ETF Versus

XLF vs XLRE

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

XLRE has edged ahead over the past year (11.5% vs 10.4%). Income investors may prefer XLRE for its higher yield (3.3% vs 1.6%).

Key Metrics

Metric XLF XLRE
Expense Ratio 0.08% 0.08%
Dividend Yield 1.6% 3.3%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category US Sector - Financials US Sector - Real Estate

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

75 92 109 126 143 160 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
XLF +43.5%
XLRE +5.4%

Performance Comparison

Period XLF XLRE Difference
1 Month +2.07% +0.90% +1.17%
3 Months -8.36% +5.34% -13.70%
6 Months -3.78% +4.60% -8.38%
YTD -7.76% +5.97% -13.73%
1 Year +10.37% +11.49% -1.12%
3 Years +56.68% +14.20% +42.48%
5 Years +43.54% +5.45% +38.09%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period XLF 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 XLF XLRE
Annualized Volatility 18.7% 19.1%
Max Drawdown -26.9% -37.9%
Sharpe Ratio 0.24 -0.08

Dividend Comparison

Metric XLF XLRE
Annual Dividend (per share) $0.79 $1.40
Dividend Yield 1.56% 3.27%
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%

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 XLRE if...

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

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