Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VT vs XLV: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VT returned +13.5% to XLV's +25.6%; 5% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $81.8bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Total World Stock Index ETF, and $47.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
VT costs 0.02 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 12.1 points; VT is 1.9 times larger.
| Measure | VT | XLV |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +13.5% | +25.6% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | FTSE Global All Cap Index | Health Care Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.06% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $81.8bn | $43.4bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 5% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 22.5% | 60.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jul 3, 2008 to Oct 23, 2026 · 955 weekly returnsXLV returned more: +706.2% to +371.6%. XLV swung slightly less: 16.9% to 18.3%. XLV fell less at its worst: −33.0% to −48.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VT | XLV | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +371.6% | +706.2% | XLV | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.8% | +12.0% | XLV | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +221.4% | +487.8% | XLV | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.3% | 16.9% | XLV (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.1% | 11.9% | XLV (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −48.3% | −33.0% | XLV | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.48 | 0.67 | XLV | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.66 | 0.96 | XLV | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.18 | 0.36 | XLV | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 955 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VT and XLV hold 5% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
5% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VT and XLV on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VT and XLV do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VT follows FTSE Global All Cap Index and XLV follows Health Care Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 5% 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 VT returned +13.5% and XLV +25.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 12.1 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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VT
VT tracks an index of Total World Stock. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 55% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 10,194 positions, with the top ten at 22.5%.
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, VT or XLV?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VT returned +13.5% and XLV +25.6%.
- Which is cheaper, VT or XLV?
- VT is cheaper, by 0.02 percentage points a year. That is about $2 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, VT against XLV, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vt-vs-xlv
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VT against XLV. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vt-vs-xlv
[VT against XLV (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vt-vs-xlv)
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