ETF Versus

XLU vs XLY

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

Last updated: 2026-04-10

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
XLY SPDR

State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) is an exchange-traded fund issued by SPDR that provides exposure to us sector - consumer discretionary securities. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.08%. The fund offers a modest dividend yield of 0.79%. Launched in 1998, the fund has a 28-year track record.

AUM: $21.3B ER: 0.08% Yield: 0.79% Since: Dec 16, 1998

Quick Verdict

Over the past year, XLU has significantly outperformed with a 25.8% return vs 19.8%. Income investors may prefer XLU for its higher yield (2.5% vs 0.8%).

Key Metrics

Metric XLU XLY
Expense Ratio 0.08% 0.08%
Dividend Yield 2.5% 0.8%
Fund Family SPDR SPDR
Category US Sector - Utilities US Sector - Consumer Discretionary

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

70 86 102 118 134 150 2021-04 2022-07 2023-10 2025-01 2026-04
XLU +46.2%
XLY +27.1%

Performance Comparison

Period XLU XLY Difference
1 Month +2.70% -1.36% +4.06%
3 Months +11.36% -9.58% +20.94%
6 Months +4.33% -3.72% +8.05%
YTD +9.81% -4.87% +14.68%
1 Year +25.77% +19.84% +5.93%
3 Years +36.00% +54.44% -18.44%
5 Years +46.16% +27.14% +19.02%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period XLU Fees XLY 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 XLU XLY
Annualized Volatility 17.2% 23.7%
Max Drawdown -28.1% -40.3%
Sharpe Ratio 0.27 0.13

Dividend Comparison

Metric XLU XLY
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.19 $0.89
Dividend Yield 2.51% 0.79%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

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

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%

XLY Top Holdings

NameWeight
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN24.60%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA17.23%
The Home Depot, Inc.HD5.97%
The TJX Companies, Inc.TJX4.40%
McDonald's CorporationMCD4.37%
Booking Holdings Inc.BKNG3.57%
Lowe's Companies, Inc.LOW3.35%
Starbucks CorporationSBUX2.71%
O'Reilly Automotive, Inc.ORLY1.92%
Marriott International, Inc.MAR1.88%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose XLU if...

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

Choose XLU if...

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

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