Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
WEEI vs XLE: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, WEEI returned +40.2% to XLE's +61.2%, and XLE charges 0.08% to WEEI's 0.85%.
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Net assets: $98m on Jul 31, 2026 for Westwood Salient Enhanced Energy Income ETF, and $45.2bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLE costs 0.77 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 21.0 points.
| Measure | WEEI | XLE |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +40.2% | +61.2% |
| Price change, 1 year | rose 24.7% | rose 56.7% |
| Latest payout, annualized | 10.3% | |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 100% of the Oct 5, 2026 payment | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Benchmark: Energy sector, measured through XLE | Energy Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.85% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, WEEI as of Jul 31, 2026 and XLE as of Oct 27, 2026 | $98m | $45.2bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 90% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 100% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 78.1% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
May 10, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026 · 128 weekly returnsXLE returned more: +59.6% to +42.4%. WEEI swung less: 18.3% to 23.8%. WEEI fell less at its worst: −15.8% to −17.7%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | WEEI | XLE | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +42.4% | +59.6% | XLE | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +15.5% | +20.9% | XLE | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +6.7% | +47.8% | XLE | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.3% | 23.8% | WEEI | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.9% | 17.1% | WEEI | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −15.8% | −17.7% | WEEI | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.65 | 0.74 | XLE | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.85 | 1.03 | XLE | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.98 | 1.18 | XLE | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 128 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, WEEI and XLE hold 90% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
90% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
WEEI and XLE on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ. Cash paid: distributions over the window, as a share of the starting price.
WEEI and XLE do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. WEEI is measured against Energy sector through XLE and XLE follows Energy Select Sector Index.
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 WEEI returned +40.2% and XLE +61.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 21.0 points.
- Cost. WEEI charges 0.85% of assets a year and XLE 0.08%, a gap of 0.77 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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WEEI
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, WEEI paid 12.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 24.7%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +40.2%. Energy sector (XLE) returned +61.2% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 21.0 pts. At its price on Oct 28, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 10.3%, paid monthly. Westwood estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Oct 5, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.
XLE
XLE tracks an index of Energy. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +61.2% 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 22 positions, with the top ten at 78.1%.
Questions people ask
- Are WEEI and XLE in the same category?
- WEEI is an option-income ETF and XLE is a stock ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, WEEI or XLE?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, WEEI returned +40.2% and XLE +61.2%.
- Which is cheaper, WEEI or XLE?
- XLE is cheaper, by 0.77 percentage points a year. That is about $77 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, WEEI against XLE, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/weei-vs-xle
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). WEEI against XLE. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/weei-vs-xle
[WEEI against XLE (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/weei-vs-xle)
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