-vs-xlv
[DIA against XLV (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dia-vs-xlv)
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