Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IHE vs XLV: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IHE returned +41.9% to XLV's +25.6%; 35% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $1.6bn for iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF and $47.0bn for State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLV costs 0.29 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 16.3 points; XLV is far larger, $47.0bn against $1.6bn.
| Measure | IHE | XLV |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +41.9% | +25.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 3.9%, high on Aug 19, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Dow Jones U.S. Select Pharmaceuticals Index | Health Care Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.37% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $1.6bn | $47.0bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 35% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 80.4% | 60.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
May 12, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,067 weekly returnsIHE and XLV returned about the same: +752.9% and +738.9%. XLV swung less: 16.5% to 18.4%. IHE fell slightly less at its worst: −36.6% to −37.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IHE | XLV | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +752.9% | +738.9% | Tie | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +11.0% | +10.9% | Tie | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +531.9% | +489.9% | IHE (slight) | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.4% | 16.5% | XLV | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.8% | 11.7% | XLV (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −36.6% | −37.9% | IHE (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.57 | 0.61 | XLV (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.81 | 0.86 | XLV (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.30 | 0.29 | IHE (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,067 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IHE and XLV hold 35% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
35% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IHE and XLV on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IHE and XLV are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. IHE follows Dow Jones U.S. Select Pharmaceuticals Index and XLV follows Health Care Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 35% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 IHE returned +41.9% and XLV +25.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 16.3 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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IHE
IHE tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +41.9% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.37% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 66% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 54 positions, with the top ten at 80.4%. It sat 3.9% below its high of Aug 19, 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, IHE or XLV?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IHE returned +41.9% and XLV +25.6%.
- Which is cheaper, IHE or XLV?
- XLV 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, IHE against XLV, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ihe-vs-xlv
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IHE against XLV. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ihe-vs-xlv
[IHE against XLV (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ihe-vs-xlv)
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