ETF Versus

SPYG vs XLV

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF vs State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

SPYG SPDR

State Street SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 Growth ETF (SPYG) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. growth stocks with above-average earnings potential. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.04%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.54%. Launched in 2000, the fund has a 26-year track record.

AUM: $44.2B ER: 0.04% Yield: 0.54% Since: Sep 25, 2000
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

SPYG has a slightly lower expense ratio (0.04% vs 0.08%), saving about $80 per $10,000 over 10 years. Over the past year, SPYG has significantly outperformed with a 36.0% return vs 9.6%. Income investors may prefer XLV for its higher yield (1.7% vs 0.5%).

Key Metrics

Metric SPYG XLV
Expense Ratio 0.04% 0.08%
Dividend Yield 0.5% 1.7%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category US Large Cap Growth US Sector - Healthcare

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

80 101 122 143 164 185 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
SPYG +75.3%
XLV +25.2%

Performance Comparison

Period SPYG XLV Difference
1 Month +0.63% -3.26% +3.89%
3 Months -3.48% -6.04% +2.56%
6 Months -0.04% +4.17% -4.21%
YTD -2.09% -4.91% +2.82%
1 Year +35.95% +9.62% +26.33%
3 Years +88.56% +10.45% +78.11%
5 Years +75.34% +25.24% +50.10%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period SPYG Fees XLV Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $80 $159 $80
$10,000 20 years $344 $686 $342
$10,000 30 years $1,112 $2,212 $1,100
$50,000 10 years $399 $797 $398
$50,000 30 years $5,560 $11,061 $5,501
$100,000 30 years $11,121 $22,123 $11,002

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric SPYG XLV
Annualized Volatility 21.1% 14.6%
Max Drawdown -33.1% -18.1%
Sharpe Ratio 0.43 0.07

Dividend Comparison

Metric SPYG XLV
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.56 $2.51
Dividend Yield 0.54% 1.70%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

1 of top 9 holdings overlap (11% overlap in top holdings)

SPYG Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA14.49%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT9.10%
Apple Inc.AAPL6.22%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO5.44%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG4.82%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META4.39%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.75%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B2.88%
Eli Lilly and CompanyLLY2.47%

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 SPYG if...

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

Choose SPYG if...

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

Choose XLV if...

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

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