Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
XHB vs XLU: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, XHB returned −8.6% to XLU's −3.0%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $1.5bn for State Street SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF and $23.9bn for State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLU costs 0.27 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 5.6 points; XLU is 15.9 times larger.
| Measure | XHB | XLU |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −8.6% | −3.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 20.5%, high on Oct 18, 2024 | 9.1%, high on Feb 27, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | S&P Homebuilders Select Industry Index | Utilities Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $1.5bn | $23.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 35.4% | 58.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Feb 17, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,079 weekly returnsXLU returned more: +437.9% to +167.9%. XLU swung less: 18.1% to 32.4%. XLU fell less at its worst: −45.2% to −81.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | XHB | XLU | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +167.9% | +437.9% | XLU | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +4.9% | +8.4% | XLU | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +119.5% | +163.5% | XLU | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 32.4% | 18.1% | XLU | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 21.8% | 12.9% | XLU | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −81.4% | −45.2% | XLU | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.25 | 0.44 | XLU | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.38 | 0.62 | XLU | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.06 | 0.19 | XLU | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,079 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, XHB and XLU hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
XHB and XLU on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
XHB and XLU do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. XHB follows S&P Homebuilders Select Industry Index and XLU follows Utilities Select Sector Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 XHB returned −8.6% and XLU −3.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 5.6 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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XHB
XHB tracks the S&P Homebuilders. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −8.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 46% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 34 positions, with the top ten at 35.4%. It sat 20.5% below its high of Oct 18, 2024 on Oct 28, 2026.
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, XHB or XLU?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, XHB returned −8.6% and XLU −3.0%.
- Which is cheaper, XHB or XLU?
- XLU is cheaper, by 0.27 percentage points a year. That is about $27 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, XHB against XLU, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xhb-vs-xlu
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). XHB against XLU. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xhb-vs-xlu
[XHB against XLU (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xhb-vs-xlu)
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