Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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VOX vs XLV: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VOX returned −5.7% to XLV's +25.6%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.

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Net assets: $6.0bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Communication Services ETF, and $47.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF.

At a glance
−5.7%
VOX total return, 1 year
+25.6%
XLV total return, 1 year
0.09%
VOX expense ratio
0.08%
XLV expense ratio

Pair scorecard

XLV costs 0.01 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 31.3 points; XLV is 7.2 times larger.

VOX vs XLV: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureVOXXLV
Return
Total return, 1 year−5.7%+25.6%
Drawdown
Below its high10.8%, high on Jan 29, 2026
Benchmark
What it tracksMSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Communication Services 25/50Health Care Select Sector Index
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.09%0.08%
Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026$6.0bn$43.4bn
Holdings
Holdings in common0%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund71.1%60.6%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method

Risk and return

Oct 8, 2004 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,150 weekly returns
VOX XLV
Return
Total return edge XLV +478.6% +827.3%
Annualized edge XLV +8.3% +10.6%
Price return edge XLV +252.8% +539.8%
Risk
Volatility edge XLV 19.7% 16.1%
Max drawdown edge XLV −54.8% −37.9%
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge XLV 0.41 0.59
Sortino edge XLV 0.59 0.84
Calmar edge XLV 0.15 0.28
Reading

XLV returned more: +827.3% to +478.6%. XLV swung less: 16.1% to 19.7%. XLV fell less at its worst: −37.9% to −54.8%.

Full scorecard

9 measures, with how each is measured
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Risk and return: VOX vs XLV: Differences, Returns & Fees
MeasureVOXXLVEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+478.6%+827.3%XLVPrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+8.3%+10.6%XLVTotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return+252.8%+539.8%XLVPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility19.7%16.1%XLVSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation13.6%11.4%XLVLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−54.8%−37.9%XLVDeepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.410.59XLVReturn above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino0.590.84XLVReturn above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Calmar0.150.28XLVAnnualized return divided by the max drawdown.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,150 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

0%

By the books each fund has filed, VOX and XLV hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first VOX XLV
Only in one fund ↓
Only in VOX
Meta Platforms Inc 25.31%
Alphabet Inc 13.97%
Alphabet Inc 7.70%
Walt Disney Co 4.26%
Verizon Communications Inc 4.04%
AT&T Inc 4.04%
Netflix Inc 3.77%
Space Exploration Technologies Corp 2.88%
Only in XLV
ELI LILLY + CO 15.77%
JOHNSON + JOHNSON 9.96%
ABBVIE INC 7.78%
UNITEDHEALTH GROUP INC 5.66%
MERCK + CO. INC. 5.38%
THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC INC 3.94%
AMGEN INC 3.72%
GILEAD SCIENCES INC 3.03%
Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

VOX Vanguard Communication Services ETF XLV State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF
Where it sits Stock ETF Stock ETF
What it is Tracks an index of Communication Services Tracks an index of Health care
Total return, 1 year −5.7% +25.6%
Its benchmark over the same days −5.9% (FCOM) not measured
Gap to its benchmark +0.2 pts vs FCOM not measured
Expense ratio 0.09% 0.08%
Already in the S&P 500 84.3% 99.7%
Holdings 113 62
Net assets, VOX as of Sep 30, 2026 and XLV as of Oct 27, 2026 $6.0bn $47.0bn

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

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-3043D37116

VOX and XLV do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?

  1. What each follows. VOX follows MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Communication Services 25/50 and XLV follows Health Care Select Sector Index.
  2. Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026).
  3. One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 VOX returned −5.7% and XLV +25.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 31.3 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund
VOX

VOX tracks an index of Communication Services. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −5.7% with distributions reinvested, against −5.9% for its benchmark, the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Communication Services 25/50. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 84% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 113 positions, with the top ten at 71.1%. It sat 10.8% below its high of Jan 29, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

XLV

XLV tracks an index of Health care. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +25.6% 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 62 positions, with the top ten at 60.6%.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, VOX or XLV?
In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VOX returned −5.7% and XLV +25.6%.
Which is cheaper, VOX or XLV?
XLV is cheaper, by 0.01 percentage points a year. That is about $1 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do VOX and XLV overlap with the S&P 500?
By their latest filed holdings, 84% of VOX and 100% of XLV by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.
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ETFIQ, VOX against XLV, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vox-vs-xlv

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