Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
SPHD vs XLE: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SPHD returned +11.0% to XLE's +61.2%; 12% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $3.3bn for Invesco S&P 500 High Dividend Low Volatility ETF and $45.2bn for State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLE costs 0.22 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 50.2 points; XLE is 13.7 times larger.
| Measure | SPHD | XLE |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +11.0% | +61.2% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.2%, high on Aug 24, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | S&P 500 Low Volatility High Dividend Index | Energy Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.30% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $3.3bn | $45.2bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 12% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 28.2% | 78.1% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Nov 2, 2012 to Oct 23, 2026 · 729 weekly returnsSPHD returned more: +266.3% to +222.1%. SPHD swung less: 16.1% to 27.0%. SPHD fell less at its worst: −38.2% to −68.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | SPHD | XLE | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +266.3% | +222.1% | SPHD | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +9.7% | +8.7% | SPHD | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +107.7% | +95.1% | SPHD | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 16.1% | 27.0% | SPHD | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 11.3% | 19.2% | SPHD | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −38.2% | −68.9% | SPHD | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.54 | 0.38 | SPHD | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.77 | 0.53 | SPHD | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.25 | 0.13 | SPHD | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 729 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, SPHD and XLE hold 12% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
12% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
SPHD and XLE on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
SPHD and XLE do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. SPHD follows S&P 500 Low Volatility High Dividend Index and XLE follows Energy Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 12% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 SPHD returned +11.0% and XLE +61.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 50.2 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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SPHD
SPHD tracks the S&P 500 High Dividend Low Volatility. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +11.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.30% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 95% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 59 positions, with the top ten at 28.2%. It sat 4.2% below its high of Aug 24, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
XLE
XLE tracks an index of Energy. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +61.2% 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 22 positions, with the top ten at 78.1%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, SPHD or XLE?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPHD returned +11.0% and XLE +61.2%.
- Which is cheaper, SPHD or XLE?
- XLE is cheaper, by 0.22 percentage points a year. That is about $22 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, SPHD against XLE, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/sphd-vs-xle
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). SPHD against XLE. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/sphd-vs-xle
[SPHD against XLE (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/sphd-vs-xle)
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