Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
SPY vs XLV: how they differ
SPY and XLV hold 9% of their weight in the same names, and XLV returned more over the year.
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust and State Street(R) Health Care Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, SPY and XLV hold 9% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | SPY | XLV |
|---|---|---|
| ELI LILLY + CO | 1.36% | 14.87% |
| JOHNSON + JOHNSON | 0.98% | 10.73% |
| ABBVIE INC | 0.69% | 7.54% |
| MERCK + CO. INC. | 0.55% | 5.98% |
| UNITEDHEALTH GROUP INC | 0.54% | 5.90% |
| THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC INC | 0.34% | 3.75% |
| AMGEN INC | 0.32% | 3.46% |
| ABBOTT LABORATORIES | 0.28% | 3.01% |
| GILEAD SCIENCES INC | 0.28% | 3.01% |
| PFIZER INC | 0.24% | 2.64% |
| BRISTOL MYERS SQUIBB CO | 0.20% | 2.18% |
| VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC | 0.20% | 2.19% |
| Only in SPY | Only in XLV |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA CORP 8.08% | SSI US GOV MONEY MARKET CLASS 0.19% |
| APPLE INC 7.33% | XAV HEALTH CARE SEP26 0.01% |
| MICROSOFT CORP 5.59% | |
| AMAZON.COM INC 3.77% | |
| ALPHABET INC CL A 2.98% | |
| BROADCOM INC 2.61% | |
| ALPHABET INC CL C 2.39% | |
| META PLATFORMS INC CLASS A 2.16% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Sep 10, 2026.
| SPY SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust | XLV State Street(R) Health Care Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | State Street | State Street |
| What it is | S&P 500 | Health care |
| Total return, 1 year | +17.5% | +20.4% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | 0.0 pts | +2.9 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 505 | 63 |
SPY in plain words
SPY is an index equity fund tracking the S&P 500. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +17.5% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 505 positions, with the top ten at 38.2%.
XLV in plain words
XLV is an index equity fund tracking the Health care. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +20.4% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 63 positions, with the top ten at 60.9%. It sat 5.9% below its high of Aug 19, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, SPY or XLV?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, SPY returned +17.5% and XLV returned +20.4%, so XLV returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, SPY or XLV?
- SPY charges 0.09% a year and XLV charges 0.08%, so XLV is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do SPY and XLV overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 100% of SPY and 100% of XLV by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 9% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Other comparisons
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Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, SPY against XLV, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/spy-vs-xlv Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources