Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
SCHD vs XLU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SCHD returned +34.5% to XLU's −3.0%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $112.3bn on Aug 31, 2026 for Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF, and $23.9bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
SCHD costs 0.02 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 37.5 points.
| Measure | SCHD | XLU |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +34.5% | −3.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 9.1%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index | Utilities Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.06% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, SCHD as of Aug 31, 2026 and XLU as of Oct 27, 2026 | $112.3bn | $23.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 41.7% | 58.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Oct 28, 2011 to Oct 23, 2026 · 782 weekly returnsSCHD returned more: +554.4% to +301.0%. SCHD swung less: 14.8% to 17.6%. SCHD and XLU fell about the same at their worst: −31.5% and −32.1%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | SCHD | XLU | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +554.4% | +301.0% | SCHD | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +13.3% | +9.7% | SCHD | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +306.8% | +143.1% | SCHD | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 14.8% | 17.6% | SCHD | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 10.4% | 12.1% | SCHD | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −31.5% | −32.1% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.80 | 0.52 | SCHD | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.15 | 0.75 | SCHD | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.42 | 0.30 | SCHD | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 782 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, SCHD and XLU hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
SCHD and XLU on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
SCHD and XLU do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. SCHD follows Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index and XLU follows Utilities Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 SCHD returned +34.5% and XLU −3.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 37.5 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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SCHD
SCHD tracks an index of US dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +34.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year. By its holdings filed for Aug 31, 2026, 95% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 99 positions, with the top ten at 41.7%.
XLU
XLU tracks an index of Utilities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.0% 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 32 positions, with the top ten at 58.7%. It sat 9.1% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, SCHD or XLU?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SCHD returned +34.5% and XLU −3.0%.
- Which is cheaper, SCHD or XLU?
- SCHD is cheaper, by 0.02 percentage points a year. That is about $2 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, SCHD against XLU, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/schd-vs-xlu
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). SCHD against XLU. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/schd-vs-xlu
[SCHD against XLU (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/schd-vs-xlu)
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