Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
FTXH vs XLV: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, FTXH returned +47.9% to XLV's +25.6%; 45% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $1.2bn for First Trust Nasdaq Pharmaceuticals ETF and $47.0bn for State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLV costs 0.52 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 22.3 points; XLV is far larger, $47.0bn against $1.2bn.
| Measure | FTXH | XLV |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +47.9% | +25.6% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Nasdaq US Smart Pharmaceuticals Index | Health Care Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.60% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $1.2bn | $47.0bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 45% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 54.8% | 60.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Sep 30, 2016 to Oct 23, 2026 · 525 weekly returnsXLV returned more: +193.9% to +145.2%. XLV swung slightly less: 17.0% to 18.3%. XLV fell less at its worst: −24.3% to −28.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | FTXH | XLV | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +145.2% | +193.9% | XLV | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +9.3% | +11.3% | XLV | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +116.4% | +148.6% | XLV | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.3% | 17.0% | XLV (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.8% | 11.8% | XLV (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −28.9% | −24.3% | XLV | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.44 | 0.57 | XLV | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.63 | 0.82 | XLV | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.32 | 0.46 | XLV | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 525 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, FTXH and XLV hold 45% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
45% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
FTXH and XLV on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
FTXH and XLV are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. FTXH follows Nasdaq US Smart Pharmaceuticals Index and XLV follows Health Care Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 45% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 FTXH returned +47.9% and XLV +25.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 22.3 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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FTXH
FTXH tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +47.9% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.60% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 68% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 50 positions, with the top ten at 54.8%.
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, FTXH or XLV?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, FTXH returned +47.9% and XLV +25.6%.
- Which is cheaper, FTXH or XLV?
- XLV is cheaper, by 0.52 percentage points a year. That is about $52 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.
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ETFIQ, FTXH against XLV, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ftxh-vs-xlv
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). FTXH against XLV. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ftxh-vs-xlv
[FTXH against XLV (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ftxh-vs-xlv)
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