Which returned more over the last year, XLF or XLV?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, XLF returned +7.6% and XLV +25.6%.

Which is cheaper, XLF or XLV?

Neither: XLF and XLV both charge 0.08% a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

How much do XLF and XLV overlap with the S&P 500?

By their latest filed holdings, 100% of XLF and 100% of XLV by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

XLF vs XLV: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, XLF returned +7.6% to XLV's +25.6%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.

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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $51.6bn for State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF and $47.0bn for State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF.

XLF on its own →XLV on its own →

At a glance

+7.6%

XLF total return, 1 year

+25.6%

XLV total return, 1 year

0.08%

XLF expense ratio

0.08%

XLV expense ratio

Pair scorecard

Both cost 0.08% a year; their one-year returns differ by 18.0 points; XLF is 1.1 times larger.

XLF vs XLV: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	XLF	XLV
Return
Measure	XLF	XLV
Total return, 1 year	+7.6%	+25.6%
Drawdown
Measure	XLF	XLV
Below its high	3.8%, high on Sep 3, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	XLF	XLV
What it tracks	Financial Select Sector Index	Health Care Select Sector Index
Cost and size
Measure	XLF	XLV
Expense ratio	0.08%	0.08%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$51.6bn	$47.0bn
Holdings
Measure	XLF	XLV
Holdings in common	0%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	57.4%	60.6%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method

Risk and return

Dec 31, 1998 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,451 weekly returns

XLF XLV

Return

Total return edge XLV +402.6% +938.5%

Annualized edge XLV +6.0% +8.7%

Price return edge XLV +138.5% +589.5%

Risk

Volatility edge XLV 26.2% 17.4%

Max drawdown edge XLV −82.7% −37.9%

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge XLV 0.28 0.47

Sortino edge XLV 0.42 0.67

Calmar edge XLV 0.07 0.23

Reading

XLV returned more: +938.5% to +402.6%. XLV swung less: 17.4% to 26.2%. XLV fell less at its worst: −37.9% to −82.7%.

Full scorecard

9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: XLF vs XLV: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	XLF	XLV	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+402.6%	+938.5%	XLV	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+6.0%	+8.7%	XLV	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	+138.5%	+589.5%	XLV	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	26.2%	17.4%	XLV	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	17.8%	12.2%	XLV	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−82.7%	−37.9%	XLV	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.28	0.47	XLV	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.42	0.67	XLV	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Calmar	0.07	0.23	XLV	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,451 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, XLF and XLV hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first XLF XLV

Only in one fund ↓

Only in XLF

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY INC CL B 12.84%

JPMORGAN CHASE + CO 11.33%

VISA INC CLASS A SHARES 8.69%

MASTERCARD INC A 6.26%

BANK OF AMERICA CORP 4.18%

GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC 3.37%

WELLS FARGO + CO 3.17%

MORGAN STANLEY 2.83%

Only in XLV

ELI LILLY + CO 15.77%

JOHNSON + JOHNSON 9.96%

ABBVIE INC 7.78%

UNITEDHEALTH GROUP INC 5.66%

MERCK + CO. INC. 5.38%

THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC INC 3.94%

AMGEN INC 3.72%

GILEAD SCIENCES INC 3.03%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

XLF State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF XLV State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF

Where it sits Stock ETF Stock ETF

Issuer State Street State Street

What it is Tracks an index of Financials Tracks an index of Health care

Total return, 1 year +7.6% +25.6%

Expense ratio 0.08% 0.08%

Already in the S&P 500 99.8% 99.7%

Holdings 77 62

Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 $51.6bn $47.0bn

XLF and XLV on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-BE077D6EB8

XLF and XLV do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?

What each follows. XLF follows Financial Select Sector Index and XLV follows Health Care 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 XLF returned +7.6% and XLV +25.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 18.0 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund

XLF

XLF tracks an index of Financials. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +7.6% 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 77 positions, with the top ten at 57.4%. It sat 3.8% below its high of Sep 3, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

XLV

XLV tracks an index of Health care. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +25.6% with distributions reinvested. 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, XLF or XLV?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, XLF returned +7.6% and XLV +25.6%.
Which is cheaper, XLF or XLV?: Neither: XLF and XLV both charge 0.08% a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do XLF and XLV overlap with the S&P 500?: By their latest filed holdings, 100% of XLF and 100% of XLV by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Other comparisons

VHT vs XLF XLF vs XLU XLF vs XLK XLF vs XLP KRE vs XLV IYW vs XLV FTEC vs XLV SCHH vs XLV

Where to next

XLF on its own →XLV on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →XLF dividend history →XLF holdings →XLV dividend history →XLV holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

XLF and XLV filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

XLF and XLV prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

State Street website ↗

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, XLF against XLV, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xlf-vs-xlv

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.