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VPUvsXLUETF Comparison

ETF 1

VPU

Vanguard Utilities ETF

This fund is part of

US Utilities

+0.89%

Full VPU fund page

VS

ETF 2

XLU

State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF

This fund is part of

US Utilities

+0.89%

Full XLU fund page

Vanguard Utilities ETF (VPU) and State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU) belong to the same industry segment: US Utilities. VPU's top 3 sector exposures are Utilities, Industrials and Energy. In contrast, XLU's top sector exposures are Utilities, VPU is more expensive with a Total Expense Ratio (TER) of 0.09%, versus 0.08% for XLU. VPU is up 9.93% year-to-date (YTD) with +$332M in YTD flows. XLU performs better with 10.3% YTD performance, and +$1.30B in YTD flows. Run a side-by-side ETF comparison of VPU and XLU below, and assess how they stack up in performance, liquidity, risk, exposure, holdings, and more, helping you select the best ETF for your investments.

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VPU vs XLU performance and flow charts

Performance

Cumulative Flows

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Daily, global ETF data for advanced analysis or integration into apps (API), from our partner Trackinsight.

Data Services

Historic performance and flows

Data as of 04/08/2026

		1M	3M	YTD	1Y	3Y	5Y
Perf.	VPU XLU	+0.60%+0.54%	+11.33%+12.13%	+9.93%+10.30%	+31.09%+31.60%	+46.25%+47.08%	+65.81%+67.68%
Flows	VPU XLU	+$185M+$610M	+$327M+$1.32B	+$332M+$1.30B	+$825M+$3.55B	+$1.46B+$3.85B	+$1.98B+$7.40B

Volatility and drawdown

		3M	1Y	3Y	5Y
Volatility	VPU XLU	+15.42%+15.73%	+14.51%+14.78%	+15.82%+16.14%	+17.07%+17.22%
Max drawdown	VPU XLU	-6.44%-6.51%	-8.87%-9.19%	-18.60%-18.42%	-25.15%-25.30%
Max drawdown duration	VPU XLU	38d38d	120d120d	373d373d	688d688d

Trading data

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	VPU	XLU
Last sale 4/9/2026 at 1:30 PM	$203.63	$47.15
Previous close 04/08/2026	$202.09	$46.78
Consolidated volume 04/08/2026
Average volume 30 days
Average discount or premium 30 days
Average Bid/Ask spread 30 days

Replication quality

Data as of March 31, 2026

1-year trailing difference

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	VPU	XLU
Tracking error
Tracking difference
1 year cumulative return difference
Best
Worst
Daily return difference
Average
Worst

Main metrics

Last update 4/9/2026 at 1:30 PM

Live

Closed

	VPU	XLU
Last price	$203.63	$47.15
1D performance	+0.76%	+0.79%
AuM	$8.92 B	$25.10 B
E/R	0.09%	0.08%

Characteristics

	VPU	XLU
Management strategy	Passive	Passive
Provider	Vanguard	SPDR
Benchmark	MSCI US IMI Utilities 25/50 Index	S&P Utilities Select Sector Index
N° of holdings	66	31
Asset class	Equities	Equities
Trailing 12m distribution yield	Join	Join
Inception date	January 26, 2004	December 16, 1998
ESG	No	No

More VPU data on Trackinsight

More XLU data on Trackinsight

Exposure

Countries

VPU

USA

99.16%

Other

0.84%

XLU

USA

99.53%

Other

0.47%

Sectors

VPU

Utilities

97.59%

Other

2.41%

XLU

Utilities

99.53%

Other

0.47%

Diversification

VPU

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

64.82%

XLU

Total weight of top 15 holdings out of 15

72.19%

Top 15 holdings

Data as of February 28, 2026

VPU

NEXTERA ENERGY

11.89%

SOUTHERN

6.35%

DUKE ENERGY

6.26%

CONSTELLATION ENERGY CORP

6.26%

AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER

4.40%

SEMPRA ENERGY

3.87%

VISTRA CORP

3.63%

DOMINION ENERGY

3.32%

XCEL ENERGY

3.04%

ENTERGY

2.95%

EXELON CORP

2.81%

PUBLIC SRVCE ENT

2.65%

PG&E

2.57%

CONSOLIDATED EDISON

2.50%

WEC ENERGY GROUP INC

2.34%

XLU

NEXTERA ENERGY

13.28%

SOUTHERN

7.29%

CONSTELLATION ENERGY CORP

7.01%

DUKE ENERGY

6.92%

AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER

4.87%

SEMPRA ENERGY

4.27%

VISTRA CORP

3.77%

DOMINION ENERGY

3.67%

EXELON CORP

3.37%

XCEL ENERGY

3.35%

ENTERGY

3.25%

PUBLIC SRVCE ENT

2.92%

PG&E

2.84%

CONSOLIDATED EDISON

2.76%

WEC ENERGY GROUP INC

2.59%

Frequently asked questions about VPU and XLU

How have the VPU and XLU ETFs performed in 2026?

As of April 8, 2026, VPU is up 9.93% year-to-date (YTD), while XLU has returned 10.3%. That puts XLU better performer ahead so far this year.

Which ETF is attracting more investor money: VPU or XLU?

Year-to-date, the VPU ETF saw +$332M in flows, compared to +$1.30B for XLU.

Which ETF is more volatile: VPU or XLU?

Over the past year, VPU had a volatility of 14.51%, while XLU experienced 14.78%.

Which ETF is bigger: VPU or XLU?

As of April 8, 2026, VPU holds $8.92 B in assets under management (AUM), while XLU manages $25.10 B.

What sectors do the VPU and XLU ETFs invest in?

VPU leans toward sectors like Utilities. Meanwhile, XLU focuses on Utilities.

What are the top holdings of the VPU ETF and XLU ETF?

VPU top holdings include NEXTERA ENERGY, SOUTHERN and DUKE ENERGY. XLU holds in its top three: NEXTERA ENERGY, SOUTHERN and CONSTELLATION ENERGY CORP.

Which ETF is more diversified: VPU or XLU?

VPU holds 67 securities with 64.82% of its assets in the top 15. XLU has 31 securities and a top 15 weight of 72.19%.

XLU

VPUvsXLUETF Comparison

Vanguard Utilities ETF

State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF

VPU vs XLU performance and flow charts

Performance

Cumulative Flows

Get all the metrics on this page, and more, through a reliable ETF data feed

Countries

Sectors

Diversification

Top 15 holdings

How have the VPU and XLU ETFs performed in 2026?

As of April 8, 2026, VPU is up 9.93% year-to-date (YTD), while XLU has returned 10.3%. That puts XLU better performer ahead so far this year.

Which ETF is attracting more investor money: VPU or XLU?

Year-to-date, the VPU ETF saw +$332M in flows, compared to +$1.30B for XLU.

Which ETF is more volatile: VPU or XLU?

Over the past year, VPU had a volatility of 14.51%, while XLU experienced 14.78%.

Which ETF is bigger: VPU or XLU?

As of April 8, 2026, VPU holds $8.92 B in assets under management (AUM), while XLU manages $25.10 B.

What sectors do the VPU and XLU ETFs invest in?

VPU leans toward sectors like Utilities. Meanwhile, XLU focuses on Utilities.

What are the top holdings of the VPU ETF and XLU ETF?

VPU top holdings include NEXTERA ENERGY, SOUTHERN and DUKE ENERGY. XLU holds in its top three: NEXTERA ENERGY, SOUTHERN and CONSTELLATION ENERGY CORP.

Which ETF is more diversified: VPU or XLU?

VPU holds 67 securities with 64.82% of its assets in the top 15. XLU has 31 securities and a top 15 weight of 72.19%.

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