Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
VUG vs XLU: how they differ
VUG and XLU hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and VUG returned more over the year.
Vanguard Growth Index Fund and State Street(R) Utilities Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, VUG and XLU hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in VUG | Only in XLU |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA Corp 12.63% | NEXTERA ENERGY INC 13.01% |
| Apple Inc 11.67% | SOUTHERN CO/THE 7.49% |
| Microsoft Corp 7.62% | DUKE ENERGY CORP 7.04% |
| Alphabet Inc 5.76% | CONSTELLATION ENERGY 6.92% |
| Alphabet Inc 4.54% | AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER 5.08% |
| Amazon.com Inc 4.47% | DOMINION ENERGY INC 4.33% |
| Broadcom Inc 4.29% | SEMPRA 4.16% |
| Meta Platforms Inc 3.41% | ENTERGY CORP 3.66% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 10, 2026.
| VUG Vanguard Growth Index Fund | XLU State Street(R) Utilities Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | Vanguard | State Street |
| What it is | US growth | Utilities |
| Total return, 1 year | +12.9% | +2.4% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −4.6 pts | −15.1 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 97.4% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 147 | 32 |
VUG in plain words
VUG is an index equity fund tracking the US growth. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +12.9% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 97% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 147 positions, with the top ten at 60.5%.
XLU in plain words
XLU is an index equity fund tracking the Utilities. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +2.4% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 32 positions, with the top ten at 58.8%. It sat 10.0% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VUG or XLU?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VUG returned +12.9% and XLU returned +2.4%, so VUG returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, VUG or XLU?
- VUG charges 0.03% a year and XLU charges 0.08%, so VUG is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do VUG and XLU overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 97% of VUG and 100% of XLU by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 0% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
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Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, VUG against XLU, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vug-vs-xlu Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources