ETF Versus

XLB vs XLRE

State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF vs State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

XLB SPDR

State Street Materials Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLB) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to us sector - materials securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.68%. Launched in 1998, the fund has a 28-year track record.

AUM: $7.0B ER: 0.08% Yield: 1.68% Since: Dec 16, 1998
XLRE SPDR

State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to us sector - real estate securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.27%. Launched in 2015, the fund has a 11-year track record.

AUM: $7.5B ER: 0.08% Yield: 3.27% Since: Oct 7, 2015

Quick Verdict

Over the past year, XLB has significantly outperformed with a 32.9% return vs 11.5%. Income investors may prefer XLRE for its higher yield (3.3% vs 1.7%).

Key Metrics

Metric XLB XLRE
Expense Ratio 0.08% 0.08%
Dividend Yield 1.7% 3.3%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category US Sector - Materials US Sector - Real Estate

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
XLB +29.3%
XLRE +5.4%

Performance Comparison

Period XLB XLRE Difference
1 Month +4.22% +0.90% +3.32%
3 Months +7.06% +5.34% +1.72%
6 Months +17.75% +4.60% +13.15%
YTD +12.63% +5.97% +6.66%
1 Year +32.89% +11.49% +21.40%
3 Years +28.85% +14.20% +14.65%
5 Years +29.33% +5.45% +23.88%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period XLB Fees XLRE Fees You Save
$10,000 10 years $159 $159 $0
$10,000 20 years $686 $686 $0
$10,000 30 years $2,212 $2,212 $0
$50,000 10 years $797 $797 $0
$50,000 30 years $11,061 $11,061 $0
$100,000 30 years $22,123 $22,123 $0

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric XLB XLRE
Annualized Volatility 18.9% 19.1%
Max Drawdown -25.7% -37.9%
Sharpe Ratio 0.13 -0.08

Dividend Comparison

Metric XLB XLRE
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.87 $1.40
Dividend Yield 1.68% 3.27%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

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

XLB Top Holdings

NameWeight
Linde plcLIN14.06%
Newmont CorporationNEM7.76%
Freeport-McMoRan Inc.FCX5.63%
CRH plcCRH4.72%
Vulcan Materials CompanyVMC4.68%
The Sherwin-Williams CompanySHW4.66%
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.APD4.60%
Corteva, Inc.CTVA4.60%
Nucor CorporationNUE4.57%
Martin Marietta Materials, Inc.MLM4.50%

XLRE Top Holdings

NameWeight
Welltower Inc.WELL10.17%
Prologis, Inc.PLD9.10%
Equinix, Inc.EQIX7.12%
American Tower CorporationAMT5.87%
Digital Realty Trust, Inc.DLR4.60%
Simon Property Group, Inc.SPG4.58%
CBRE Group, Inc.CBRE4.53%
Ventas, Inc.VTR4.36%
Realty Income CorporationO4.35%
Public StoragePSA4.33%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose XLB if...

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

Choose XLRE if...

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

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