BBP vs. XLV

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Virtus LifeSci Biotech Products ETF (BBP) and State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV).

BBP and XLV are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. BBP is a passively managed fund by Virtus Investment Partners that tracks the performance of the LifeSci Biotechnology Products Index. It was launched on Dec 17, 2014. XLV is a passively managed fund by State Street that tracks the performance of the Health Care Select Sector Index. It was launched on Dec 16, 1998. Both BBP and XLV are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

BBP vs. XLV - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Virtus LifeSci Biotech Products ETF (BBP) and State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

BBP vs. XLV - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
BBP Virtus LifeSci Biotech Products ETF	4.77%	33.15%	3.32%	17.88%	0.85%	-8.17%	22.24%	24.73%	-13.95%	24.07%
XLV State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF	-4.18%	14.50%	2.47%	2.07%	-2.08%	26.04%	13.30%	20.45%	6.28%	21.77%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, BBP achieves a 4.77% return, which is significantly higher than XLV's -4.18% return. Over the past 10 years, BBP has outperformed XLV with an annualized return of 12.85%, while XLV has yielded a comparatively lower 9.80% annualized return.

BBP

• 1D: 0.80%
• 1M: -0.93%
• YTD: 4.77%
• 6M: 17.96%
• 1Y: 47.40%
• 3Y*: 19.33%
• 5Y*: 9.54%
• 10Y*: 12.85%

XLV

• 1D: 0.76%
• 1M: -6.43%
• YTD: -4.18%
• 6M: 3.83%
• 1Y: 4.90%
• 3Y*: 6.25%
• 5Y*: 6.59%
• 10Y*: 9.80%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

BBP vs. XLV - Expense Ratio Comparison

BBP has a 0.79% expense ratio, which is higher than XLV's 0.08% expense ratio.

BBP

Virtus LifeSci Biotech Products ETF

XLV

State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF

Return for Risk

BBP vs. XLV — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

BBP

BBP Risk / Return Rank: 85
BBP Sharpe Ratio Rank: 85
BBP Sortino Ratio Rank: 87
BBP Omega Ratio Rank: 77
BBP Calmar Ratio Rank: 90
BBP Martin Ratio Rank: 88

XLV

XLV Risk / Return Rank: 18
XLV Sharpe Ratio Rank: 19
XLV Sortino Ratio Rank: 18
XLV Omega Ratio Rank: 18
XLV Calmar Ratio Rank: 17
XLV Martin Ratio Rank: 16

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

BBP vs. XLV - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Virtus LifeSci Biotech Products ETF (BBP) and State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	BBP	XLV	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.78	0.28	+1.50
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.44	0.51	+1.94
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.30	1.06	+0.24
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	3.20	0.28	+2.93
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	11.83	0.58	+11.24
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

BBP vs. XLV - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current BBP Sharpe Ratio is 1.78, which is higher than the XLV Sharpe Ratio of 0.28. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of BBP and XLV, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	BBP	XLV	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.78	0.28	+1.50
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.37	0.45	-0.09
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.47	0.59	-0.13
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.40	0.46	-0.06

Correlation

The correlation between BBP and XLV is 0.61, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

BBP vs. XLV - Dividend Comparison

BBP has not paid dividends to shareholders, while XLV's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.70%.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
BBP Virtus LifeSci Biotech Products ETF	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.18%	0.00%	1.29%
XLV State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF	1.70%	1.60%	1.67%	1.59%	1.47%	1.33%	1.49%	2.17%	1.57%	1.47%	1.60%	1.43%

Drawdowns

BBP vs. XLV - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum BBP drawdown since its inception was -44.32%, which is greater than XLV's maximum drawdown of -39.17%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for BBP and XLV.

Drawdown Indicators

	BBP	XLV	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-44.32%	-39.17%	-5.15%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-13.38%	-10.76%	-2.62%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-38.28%	-17.11%	-21.17%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-44.32%	-28.40%	-15.92%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-3.12%	-7.41%	+4.29%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-12.16%	-7.12%	-5.04%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.62%	5.11%	-1.49%

Volatility

BBP vs. XLV - Volatility Comparison

Virtus LifeSci Biotech Products ETF (BBP) has a higher volatility of 10.64% compared to State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) at 4.79%. This indicates that BBP's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than XLV based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	BBP	XLV	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	10.64%	4.79%	+5.85%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	18.02%	10.29%	+7.73%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	27.02%	17.73%	+9.29%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	26.22%	14.56%	+11.66%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	27.51%	16.53%	+10.98%