ETF Versus

XLF vs XLP

State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF vs State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF

Last updated: 2026-04-10

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
XLP SPDR

State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to us sector - consumer staples securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 2.63%. Launched in 1998, the fund has a 28-year track record.

AUM: $14.5B ER: 0.08% Yield: 2.63% Since: Dec 16, 1998

Quick Verdict

Over the past year, XLF has significantly outperformed with a 10.4% return vs 4.3%. Income investors may prefer XLP for its higher yield (2.6% vs 1.6%).

Key Metrics

Metric XLF XLP
Expense Ratio 0.08% 0.08%
Dividend Yield 1.6% 2.6%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category US Sector - Financials US Sector - Consumer Staples

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

85 100 115 130 145 160 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
XLF +43.5%
XLP +19.4%

Performance Comparison

Period XLF XLP Difference
1 Month +2.07% -2.20% +4.27%
3 Months -8.36% +3.17% -11.53%
6 Months -3.78% +6.28% -10.06%
YTD -7.76% +6.48% -14.24%
1 Year +10.37% +4.25% +6.12%
3 Years +56.68% +9.45% +47.23%
5 Years +43.54% +19.39% +24.15%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period XLF Fees XLP 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 XLF XLP
Annualized Volatility 18.7% 13.2%
Max Drawdown -26.9% -17.8%
Sharpe Ratio 0.24 -0.01

Dividend Comparison

Metric XLF XLP
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.79 $2.18
Dividend Yield 1.56% 2.63%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

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

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%

XLP Top Holdings

NameWeight
Walmart Inc.WMT12.01%
Costco Wholesale CorporationCOST9.72%
The Procter & Gamble CompanyPG7.23%
The Coca-Cola CompanyKO6.42%
Philip Morris International Inc.PM5.32%
Mondelez International, Inc.MDLZ4.79%
Altria Group, Inc.MO4.57%
PepsiCo, Inc.PEP4.57%
Colgate-Palmolive CompanyCL4.31%
Target CorporationTGT3.70%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose XLF if...

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

Choose XLP if...

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

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