Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VUG vs XLC: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VUG returned +6.6% to XLC's −10.4%; 15% of their weight is in the same names.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about VUG and XLC
Net assets: $232.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Growth ETF, and $22.1bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
VUG costs 0.05 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 17.0 points; VUG is 10.4 times larger.
| Measure | VUG | XLC |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +6.6% | −10.4% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.1%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | 13.3%, high on Jan 30, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index | Communication Services Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $232.9bn | $22.5bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 15% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 63.1% | 75.3% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Jun 29, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026 · 434 weekly returnsVUG returned more: +267.8% to +131.1%. XLC swung slightly less: 20.0% to 21.6%. VUG fell less at its worst: −35.6% to −45.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VUG | XLC | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +267.8% | +131.1% | VUG | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +16.9% | +10.6% | VUG | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +247.5% | +113.0% | VUG | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 21.6% | 20.0% | XLC (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 14.5% | 14.0% | XLC (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −35.6% | −45.9% | VUG | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.70 | 0.46 | VUG | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.05 | 0.66 | VUG | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.47 | 0.23 | VUG | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 434 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VUG and XLC hold 15% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
15% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VUG and XLC on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VUG and XLC do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VUG follows Morningstar US Large Cap Growth Index and XLC follows Communication Services Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 15% 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 VUG returned +6.6% and XLC −10.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 17.0 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
The two-page PDF for this pair is coming. Save the comparison to follow its changes. Free. It needs an email sign-in, once.
VUG
VUG tracks an index of US growth. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +6.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 137 positions, with the top ten at 63.1%. It sat 4.1% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
XLC
XLC tracks an index of Communication services. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −10.4% 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 23 positions, with the top ten at 75.3%. It sat 13.3% below its high of Jan 30, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VUG or XLC?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VUG returned +6.6% and XLC −10.4%.
- Which is cheaper, VUG or XLC?
- VUG is cheaper, by 0.05 percentage points a year. That is about $5 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, VUG against XLC, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vug-vs-xlc
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VUG against XLC. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vug-vs-xlc
[VUG against XLC (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vug-vs-xlc)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.