ETF Versus

XLP vs XLU

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

Last updated: 2026-04-10

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
XLU SPDR

State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to us sector - utilities securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 2.51%. Launched in 1998, the fund has a 28-year track record.

AUM: $25.1B ER: 0.08% Yield: 2.51% Since: Dec 16, 1998

Quick Verdict

Over the past year, XLU has significantly outperformed with a 25.8% return vs 4.3%.

Key Metrics

Metric XLP XLU
Expense Ratio 0.08% 0.08%
Dividend Yield 2.6% 2.5%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category US Sector - Consumer Staples US Sector - Utilities

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

85 98 111 124 137 150 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
XLP +19.4%
XLU +46.2%

Performance Comparison

Period XLP XLU Difference
1 Month -2.20% +2.70% -4.90%
3 Months +3.17% +11.36% -8.19%
6 Months +6.28% +4.33% +1.95%
YTD +6.48% +9.81% -3.33%
1 Year +4.25% +25.77% -21.52%
3 Years +9.45% +36.00% -26.55%
5 Years +19.39% +46.16% -26.77%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period XLP Fees XLU 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 XLP XLU
Annualized Volatility 13.2% 17.2%
Max Drawdown -17.8% -28.1%
Sharpe Ratio -0.01 0.27

Dividend Comparison

Metric XLP XLU
Annual Dividend (per share) $2.18 $1.19
Dividend Yield 2.63% 2.51%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

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

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%

XLU Top Holdings

NameWeight
NextEra Energy, Inc.NEE13.52%
The Southern CompanySO7.38%
Duke Energy CorporationDUK7.06%
Constellation Energy CorporationCEG6.11%
American Electric Power Company, Inc.AEP5.02%
SempraSRE4.45%
Dominion Energy, Inc.D3.72%
Entergy CorporationETR3.57%
Exelon CorporationEXC3.47%
Vistra Corp.VST3.42%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose XLU if...

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

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