Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VYM vs XLV: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VYM returned +18.0% to XLV's +25.6%; 14% of their weight is in the same names.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about VYM and XLV
Net assets: $78.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF, and $47.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
VYM costs 0.04 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 7.6 points; VYM is 1.8 times larger.
| Measure | VYM | XLV |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +18.0% | +25.6% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | FTSE High Dividend Yield Index | Health Care Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.04% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $78.9bn | $43.4bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 14% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 26.2% | 60.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Nov 24, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,039 weekly returnsXLV returned more: +666.5% to +487.1%. VYM and XLV swung about the same: 16.7% and 16.7%. XLV fell less at its worst: −37.9% to −56.7%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VYM | XLV | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +487.1% | +666.5% | XLV | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +9.3% | +10.7% | XLV | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +220.2% | +442.9% | XLV | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 16.7% | 16.7% | Tie | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 11.8% | 11.8% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −56.7% | −37.9% | XLV | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.52 | 0.60 | XLV | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.73 | 0.85 | XLV | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.16 | 0.28 | XLV | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,039 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VYM and XLV hold 14% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
14% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VYM and XLV on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VYM and XLV do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VYM follows FTSE High Dividend Yield Index and XLV follows Health Care Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 14% 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 VYM returned +18.0% and XLV +25.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 7.6 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.
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%.
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, VYM or XLV?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VYM returned +18.0% and XLV +25.6%.
- Which is cheaper, VYM or XLV?
- 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, VYM against XLV, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vym-vs-xlv
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VYM against XLV. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vym-vs-xlv
[VYM against XLV (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vym-vs-xlv)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.