SPY vs XLU
State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust vs State Street Utilities 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 Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to us sector - utilities securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 2.51%. 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. SPY has edged ahead over the past year (29.6% vs 25.8%). Income investors may prefer XLU for its higher yield (2.5% 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% |
XLU Top Holdings
| Name | Weight |
|---|---|
| NextEra Energy, Inc.NEE | 13.52% |
| The Southern CompanySO | 7.38% |
| Duke Energy CorporationDUK | 7.06% |
| Constellation Energy CorporationCEG | 6.11% |
| American Electric Power Company, Inc.AEP | 5.02% |
| SempraSRE | 4.45% |
| Dominion Energy, Inc.D | 3.72% |
| Entergy CorporationETR | 3.57% |
| Exelon CorporationEXC | 3.47% |
| Vistra Corp.VST | 3.42% |
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 XLU if...
you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.