Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
SPHD vs XLU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, SPHD returned +11.0% to XLU's −3.0%; 14% 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 $23.9bn for State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLU costs 0.22 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 14.0 points; XLU is 7.2 times larger.
| Measure | SPHD | XLU |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +11.0% | −3.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.2%, high on Aug 24, 2026 | 9.1%, high on Feb 27, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | S&P 500 Low Volatility High Dividend Index | Utilities Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.30% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $3.3bn | $23.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 14% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 28.2% | 58.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Nov 2, 2012 to Oct 23, 2026 · 729 weekly returnsXLU returned slightly more: +271.9% to +266.3%. SPHD swung less: 16.1% to 18.0%. XLU fell less at its worst: −32.1% to −38.2%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | SPHD | XLU | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +266.3% | +271.9% | XLU (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +9.7% | +9.8% | Tie | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +107.7% | +134.7% | XLU | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 16.1% | 18.0% | SPHD | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 11.3% | 12.4% | SPHD (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −38.2% | −32.1% | XLU | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.54 | 0.51 | SPHD (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.77 | 0.74 | SPHD (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.25 | 0.31 | XLU | 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 XLU hold 14% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
14% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
SPHD and XLU on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
SPHD and XLU 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 XLU follows Utilities Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 14% 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 XLU −3.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 14.0 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.
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, SPHD or XLU?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPHD returned +11.0% and XLU −3.0%.
- Which is cheaper, SPHD or XLU?
- XLU 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 XLU, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/sphd-vs-xlu
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). SPHD against XLU. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/sphd-vs-xlu
[SPHD against XLU (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/sphd-vs-xlu)
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