Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VYM vs XLU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VYM returned +18.0% to XLU's −3.0%; 5% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $78.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF, and $23.9bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
VYM costs 0.04 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 21.0 points; VYM is 3.7 times larger.
| Measure | VYM | XLU |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +18.0% | −3.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 9.1%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | FTSE High Dividend Yield Index | Utilities Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.04% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $78.9bn | $21.3bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 5% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 26.2% | 58.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VYM and XLU 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
VYM and XLU on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VYM
VYM tracks an index of US high dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +18.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% 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 595 positions, with the top ten at 26.2%.
XLU
XLU tracks an index of Utilities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.0% 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 32 positions, with the top ten at 58.7%. It sat 9.1% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, VYM or XLU?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VYM returned +18.0% and XLU −3.0%.
- Which is cheaper, VYM or XLU?
- VYM is cheaper, by 0.04 percentage points a year. That is about $4 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, VYM against XLU, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vym-vs-xlu
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VYM against XLU. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vym-vs-xlu
[VYM against XLU (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vym-vs-xlu)
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