Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VPU vs XLF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VPU returned −3.3% to XLF's +7.6%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $7.7bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Utilities ETF, and $51.6bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLF costs 0.01 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 10.9 points; XLF is 6.6 times larger.
| Measure | VPU | XLF |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −3.3% | +7.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 8.9%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | 3.8%, high on Sep 3, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Utilities 25/50 | Financial Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.09% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $7.7bn | $51.0bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 52.3% | 57.4% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Feb 6, 2004 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,185 weekly returnsVPU returned more: +683.7% to +268.2%. VPU swung less: 17.6% to 26.1%. VPU fell less at its worst: −44.9% to −82.7%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VPU | XLF | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +683.7% | +268.2% | VPU | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +9.5% | +5.9% | VPU | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +273.2% | +89.6% | VPU | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 17.6% | 26.1% | VPU | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.5% | 17.9% | VPU | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −44.9% | −82.7% | VPU | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.50 | 0.28 | VPU | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.70 | 0.41 | VPU | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.21 | 0.07 | VPU | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,185 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VPU and XLF hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VPU and XLF on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VPU and XLF do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VPU follows MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Utilities 25/50 and XLF follows Financial Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 VPU returned −3.3% and XLF +7.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 10.9 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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VPU
VPU tracks an index of Utilities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.3% with distributions reinvested, against −3.3% for its benchmark, the MSCI US Investable Market Index (IMI)/Utilities 25/50. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 70 positions, with the top ten at 52.3%. It sat 8.9% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
XLF
XLF tracks an index of Financials. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +7.6% 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 77 positions, with the top ten at 57.4%. It sat 3.8% below its high of Sep 3, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VPU or XLF?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VPU returned −3.3% and XLF +7.6%.
- Which is cheaper, VPU or XLF?
- XLF 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.
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, VPU against XLF, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vpu-vs-xlf
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VPU against XLF. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vpu-vs-xlf
[VPU against XLF (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vpu-vs-xlf)
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