Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
XLU vs XLUI: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, XLU returned −3.0% to XLUI's +3.3%, and XLU charges 0.08% to XLUI's 0.35%.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $23.9bn for State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF and $66m for State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR Premium Income ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLU costs 0.27 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 6.3 points; XLU is far larger, $23.9bn against $66m.
| Measure | XLU | XLUI |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −3.0% | +3.3% |
| Price change, 1 year | fell 5.7% | fell 10.8% |
| Latest payout, annualized | 21.9% | |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 63% of the Oct 5, 2026 payment | |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 9.1%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Utilities Select Sector Index | Benchmark: Utilities sector, measured through XLU |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.08% | 0.35% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $23.9bn | $66m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 100% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 58.7% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Aug 8, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026 · 63 weekly returnsXLUI returned more: +5.6% to +2.3%. XLUI swung less: 12.2% to 16.5%. XLUI fell less at its worst: −11.9% to −15.5%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | XLU | XLUI | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +2.3% | +5.6% | XLUI | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +1.9% | +4.6% | XLUI | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −1.2% | −11.0% | XLU | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 16.5% | 12.2% | XLUI | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 11.5% | 8.9% | XLUI | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −15.5% | −11.9% | XLUI | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | −0.04 | 0.11 | XLUI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | −0.06 | 0.16 | XLUI | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.12 | 0.38 | XLUI | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 63 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, XLU and XLUI 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
XLU and XLUI 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.
XLU and XLUI do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. XLU follows Utilities Select Sector Index and XLUI is measured against Utilities sector through XLU.
- 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 XLU returned −3.0% and XLUI +3.3% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 6.3 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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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.
XLUI
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, XLUI paid 13.7% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 10.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +3.3%. Utilities sector (XLU) returned −3.0% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 6.3 pts. At its price on Oct 28, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 21.9%, paid monthly. State Street estimates that 63% 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.
Questions people ask
- Are XLU and XLUI in the same category?
- XLU is a stock ETF and XLUI is an option-income ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, XLU or XLUI?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, XLU returned −3.0% and XLUI +3.3%.
- Which is cheaper, XLU or XLUI?
- 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.
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How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, XLU against XLUI, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xlu-vs-xlui
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). XLU against XLUI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xlu-vs-xlui
[XLU against XLUI (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xlu-vs-xlui)
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