Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IDU vs XLU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IDU returned −1.9% to XLU's −3.0%; 85% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $1.4bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares U.S. Utilities ETF, and $23.9bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLU costs 0.29 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.1 points; XLU is 17.1 times larger.
| Measure | IDU | XLU |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −1.9% | −3.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 8.5%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | 9.1%, high on Feb 27, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Russell 1000 Utilities RIC 22 | Utilities Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.37% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $1.4bn | $23.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 85% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 52.2% | 58.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 30, 2000 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,373 weekly returnsXLU returned slightly more: +683.1% to +640.9%. IDU and XLU swung about the same: 18.1% and 18.0%. XLU fell slightly less at its worst: −48.3% to −50.2%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IDU | XLU | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +640.9% | +683.1% | XLU (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +7.9% | +8.1% | XLU (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +232.0% | +212.4% | IDU (slight) | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.1% | 18.0% | Tie | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.9% | 12.8% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −50.2% | −48.3% | XLU (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.41 | 0.43 | XLU (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.58 | 0.60 | XLU (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.16 | 0.17 | XLU (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,373 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IDU and XLU hold 85% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
85% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IDU and XLU on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IDU and XLU are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. IDU follows Russell 1000 Utilities RIC 22 and XLU follows Utilities Select Sector Index.
- Cost. IDU charges 0.37% of assets a year and XLU 0.08%, a gap of 0.29 points.
- Size. IDU has $1.4bn in net assets and XLU $23.9bn (net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026); XLU is 17.1 times larger.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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IDU
IDU tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −1.9% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.37% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 93% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 47 positions, with the top ten at 52.2%. It sat 8.5% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
XLU
XLU tracks an index of Utilities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.0% 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 32 positions, with the top ten at 58.7%. It sat 9.1% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IDU or XLU?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IDU returned −1.9% and XLU −3.0%.
- Which is cheaper, IDU or XLU?
- XLU is cheaper, by 0.29 percentage points a year. That is about $29 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, IDU against XLU, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/idu-vs-xlu
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IDU against XLU. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/idu-vs-xlu
[IDU against XLU (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/idu-vs-xlu)
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