Are SDY and XBI in the same category?

SDY is a stock ETF and XBI is a thematic ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.

Which returned more over the last year, SDY or XBI?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SDY returned +16.5% and XBI +41.2%.

Which is cheaper, SDY or XBI?

Neither: SDY and XBI both charge 0.35% a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

How much do SDY and XBI overlap with the S&P 500?

By their latest filed holdings, 84% of SDY and 13% of XBI by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

SDY vs XBI: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SDY returned +16.5% to XBI's +41.2%.

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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $21.9bn for State Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETF and $10.3bn for State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF.

SDY on its own →XBI on its own →

At a glance

+16.5%

SDY total return, 1 year

+41.2%

XBI total return, 1 year

0.35%

SDY expense ratio

0.35%

XBI expense ratio

Pair scorecard

Both cost 0.35% a year; their one-year returns differ by 24.7 points; SDY is 2.1 times larger.

SDY vs XBI: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	SDY	XBI
Return
Measure	SDY	XBI
Total return, 1 year	+16.5%	+41.2%
Drawdown
Measure	SDY	XBI
Below its all-time high		8.9%, high on Feb 8, 2021
Benchmark
Measure	SDY	XBI
What it tracks	S&P High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index	Biotech
Cost and size
Measure	SDY	XBI
Expense ratio	0.35%	0.35%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$21.9bn	$10.3bn
Active share vs the S&P 500		98%
Holdings
Measure	SDY	XBI
Holdings in common	1%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	20.4%	18%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, SDY and XBI hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

1% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first SDY XBI

ABBVIE INC 1.32% 1.67%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in SDY

ACCENTURE PLC CL A 3.73%

VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC 2.81%

CHEVRON CORP 2.15%

REALTY INCOME CORP 1.94%

PEPSICO INC 1.82%

MEDTRONIC PLC 1.79%

TARGET CORP 1.59%

AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING 1.55%

Only in XBI

MODERNA INC 2.24%

TWIST BIOSCIENCE CORP 1.86%

NATERA INC 1.82%

BIOGEN INC 1.75%

HALOZYME THERAPEUTICS INC 1.75%

UNITED THERAPEUTICS CORP 1.71%

AMGEN INC 1.68%

SPYRE THERAPEUTICS INC 1.67%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

SDY State Street SPDR S&P Dividend ETF XBI State Street SPDR S&P Biotech ETF

Where it sits Stock ETF Thematic ETF

Issuer State Street State Street

What it is Tracks the S&P Dividend Biotech

Total return, 1 year +16.5% +41.2%

Expense ratio 0.35% 0.35%

Already in the S&P 500 84.4% 13.2%

Holdings 156 165

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $21.9bn $10.3bn

SDY and XBI on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Alert

About each fund

SDY

SDY tracks the S&P Dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +16.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 84% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 156 positions, with the top ten at 20.4%.

XBI

By weight, 13% of XBI's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 98%. The top ten holdings are 18% of the fund across 165 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned +41.2% with distributions reinvested. It sits 8.9% below its all-time high of Feb 8, 2021.

Questions people ask

Are SDY and XBI in the same category?: SDY is a stock ETF and XBI is a thematic ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
Which returned more over the last year, SDY or XBI?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SDY returned +16.5% and XBI +41.2%.
Which is cheaper, SDY or XBI?: Neither: SDY and XBI both charge 0.35% a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do SDY and XBI overlap with the S&P 500?: By their latest filed holdings, 84% of SDY and 13% of XBI by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Other comparisons

IBB vs SDY HGER vs SDY SDY vs VBK AOR vs SDY VOE vs XBI DVY vs XBI COWZ vs XBI NOBL vs XBI

Where to next

SDY on its own →XBI on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →SDY dividend history →SDY holdings →XBI dividend history →XBI holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

SDY and XBI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

SDY and XBI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

State Street website ↗

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.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, SDY against XBI, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/sdy-vs-xbi

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.