Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
XLU vs XOP: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, XLU returned −3.0% to XOP's +62.5%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $23.9bn for State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF and $4.6bn for State Street SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLU costs 0.27 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 65.5 points; XLU is 5.2 times larger.
| Measure | XLU | XOP |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −3.0% | +62.5% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 9.1%, high on Feb 27, 2026 | 24.8%, high on Jun 23, 2014 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Utilities Select Sector Index | S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Select Industry Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.08% | 0.35% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $23.9bn | $4.6bn |
| 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
Jun 30, 2006 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,060 weekly returnsXLU returned more: +429.6% to +71.5%. XLU swung less: 18.2% to 37.0%. XLU fell less at its worst: −45.2% to −89.6%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | XLU | XOP | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +429.6% | +71.5% | XLU | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +8.5% | +2.7% | XLU | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +163.6% | +29.3% | XLU | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.2% | 37.0% | XLU | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.0% | 26.4% | XLU | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −45.2% | −89.6% | XLU | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.45 | 0.21 | XLU | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.63 | 0.30 | XLU | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.19 | 0.03 | XLU | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,060 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, XLU and XOP 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 XOP on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
XLU and XOP do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. XLU follows Utilities Select Sector Index and XOP follows S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Select Industry 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 XLU returned −3.0% and XOP +62.5% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 65.5 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.
XOP
XOP tracks the S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +62.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. It sat 24.8% below its high of Jun 23, 2014 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, XLU or XOP?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, XLU returned −3.0% and XOP +62.5%.
- Which is cheaper, XLU or XOP?
- 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, XLU against XOP, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xlu-vs-xop
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). XLU against XOP. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xlu-vs-xop
[XLU against XOP (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/xlu-vs-xop)
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