Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
UTES vs XLU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, UTES returned −8.9% to XLU's −3.0%; 46% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $1.3bn on Jul 31, 2026 for Virtus Reaves Utilities ETF, and $23.9bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLU costs 0.41 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 5.9 points.
| Measure | UTES | XLU |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −8.9% | −3.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 12.2%, high on Oct 15, 2025 | 9.1%, high on Feb 27, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | Utilities Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, UTES as of Jul 31, 2026 and XLU as of Oct 27, 2026 | $1.3bn | $23.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 46% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 69.0% | 58.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Oct 2, 2015 to Oct 23, 2026 · 577 weekly returnsUTES returned more: +274.1% to +178.4%. XLU swung slightly less: 18.9% to 19.8%. UTES and XLU fell about the same at their worst: −31.9% and −32.1%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | UTES | XLU | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +274.1% | +178.4% | UTES | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +12.6% | +9.7% | UTES | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +191.8% | +96.4% | UTES | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.8% | 18.9% | XLU (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.6% | 13.0% | XLU (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −31.9% | −32.1% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.58 | 0.46 | UTES | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.85 | 0.67 | UTES | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.40 | 0.30 | UTES | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 577 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, UTES and XLU hold 46% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
46% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
UTES and XLU on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
UTES and XLU are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. UTES follows No index, actively managed and XLU follows Utilities Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 46% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 UTES returned −8.9% and XLU −3.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 5.9 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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UTES
UTES is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −8.9% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.49% a year. By its holdings filed for Jul 31, 2026, 84% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 18 positions, with the top ten at 69.0%. It sat 12.2% below its high of Oct 15, 2025 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, UTES or XLU?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, UTES returned −8.9% and XLU −3.0%.
- Which is cheaper, UTES or XLU?
- XLU is cheaper, by 0.41 percentage points a year. That is about $41 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, UTES against XLU, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/utes-vs-xlu
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). UTES against XLU. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/utes-vs-xlu
[UTES against XLU (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/utes-vs-xlu)
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