ETF Versus

XLE vs XLRE

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

Last updated: 2026-04-10

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
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, XLE has significantly outperformed with a 47.9% return vs 11.5%. Income investors may prefer XLRE for its higher yield (3.3% vs 2.6%).

Key Metrics

Metric XLE XLRE
Expense Ratio 0.08% 0.08%
Dividend Yield 2.6% 3.3%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category US Sector - Energy US Sector - Real Estate

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

75 112 149 186 223 260 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
XLE +138.2%
XLRE +5.4%

Performance Comparison

Period XLE XLRE Difference
1 Month -0.09% +0.90% -0.99%
3 Months +22.85% +5.34% +17.51%
6 Months +31.81% +4.60% +27.21%
YTD +24.71% +5.97% +18.74%
1 Year +47.91% +11.49% +36.42%
3 Years +31.68% +14.20% +17.48%
5 Years +138.15% +5.45% +132.70%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period XLE 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 XLE XLRE
Annualized Volatility 26.1% 19.1%
Max Drawdown -26.9% -37.9%
Sharpe Ratio 0.63 -0.08

Dividend Comparison

Metric XLE XLRE
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.49 $1.40
Dividend Yield 2.62% 3.27%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

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

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%

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 XLE 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.

Related Comparisons