Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IHF vs XLV: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IHF returned +17.6% to XLV's +25.6%; 14% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $1.4bn for iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers 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 8.0 points; XLV is far larger, $47.0bn against $1.4bn.
| Measure | IHF | XLV |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +17.6% | +25.6% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Dow Jones U.S. Select Health Care Providers Index | Health Care Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.37% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $1.4bn | $47.0bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 14% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 73.7% | 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 returnsXLV returned more: +738.9% to +615.3%. XLV swung less: 16.5% to 22.1%. XLV fell less at its worst: −37.9% to −56.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IHF | XLV | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +615.3% | +738.9% | XLV | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +10.1% | +10.9% | XLV (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +517.6% | +489.9% | IHF (slight) | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 22.1% | 16.5% | XLV | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 15.8% | 11.7% | XLV | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −56.9% | −37.9% | XLV | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.47 | 0.61 | XLV | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.66 | 0.86 | XLV | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.18 | 0.29 | XLV | 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, IHF and XLV hold 14% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
14% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IHF and XLV on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IHF and XLV are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. IHF follows Dow Jones U.S. Select Health Care Providers Index and XLV follows Health Care Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 14% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 IHF returned +17.6% and XLV +25.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 8.0 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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IHF
IHF tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.37% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 74% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 62 positions, with the top ten at 73.7%.
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, IHF or XLV?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IHF returned +17.6% and XLV +25.6%.
- Which is cheaper, IHF 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.
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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, IHF against XLV, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ihf-vs-xlv
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IHF against XLV. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ihf-vs-xlv
[IHF against XLV (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ihf-vs-xlv)
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