SPY vs XLP
State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust vs State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF
Last updated: 2026-04-10
State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. equities across growth and value styles. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.09%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.09%. Launched in 1993, the fund has a 33-year track record.
State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to us sector - consumer staples securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 2.63%. Launched in 1998, the fund has a 28-year track record.
Quick Verdict
Both funds have nearly identical expense ratios (0.08% vs 0.09%), so fees are not a differentiator here. Over the past year, SPY has significantly outperformed with a 29.6% return vs 4.3%. Income investors may prefer XLP for its higher yield (2.6% vs 1.1%).
Key Metrics
Performance Chart
Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)
Performance Comparison
Fee Impact Over Time
Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns
Risk Metrics
Based on 5 years of daily returns
Dividend Comparison
Top Holdings
0 of top 9 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)
SPY Top Holdings
| Name | Weight |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA CorporationNVDA | 7.61% |
| Apple Inc.AAPL | 6.54% |
| Microsoft CorporationMSFT | 4.78% |
| Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN | 3.72% |
| Broadcom Inc.AVGO | 2.86% |
| Alphabet Inc.GOOG | 2.53% |
| Meta Platforms, Inc.META | 2.31% |
| Tesla, Inc.TSLA | 1.66% |
| Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B | 1.51% |
XLP Top Holdings
| Name | Weight |
|---|---|
| Walmart Inc.WMT | 12.01% |
| Costco Wholesale CorporationCOST | 9.72% |
| The Procter & Gamble CompanyPG | 7.23% |
| The Coca-Cola CompanyKO | 6.42% |
| Philip Morris International Inc.PM | 5.32% |
| Mondelez International, Inc.MDLZ | 4.79% |
| Altria Group, Inc.MO | 4.57% |
| PepsiCo, Inc.PEP | 4.57% |
| Colgate-Palmolive CompanyCL | 4.31% |
| Target CorporationTGT | 3.70% |
Which One Should You Choose?
Choose SPY if...
recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.
Choose XLP if...
you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.