Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IWO vs XLV: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IWO returned +7.9% to XLV's +25.6%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $14.0bn for iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF and $47.0bn for State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLV costs 0.16 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 17.7 points; XLV is 3.4 times larger.
| Measure | IWO | XLV |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +7.9% | +25.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 9.9%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Russell 2000 Growth Index | Health Care Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.24% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $14.0bn | $47.0bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 6.4% | 60.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Aug 4, 2000 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,368 weekly returnsXLV returned more: +786.8% to +433.5%. XLV swung less: 16.8% to 23.8%. XLV fell less at its worst: −37.9% to −58.2%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IWO | XLV | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +433.5% | +786.8% | XLV | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +6.6% | +8.6% | XLV | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +350.2% | +492.3% | XLV | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 23.8% | 16.8% | XLV | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 16.9% | 11.9% | XLV | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −58.2% | −37.9% | XLV | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.31 | 0.47 | XLV | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.44 | 0.67 | XLV | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.11 | 0.23 | XLV | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,368 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IWO and XLV hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IWO and XLV on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IWO and XLV do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. IWO follows Russell 2000 Growth Index and XLV follows Health Care Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 IWO returned +7.9% and XLV +25.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 17.7 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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IWO
IWO tracks the Russell 2000 Growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +7.9% with distributions reinvested, against +8.0% for its benchmark, the Russell 2000 Growth Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.24% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,122 positions, with the top ten at 6.4%. It sat 9.9% below its high of Aug 14, 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, IWO or XLV?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IWO returned +7.9% and XLV +25.6%.
- Which is cheaper, IWO or XLV?
- XLV is cheaper, by 0.16 percentage points a year. That is about $16 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, IWO against XLV, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwo-vs-xlv
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IWO against XLV. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwo-vs-xlv
[IWO against XLV (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iwo-vs-xlv)
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