Which returned more over the last year, LQD or XLU?

In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, LQD returned −2.7% and XLU returned +2.4%, so XLU returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, LQD or XLU?

LQD charges 0.14% a year and XLU charges 0.08%, so XLU is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

LQD vs XLU: how they differ

LQD and XLU hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and XLU returned more over the year.

iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF and State Street(R) Utilities Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, LQD and XLU hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Largest positions each one holds and the other does not
Only in LQD	Only in XLU
BLK CSH FND TREASURY SL AGENCY 0.88%	NEXTERA ENERGY INC 13.01%
ANHEUSER-BUSCH COMPANIES LLC 0.12%	SOUTHERN CO/THE 7.49%
DEUTSCHE TELEKOM INTERNATIONAL FIN 0.11%	DUKE ENERGY CORP 7.04%
CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS OPERATING L 144A 0.10%	CONSTELLATION ENERGY 6.92%
JPMORGAN CHASE & CO MTN 0.09%	AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER 5.08%
BRITISH TELECOMMUNICATIONS PLC 0.08%	DOMINION ENERGY INC 4.33%
MORGAN STANLEY (FXD-FRN) MTN 0.08%	SEMPRA 4.16%
CITIGROUP INC (FX-FRN) 0.07%	ENTERGY CORP 3.66%

Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Sep 10, 2026.

LQD and XLU on the fields both publish, as of Sep 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	LQD iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF	XLU State Street(R) Utilities Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF
Where it sits	Core index fund	Core index fund
Issuer	iShares	State Street
What it is	US investment grade bonds	Utilities
Total return, 1 year	−2.7%	+2.4%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	−20.2 pts	−15.1 pts
Expense ratio	0.14%	0.08%
Holdings	3149	32

LQD in plain words

LQD is a bond fund tracking the US investment grade bonds. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −2.7% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.14% a year. It sat 6.4% below its high of Sep 22, 2021 on Sep 11, 2026.

XLU in plain words

XLU is an index equity fund tracking the Utilities. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +2.4% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 32 positions, with the top ten at 58.8%. It sat 10.0% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, LQD or XLU?: In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, LQD returned −2.7% and XLU returned +2.4%, so XLU returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, LQD or XLU?: LQD charges 0.14% a year and XLU charges 0.08%, so XLU is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

LQD against XLU, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 13, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, LQD against XLU, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/lqd-vs-xlu Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources