Skip to content

State Street SPDR S&P Aerospace & Defense ETF

XARNYSE ArcaSPDRA

$231.09+3.72 (+1.64%)

At close: Nov 2, 2026, 4:00 PM ET

Intraday session: up, 79 prints from 227.37 to 231.09. Range 229.99 to 233.81. Use the arrow keys to read each point.230.00232.00234.0010 AM12 PM2 PM4 PM
Expense ratio
0.35%
Fund size
$5.3B
1Y total return
−8.4%
Yield · Last 12 months
0.18%
Holdings
51
Avg volume · 30D
293K sh
52W range
low $210.14high $297.79
Launched
Filings
SEC EDGAR

The ETF.net XAR Grade

Based on 5 of 6 pillars

A

Score 78 out of 100

Rank
1 of 26
Six-pillar profile for XAR. Scores out of 100: Cost 92, Risk 30, Mission not scored, Tradability 90, Holdings 87, Durability 93. Strongest: Durability (93). Weakest: Risk (30). Based on 5 of 6 pillars.

Score 78 of 100 falls in the A band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.

  • Cost

    The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.
    A92 out of 100
    Rank 1 of 26
  • Mission

    Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.
    Not scored
  • Risk

    How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.
    D30 out of 100
    Rank 22 of 26
  • Tradability

    How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.
    A90 out of 100
    Rank 3 of 26
  • Holdings

    How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.
    A87 out of 100
    Rank 2 of 26
  • Durability

    Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.
    A93 out of 100
    Rank 2 of 26

Our read on XAR

ETF.net Research

In short

AMost defense funds hand the wheel to a handful of giant primes. XAR spreads its roughly 50 aerospace and defense names close to equal weight, so a mid cap parts maker carries about the same load as a household-name contractor.

Stated mandate

The fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the total return performance of the S&P Aerospace & Defense Select Industry Index.

Why people hold it

  • Modified equal weighting keeps any single prime contractor from running the show: large, mid and small cap names carry similar weight in the index.ssga.com
  • Costs 0.35% a year, under the 0.50% typical of defense funds and a hair below ITA at 0.37%. Cheap for a targeted industry bet.
  • Trading since 2011 and now a multi-billion-dollar fund, it is one of the most established and best-built ways to own the US aerospace and defense industry.
  • About 50 US-listed aerospace and defense stocks pulled from the S&P Total Market Index, so suppliers and smaller specialists sit alongside the famous names.ssga.com

Worth knowing

  • One industry, tied to government budgets and order cycles. Expect bigger swings than a broad market fund.
  • Equal weighting leans on smaller suppliers, which cuts both ways: less of the fund rides the megacap primes when those lead.ssga.com
  • Distributions land quarterly, but this is an industry growth basket, not an income vehicle.

XAR Performance

Launched Sep 28, 2011

Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.

XAR$9,163
SPY tracks large US stocks. It provides market context, rather than representing this fund’s strategy, asset class or investment benchmark.$11,199
Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. XAR $9,163. SPY $11,199. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$9,000$10,000$11,000$12,000Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

Returns run to the Oct 30, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.

Trailing total return for XAR. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
PeriodXAR
Year to date−5.6%
1 month−1.7%
3 months−14.1%
1 year−8.4%
3 yearsper year+26.1%
5 yearsper year+14.3%
10 yearsper year+15.4%

With distributions reinvested.

Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.

Annual total returns for XAR
YearReturn barXAR
2026 YTD−5.6%
2025+46.1%
2024+23.3%
2023+23.8%
2022−5.0%
2021+2.3%
2020+6.2%

XAR in the news

XAR Dividends

Adds up every distribution paid per share over the last 12 months, divided by the last completed close. Distributions are counted by ex-date. Data through Oct 30, 2026.
0.18%Last 12 months
Payout per share
$0.42Last 12 months
Last payment
$0.13 per share
Paid on
Shares bought on or after this date do not qualify for this distribution.
Frequency
Quarterly

Distribution history

2017–2026

One bar per payment. 39 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 17, 2017 $0.13; Jun 16, 2017 $0.10; Sep 15, 2017 $0.31; Dec 15, 2017 $0.09; Mar 16, 2018 $0.12; Jun 15, 2018 $0.09; Sep 21, 2018 $0.59; Dec 24, 2018 $0.14; Mar 18, 2019 $0.16; Jun 24, 2019 $0.13; Sep 23, 2019 $0.40; Dec 23, 2019 $0.13; Mar 23, 2020 $0.43; Jun 22, 2020 $0.09; Sep 21, 2020 $0.09; Dec 21, 2020 $0.10; Mar 22, 2021 $0.65; Jun 21, 2021 $0.12; Sep 20, 2021 $0.09; Dec 20, 2021 $0.12; Mar 21, 2022 $0.13; Jun 21, 2022 $0.12; Sep 19, 2022 $0.20; Dec 19, 2022 $0.10; Mar 20, 2023 $0.12; Jun 20, 2023 $0.14; Sep 18, 2023 $0.12; Dec 18, 2023 $0.35; Mar 18, 2024 $0.16; Jun 24, 2024 $0.16; Sep 23, 2024 $0.21; Dec 23, 2024 $0.57; Mar 24, 2025 $0.19; Jun 23, 2025 $0.13; Sep 22, 2025 $0.52; Dec 22, 2025 $0.12; Mar 23, 2026 $0.11; Jun 22, 2026 $0.06; Sep 21, 2026 $0.13. Use the arrow keys to read each point.2017201820192020202120222023202420252026YTD
Ex-datePay dateAmount per share
Sep 21, 2026Sep 23, 2026$0.13
Jun 22, 2026Jun 24, 2026$0.06
Mar 23, 2026Mar 25, 2026$0.11
Dec 22, 2025Dec 24, 2025$0.12
Sep 22, 2025Sep 24, 2025$0.52
Jun 23, 2025Jun 25, 2025$0.13
Mar 24, 2025Mar 26, 2025$0.19
Dec 23, 2024Dec 26, 2024$0.57
Sep 23, 2024Sep 25, 2024$0.21
Jun 24, 2024Jun 26, 2024$0.16
Mar 18, 2024Mar 21, 2024$0.16
Dec 18, 2023Dec 21, 2023$0.35

See all 60 payments⁠

$10,000 in XAR 10 years ago paid $1,411 in dividends.⁠

XAR Risk

How much the fund’s monthly returns vary, scaled to a year.
23.1%
Annualised · 36 months to Oct 2026
How it’s calculated: standard deviation

The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.

Return above 3-month US Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
0.93
vs 3-month T-bills · to Oct 2026
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio

Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.

Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.

Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.

The largest fall from a peak to the low that followed.
−27.6%
Trough Sep 2022
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown

The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.

Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.

How strongly the fund’s returns move with its asset-class index.
1.26
vs its asset-class index
How it’s calculated: beta

The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.

FMP measures it over up to five years of monthly returns.

XAR Cost

Tied cheapest in Defense & Aerospace

$7,126

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • XAR 0.35%

    $7,126

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • XAR 0.35%
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2K$4K$6K$8K051015202530XAR $7,126

Year by year

YearXAR
10$634
20$2,454
30$7,126

Other funds in Defense & Aerospace