Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
XLE vs XLU: how they differ
XLE and XLU hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and XLE returned more over the year.
State Street(R) Energy Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF and State Street(R) Utilities Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, XLE and XLU hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | XLE | XLU |
|---|---|---|
| SSI US GOV MONEY MARKET CLASS | 0.36% | 0.16% |
| Only in XLE | Only in XLU |
|---|---|
| EXXONMOBIL HOLDINGS CORP 20.13% | NEXTERA ENERGY INC 13.01% |
| CHEVRON CORP 15.18% | SOUTHERN CO/THE 7.49% |
| CONOCOPHILLIPS 6.36% | DUKE ENERGY CORP 7.04% |
| MARATHON PETROLEUM CORP 5.63% | CONSTELLATION ENERGY 6.92% |
| PHILLIPS 66 5.52% | AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER 5.08% |
| VALERO ENERGY CORP 5.38% | DOMINION ENERGY INC 4.33% |
| SLB LTD 4.49% | SEMPRA 4.16% |
| EOG RESOURCES INC 4.15% | 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 Sep 10, 2026.
| XLE State Street(R) Energy Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | XLU State Street(R) Utilities Select Sector SPDR(R) ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | State Street | State Street |
| What it is | Energy | Utilities |
| Total return, 1 year | +50.7% | +2.4% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +33.2 pts | −15.1 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.08% | 0.08% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Holdings | 24 | 32 |
XLE in plain words
XLE is an index equity fund tracking the Energy. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +50.7% 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 24 positions, with the top ten at 74.0%.
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. 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, XLE or XLU?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, XLE returned +50.7% and XLU returned +2.4%, so XLE returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, XLE or XLU?
- XLE charges 0.08% a year and XLU charges 0.08%, so XLE is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do XLE and XLU overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 100% of XLE 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, XLE against XLU, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xle-vs-xlu Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources