ETF Versus

SPYD vs XLF

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF vs State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

SPYD SPDR

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 High Dividend ETF (SPYD) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to U.S. dividend-paying stocks selected for yield or dividend growth. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.07%. The fund offers a high dividend yield of 4.33%. Launched in 2015, the fund has a 11-year track record.

AUM: $7.1B ER: 0.07% Yield: 4.33% Since: Oct 21, 2015
XLF SPDR

State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to us sector - financials securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.56%. Launched in 1998, the fund has a 28-year track record.

AUM: $50.3B ER: 0.08% Yield: 1.56% Since: Dec 16, 1998

Quick Verdict

Both funds have nearly identical expense ratios (0.07% vs 0.08%), so fees are not a differentiator here. SPYD has edged ahead over the past year (15.3% vs 10.4%). Income investors may prefer SPYD for its higher yield (4.3% vs 1.6%).

Key Metrics

Metric SPYD XLF
Expense Ratio 0.07% 0.08%
Dividend Yield 4.3% 1.6%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category US Dividend US Sector - Financials

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 96 112 128 144 160 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
SPYD +17.3%
XLF +43.5%

Performance Comparison

Period SPYD XLF Difference
1 Month -0.44% +2.07% -2.51%
3 Months +3.93% -8.36% +12.29%
6 Months +6.95% -3.78% +10.73%
YTD +5.33% -7.76% +13.09%
1 Year +15.30% +10.37% +4.93%
3 Years +19.97% +56.68% -36.71%
5 Years +17.27% +43.54% -26.27%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period SPYD Fees XLF Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $140 $159 $20
$10,000 20 years $600 $686 $85
$10,000 30 years $1,938 $2,212 $274
$50,000 10 years $698 $797 $99
$50,000 30 years $9,692 $11,061 $1,370
$100,000 30 years $19,383 $22,123 $2,739

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric SPYD XLF
Annualized Volatility 16.5% 18.7%
Max Drawdown -27.4% -26.9%
Sharpe Ratio 0.00 0.24

Dividend Comparison

Metric SPYD XLF
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.99 $0.79
Dividend Yield 4.33% 1.56%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

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

SPYD Top Holdings

NameWeight
APA CorporationAPA1.78%
LyondellBasell Industries N.V.LYB1.75%
Dow Inc.DOW1.69%
EOG Resources, Inc.EOG1.57%
Edison InternationalEIX1.50%
Verizon Communications Inc.VZ1.49%
Phillips 66PSX1.45%
AT&T Inc.T1.42%
Target CorporationTGT1.42%
Chevron CorporationCVX1.41%

XLF Top Holdings

NameWeight
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B12.15%
JPMorgan Chase & Co.JPM11.42%
Visa Inc.V7.08%
Mastercard IncorporatedMA5.60%
Bank of America CorporationBAC4.77%
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.GS3.70%
Wells Fargo & CompanyWFC3.63%
Citigroup Inc.C2.98%
Morgan StanleyMS2.93%
American Express CompanyAXP2.32%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose SPYD if...

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

Choose SPYD if...

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

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