ETF Versus

SPSM vs XLV

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 600 Small Cap ETF vs State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

SPSM SPDR

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 600 Small Cap ETF (SPSM) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to small-cap U.S. equities with higher growth potential and volatility. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.52%. Launched in 2013, the fund has a 13-year track record.

AUM: $14.6B ER: 0.03% Yield: 1.52% Since: Jul 8, 2013
XLV SPDR

State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to us sector - healthcare securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.70%. Launched in 1998, the fund has a 28-year track record.

AUM: $39.2B ER: 0.08% Yield: 1.70% Since: Dec 16, 1998

Quick Verdict

SPSM has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.03% vs 0.08%), saving about $99 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, SPSM has significantly outperformed with a 37.6% return vs 9.6%.

Key Metrics

Metric SPSM XLV
Expense Ratio 0.03% 0.08%
Dividend Yield 1.5% 1.7%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category US Small Cap US Sector - Healthcare

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

75 87 99 111 123 135 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
SPSM +18.5%
XLV +25.2%

Performance Comparison

Period SPSM XLV Difference
1 Month +4.27% -3.26% +7.53%
3 Months +2.71% -6.04% +8.75%
6 Months +11.44% +4.17% +7.27%
YTD +7.01% -4.91% +11.92%
1 Year +37.58% +9.62% +27.96%
3 Years +34.97% +10.45% +24.52%
5 Years +18.48% +25.24% -6.76%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period SPSM Fees XLV Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $60 $159 $99
$10,000 20 years $258 $686 $427
$10,000 30 years $835 $2,212 $1,377
$50,000 10 years $299 $797 $497
$50,000 30 years $4,176 $11,061 $6,886
$100,000 30 years $8,352 $22,123 $13,771

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric SPSM XLV
Annualized Volatility 21.5% 14.6%
Max Drawdown -28.7% -18.1%
Sharpe Ratio 0.06 0.07

Dividend Comparison

Metric SPSM XLV
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.77 $2.51
Dividend Yield 1.52% 1.70%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

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

SPSM Top Holdings

NameWeight
Viavi Solutions Inc.VIAV0.60%
FormFactor, Inc.FORM0.57%
Eastman Chemical CompanyEMN0.53%
Primoris Services CorporationPRIM0.53%
Element Solutions IncESI0.53%
Argan, Inc.AGX0.51%
Semtech CorporationSMTC0.51%
ESCO Technologies Inc.ESE0.50%
Match Group, Inc.MTCH0.49%
Viasat, Inc.VSAT0.48%

XLV Top Holdings

NameWeight
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY14.06%
Johnson & JohnsonJNJ10.80%
AbbVie Inc.ABBV6.97%
Merck & Co., Inc.MRK5.66%
UnitedHealth Group IncorporatedUNH5.16%
Amgen Inc.AMGN3.56%
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.TMO3.49%
Abbott LaboratoriesABT3.32%
Gilead Sciences, Inc.GILD3.27%
Intuitive Surgical, Inc.ISRG3.00%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose SPSM if...

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

Choose SPSM if...

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

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