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PSCU vs XLU

Invesco S&P SmallCap Utilities & Communication Services ETF

PSCUCNasdaq

State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF

XLUANYSE Arca

Overlap

Expense ratio

XLU −0.21pt a year

PSCU0.29%XLU0.08%

Avg volume · 30D

XLU 13659.3×the volume

PSCU1.75KXLU23.9M

10Y return · a year

XLU +4.1pt

PSCU+5.1%XLU+9.2%

PSCU vs XLU Performance

Oct 29, 2021 – Oct 30, 2026

−1.6%PSCU+50.7%XLU

Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. PSCU −1.6%. XLU +50.7%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−20%20%40%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026
Expense ratio
PSCU 0.29%
XLU 0.08%, better
Fund size
PSCU $17M
XLU $24.2B
1Y total return
PSCU +2.5%, better
XLU +0.3%
Yield (12M)
PSCU 0.85%
XLU 2.79%, better
Holdings
PSCU 37
XLU 34
Avg volume (30D)
PSCU 1.75K sh
XLU 23.9M sh, better
NAV per share
PSCU $60.63
XLU $43.15
52W range

ETF.net Grade

PSCU: Cost 57, Risk 42, Mission not scored, Tradability 20, Holdings 56, Durability 47. XLU: Cost 90, Risk 39, Mission 87, Tradability 90, Holdings 36, Durability 76.
Pillar letters and Scores for PSCU, XLU, with each pillar’s weight
PillarPSCUXLU
Cost30% weightB57A90Higher
Mission25% weightNot scoredA87
Risk15% weightC42HigherD39
Tradability15% weightF20A90Higher
Holdings10% weightB56HigherD36
Durability5% weightC47A76Higher

Rank among Utilities (Broad) funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. PSCU and XLU are both graded against the same 10 Utilities (Broad) funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Utilities (Broad)⁠

Category · 10 funds
See all 10 ›

XLU ranks 1st and PSCU 7th of 10 funds in the Utilities (Broad) Category.

  1. Rank 1AFUTYFidelity MSCI Utilities Index ETFScore 75
  2. Rank 1AXLUState Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETFScore 75
  3. Rank 3BVPUVanguard Utilities ETFScore 66
  4. Rank 6CRSPUInvesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Utilities ETFScore 54
  5. Rank 7CPSCUInvesco S&P SmallCap Utilities & Communication Services ETFScore 45
  6. Rank 8CFXUFirst Trust Utilities AlphaDEX FundScore 41

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

PSCUCInvesco S&P SmallCap Utilities & Communication Services ETF

XLUAState Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF

In short

PSCU Most utilities ETFs are a parking lot for mega-cap power giants. PSCU goes small instead: an index of roughly 40 small-cap US utility and communication-services companies, at a below-median fee.

XLU One of the original sector ETFs (1998), XLU is the plain way to own the S&P 500's utilities: roughly 30 electric, gas and water names, eight basis points a year, and one of the deepest trading markets in the category.

Stated mandate

PSCU The fund tracks an index measuring the performance of securities from US utility companies and communication-services companies.

XLU The fund seeks to track, before expenses, the price and yield performance of the Utilities Select Sector Index.

Why people hold it

  • PSCU Charges 0.29% a year, under the 0.37% median for broad utilities funds.
  • Rare mandate: small-cap US utilities plus communication services in one index, a corner the big sector funds barely reach.
  • Live since 2010 as a plain 1940 Act index fund. No leverage, no derivatives overlay, no swaps.
  • Pays distributions quarterly.
  • XLU 0.08% a year, against a utilities-fund median closer to 0.37%. Only FUTY matches it; VPU sits a basis point behind.
  • Among the most actively traded funds in its category, with a market that has been running since 1998.
  • A straight index build: it holds the utilities slice of the S&P 500 and tracks that index closely. Pays quarterly.ssga.com
  • Cheap, liquid and tightly run, it stands among the strongest implementations in the broad utilities group.

Worth knowing

  • PSCU Thinly traded with a small asset base. Spreads and order size can cost more than the expense ratio.
  • Two sectors, small caps only, about 40 names. It can move very differently from mega-cap utility funds like XLU or VPU.
  • The cheapest broad utilities funds sit near 0.08%, so the small-cap tilt is what you are paying the extra for.
  • XLU About 30 names, all S&P 500 members. The largest utilities carry real weight, and mid and small caps sit outside the mandate; FUTY and VPU cast a wider net.ssga.com
  • One sector, one country. It moves with US utilities rather than the broad market, and that concentration cuts both ways.
  • Cash lands quarterly, not monthly, which matters if you are timing income.

Full PSCU profile⁠

Full XLU profile⁠

PSCU vs XLU Holdings

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

PSCU vs XLU Cost

Overpaying PSCU vs XLU

$4,263

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

  • PSCU 0.29%

    $5,952

  • XLU 0.08%

    $1,689

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • PSCU 0.29%
  • XLU 0.08%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2K$4K$6K051015202530PSCU $5,952XLU $1,689

Year by year

YearPSCUXLUOverpaying
10$527$147$380
20$2,044$575$1,469
30$5,952$1,689$4,263

Expense ratio

  • 0.29%PSCU
  • 0.08%XLU, cheaper
  • Middle half of Utilities (Broad) funds
  • Median 0.33%

XLU cheapest of 10 funds

PSCU 5th cheapest of 10 funds

PSCU vs XLU Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
PSCU 0.85%
XLU 2.79%, better
Payout (12M)
PSCU $0.51
XLU $1.21
Last payment
PSCU $0.14
XLU $0.30
Ex-dividend
PSCU Sep 21, 2026
XLU Sep 21, 2026
Paid on
PSCU Sep 25, 2026
XLU Sep 23, 2026
Frequency
PSCU Quarterly
XLU Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

PSCUQuarterly · 37 paymentsAll PSCU payments⁠
One bar per payment. 37 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Sep 18, 2017 $0.12; Dec 18, 2017 $0.86; Mar 19, 2018 $0.04; Jun 18, 2018 $0.35; Sep 24, 2018 $0.42; Dec 24, 2018 $0.35; Mar 18, 2019 $0.17; Jun 24, 2019 $0.30; Sep 23, 2019 $0.27; Dec 23, 2019 $0.56; Mar 23, 2020 $0.10; Jun 22, 2020 $0.19; Sep 21, 2020 $0.19; Dec 21, 2020 $0.17; Mar 22, 2021 $0.18; Jun 21, 2021 $0.11; Sep 20, 2021 $0.69; Dec 20, 2021 $0.85; Mar 21, 2022 $0.12; Jun 21, 2022 $0.27; Sep 19, 2022 $0.27; Dec 19, 2022 $0.26; Mar 20, 2023 $0.19; Jun 20, 2023 $0.02; Sep 18, 2023 $0.38; Dec 18, 2023 $0.27; Mar 18, 2024 $0.12; Jun 24, 2024 $0.01; Sep 23, 2024 $0.20; Dec 23, 2024 $0.25; Mar 24, 2025 $0.11; Jun 23, 2025 $0.03; Sep 22, 2025 $0.26; Dec 22, 2025 $0.23; Mar 23, 2026 $0.12; Jun 22, 2026 $0.03; Sep 21, 2026 $0.14. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$12017202020232026YTD
XLUQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll XLU payments⁠
One bar per payment. 39 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 17, 2017 $0.19; Jun 16, 2017 $0.22; Sep 15, 2017 $0.21; Dec 15, 2017 $0.26; Mar 16, 2018 $0.19; Jun 15, 2018 $0.22; Sep 21, 2018 $0.24; Dec 21, 2018 $0.23; Mar 15, 2019 $0.22; Jun 21, 2019 $0.24; Sep 20, 2019 $0.25; Dec 20, 2019 $0.25; Mar 23, 2020 $0.24; Jun 22, 2020 $0.24; Sep 21, 2020 $0.25; Dec 21, 2020 $0.26; Mar 22, 2021 $0.23; Jun 21, 2021 $0.25; Sep 20, 2021 $0.25; Dec 20, 2021 $0.27; Mar 21, 2022 $0.23; Jun 21, 2022 $0.26; Sep 19, 2022 $0.25; Dec 19, 2022 $0.29; Mar 20, 2023 $0.24; Jun 20, 2023 $0.27; Sep 18, 2023 $0.26; Dec 18, 2023 $0.30; Mar 18, 2024 $0.26; Jun 24, 2024 $0.28; Sep 23, 2024 $0.27; Dec 23, 2024 $0.31; Mar 24, 2025 $0.28; Jun 23, 2025 $0.28; Sep 22, 2025 $0.28; Dec 22, 2025 $0.32; Mar 23, 2026 $0.31; Jun 22, 2026 $0.28; Sep 21, 2026 $0.30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$12017202020232026YTD

PSCU vs XLU Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

  • PSCU
  • XLU
Oct 29, 2021 to Oct 30, 2026. Worst fall: PSCU −30.0% · Oct 2023. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−30%−20%−10%0%Oct 2021Apr 2024Oct 2026

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
PSCU 15.5%, betterXLU 16.0%
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
PSCU 0.34XLU 0.77, better
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
PSCU −30.0%XLU −25.3%, better
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
PSCU 0.64XLU 0.49

PSCU and XLU in the news

All news⁠

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