Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
PPH vs XLV: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, PPH returned +27.4% to XLV's +25.6%; 36% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $1.0bn for VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF and $47.0bn for State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLV costs 0.28 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.8 points; XLV is far larger, $47.0bn against $1.0bn.
| Measure | PPH | XLV |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +27.4% | +25.6% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MVIS US Listed Pharmaceutical 25 Index | Health Care Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.36% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $1.0bn | $47.0bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 36% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 71.6% | 60.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Feb 11, 2000 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,393 weekly returnsXLV returned more: +775.5% to +401.1%. XLV swung slightly less: 17.2% to 17.8%. XLV fell less at its worst: −37.9% to −50.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | PPH | XLV | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +401.1% | +775.5% | XLV | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +6.2% | +8.4% | XLV | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +172.0% | +484.7% | XLV | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 17.8% | 17.2% | XLV (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.6% | 12.2% | XLV (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −50.3% | −37.9% | XLV | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.33 | 0.46 | XLV | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.46 | 0.64 | XLV | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.12 | 0.22 | XLV | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,393 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, PPH and XLV hold 36% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
36% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
PPH and XLV on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
PPH and XLV are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. PPH follows MVIS US Listed Pharmaceutical 25 Index and XLV follows Health Care Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 36% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- Cost. PPH charges 0.36% of assets a year and XLV 0.08%, a gap of 0.28 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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PPH
PPH tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +27.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.36% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 59% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 25 positions, with the top ten at 71.6%.
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, PPH or XLV?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PPH returned +27.4% and XLV +25.6%.
- Which is cheaper, PPH or XLV?
- XLV is cheaper, by 0.28 percentage points a year. That is about $28 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, PPH against XLV, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/pph-vs-xlv
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). PPH against XLV. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/pph-vs-xlv
[PPH against XLV (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/pph-vs-xlv)
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