Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IYH vs XLV: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IYH returned +25.3% to XLV's +25.6%; 91% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $4.5bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares U.S. Healthcare ETF, and $47.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 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 0.3 points; XLV is 10.4 times larger.
| Measure | IYH | XLV |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +25.3% | +25.6% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Russell 1000 Health Care RIC 22 | Health Care Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.37% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $4.5bn | $47.0bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 91% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 58.9% | 60.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 23, 2000 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,374 weekly returnsXLV returned more: +809.9% to +728.2%. IYH and XLV swung about the same: 16.8% and 16.8%. XLV fell slightly less at its worst: −37.9% to −41.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IYH | XLV | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +728.2% | +809.9% | XLV | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.3% | +8.7% | XLV (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +501.1% | +507.7% | Tie | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 16.8% | 16.8% | Tie | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 11.9% | 11.9% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −41.3% | −37.9% | XLV (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.46 | 0.48 | XLV (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.64 | 0.67 | XLV (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.20 | 0.23 | XLV | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,374 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IYH and XLV hold 91% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
91% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IYH and XLV on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IYH and XLV are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. IYH follows Russell 1000 Health Care RIC 22 and XLV follows Health Care Select Sector Index.
- Cost. IYH charges 0.37% of assets a year and XLV 0.08%, a gap of 0.29 points.
- Size. IYH has $4.5bn in net assets and XLV $47.0bn (net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026); XLV is 10.4 times larger.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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IYH
IYH tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +25.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.37% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 101 positions, with the top ten at 58.9%.
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, IYH or XLV?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IYH returned +25.3% and XLV +25.6%.
- Which is cheaper, IYH 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, IYH against XLV, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iyh-vs-xlv
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IYH against XLV. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iyh-vs-xlv
[IYH against XLV (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iyh-vs-xlv)
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