ETF Versus

SCHD vs XLK

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF vs State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

SCHD Schwab

Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Schwab that provides exposure to U.S. dividend-paying stocks selected for yield or dividend growth. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.06%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.44%. Launched in 2011, the fund has a 15-year track record.

AUM: $86.0B ER: 0.06% Yield: 3.44% Since: Oct 20, 2011
XLK SPDR

State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to us sector - technology securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.54%. Launched in 1998, the fund has a 28-year track record.

AUM: $90.3B ER: 0.08% Yield: 0.54% Since: Dec 16, 1998

Quick Verdict

SCHD has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.06% vs 0.08%), saving about $40 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, XLK has significantly outperformed with a 46.8% return vs 22.8%. Income investors may prefer SCHD for its higher yield (3.4% vs 0.5%).

Key Metrics

Metric SCHD XLK
Expense Ratio 0.06% 0.08%
Dividend Yield 3.4% 0.5%
Fund Family Schwab SPDR
Category US Dividend US Sector - Technology

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 107 134 161 188 215 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
SCHD +23.5%
XLK +102.2%

Performance Comparison

Period SCHD XLK Difference
1 Month -1.10% +1.60% -2.70%
3 Months +7.58% -2.80% +10.38%
6 Months +15.13% +0.06% +15.07%
YTD +10.57% -1.13% +11.70%
1 Year +22.79% +46.81% -24.02%
3 Years +25.07% +93.34% -68.27%
5 Years +23.53% +102.25% -78.72%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period SCHD Fees XLK Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $120 $159 $40
$10,000 20 years $515 $686 $171
$10,000 30 years $1,664 $2,212 $549
$50,000 10 years $598 $797 $199
$50,000 30 years $8,318 $11,061 $2,743
$100,000 30 years $16,637 $22,123 $5,486

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric SCHD XLK
Annualized Volatility 14.6% 24.7%
Max Drawdown -18.9% -34.0%
Sharpe Ratio 0.06 0.51

Dividend Comparison

Metric SCHD XLK
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.06 $0.77
Dividend Yield 3.44% 0.54%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 10 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

SCHD Top Holdings

NameWeight
Chevron CorporationCVX4.41%
ConocoPhillipsCOP4.28%
Merck & Co., Inc.MRK4.15%
The Coca-Cola CompanyKO4.08%
Texas Instruments IncorporatedTXN4.07%
UnitedHealth Group IncorporatedUNH3.98%
Verizon Communications Inc.VZ3.96%
PepsiCo, Inc.PEP3.95%
Abbott LaboratoriesABT3.73%
Amgen Inc.AMGN3.73%

XLK Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA15.30%
Apple Inc.AAPL13.10%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT9.49%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO5.76%
Micron Technology, Inc.MU3.96%
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.AMD3.22%
Cisco Systems, Inc.CSCO2.74%
Lam Research CorporationLRCX2.69%
Applied Materials, Inc.AMAT2.63%
Palantir Technologies Inc.PLTR2.49%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose SCHD if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose XLK if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Choose SCHD if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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