State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF
$169.66−2.33 (−1.35%)
- 0.08%
- $44.3B
- +23.0%
- 1.48%
- 9.4M sh
- $170.81
- low $141.05high $176.60
The ETF.net XLV Grade
A
Score 84 out of 100
- 1 of 25
Score 84 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.A98 out of 100Rank 1 of 25Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A84 out of 100Rank 1 of 11Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.A73 out of 100Rank 6 of 24Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A99 out of 100Rank 1 of 25Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.D39 out of 100Rank 20 of 25Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A87 out of 100Rank 2 of 25
Our read on XLV
ALive since 1998, XLV is the original way to own health care: about 60 S&P 500 names, a 0.08% fee, and one of the busiest tickers in the sector. Big pharma and device makers, not small-cap biotech.
The fund seeks to track, before expenses, the price and yield performance of the Health Care Select Sector Index, which represents the health care sector of the S&P 500 Index.
Why people hold it
- 0.08% a year against a cohort median of 0.50%. That ties it with FHLC as the cheapest in the group and edges VHT at 0.09%.
- One of the most actively traded funds in its category, which generally keeps bid-ask spreads thin whether you trade 10 shares or 10,000.
- Launched December 1998 as one of the first US sector funds, and it has tracked its S&P 500 health care index closely ever since.
- Covers the whole sector in one line: pharma, devices, providers, biotech, life-science tools and health tech. Pays quarterly.ssga.com
Worth knowing
- Cap-weighted and about 60 names deep, so the largest drug and device makers carry most of the weight.ssga.com
- S&P 500 members only. Mid- and small-cap health care names sit outside the mandate.
- One sector, one set of headlines: drug pricing rules, patent expirations and policy shifts move the whole basket together.
XLV Holdings
- Stocks
- 64
- 60%
- LLY
Sectors
- Health Care99.3%
- Technology0.7%
Geography
- United States97.83%
- Ireland2.17%
XLV Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
XLV$12,304
Returns run to the Oct 12, 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.
| Period | XLV |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +12.5% |
| 1 month | +4.4% |
| 3 months | +7.3% |
| 1 year | +23.0% |
| 3 years | +11.8% |
| 5 years | +8.3% |
| 10 years | +11.2% |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | XLV |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +12.5% | |
| 2025 | +14.5% | |
| 2024 | +2.5% | |
| 2023 | +2.1% | |
| 2022 | −2.1% | |
| 2021 | +26.0% | |
| 2020 | +13.3% |
XLV in the news
Category Review
Health care funds trail the S&P 500 this year
XLV Dividends
- 1.48%
- $2.55
- $0.64 per share
- Quarterly
Distribution history
XLV Risk
- 14.1%
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.
- 0.51
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.
- −17.1%
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.
- 0.56
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
XLV Cost
0.08%
XLV0.08%
- The middle half of Health Care (Broad) funds
- Median 0.50%
No Health Care (Broad) fund charges less.
Other funds in Health Care (Broad)
- AFHLCFidelity MSCI Health Care Index ETFExpense ratio 0.08%1 year return +23.1%
- AVHTVanguard Health Care ETFExpense ratio 0.09%1 year return +23.1%
- AXHSState Street SPDR S&P Health Care Services ETFExpense ratio 0.35%1 year return +37.8%
- AIYHiShares U.S. Healthcare ETFExpense ratio 0.37%1 year return +22.7%
- BIXJiShares Global Healthcare ETFExpense ratio 0.38%1 year return +15.9%