ETF Versus

XLC vs XLE

State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF vs State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

XLC SPDR

State Street Communication Services Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLC) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to us sector - communication securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.23%. Launched in 2018, the fund has a 8-year track record.

AUM: $24.6B ER: 0.08% Yield: 1.23% Since: Jun 18, 2018
XLE SPDR

State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to us sector - energy securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 2.62%. Launched in 1998, the fund has a 28-year track record.

AUM: $40.6B ER: 0.08% Yield: 2.62% Since: Dec 16, 1998

Quick Verdict

Over the past year, XLE has significantly outperformed with a 47.9% return vs 25.9%. Income investors may prefer XLE for its higher yield (2.6% vs 1.2%).

Key Metrics

Metric XLC XLE
Expense Ratio 0.08% 0.08%
Dividend Yield 1.2% 2.6%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category US Sector - Communication US Sector - Energy

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

55 96 137 178 219 260 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
XLC +48.7%
XLE +138.2%

Performance Comparison

Period XLC XLE Difference
1 Month -2.66% -0.09% -2.57%
3 Months -3.11% +22.85% -25.96%
6 Months +0.04% +31.81% -31.77%
YTD -2.57% +24.71% -27.28%
1 Year +25.85% +47.91% -22.06%
3 Years +94.19% +31.68% +62.51%
5 Years +48.66% +138.15% -89.49%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period XLC Fees XLE 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 XLC XLE
Annualized Volatility 20.7% 26.1%
Max Drawdown -47.2% -26.9%
Sharpe Ratio 0.27 0.63

Dividend Comparison

Metric XLC XLE
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.40 $1.49
Dividend Yield 1.23% 2.62%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 9 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

XLC Top Holdings

NameWeight
Meta Platforms, Inc.META13.83%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG6.65%
Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.LYV4.71%
Netflix, Inc.NFLX4.57%
The Walt Disney CompanyDIS4.50%
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.TTWO4.48%
EchoStar CorporationSATS4.47%
Omnicom Group Inc.OMC4.37%
Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.WBD4.35%

XLE Top Holdings

NameWeight
Exxon Mobil CorporationXOM23.09%
Chevron CorporationCVX17.03%
ConocoPhillipsCOP7.23%
SLB N.V.SLB4.33%
The Williams Companies, Inc.WMB4.30%
EOG Resources, Inc.EOG4.21%
Valero Energy CorporationVLO4.08%
Marathon Petroleum CorporationMPC3.82%
Phillips 66PSX3.78%
Kinder Morgan, Inc.KMI3.60%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose XLE if...

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

Choose XLE if...

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

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