IYH vs. XLV

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about iShares U.S. Healthcare ETF (IYH) and State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV).

IYH and XLV are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. IYH is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Health Care Index. It was launched on Jun 12, 2000. 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 IYH 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

IYH vs. XLV - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in iShares U.S. Healthcare ETF (IYH) and State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

IYH vs. XLV - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
IYH iShares U.S. Healthcare ETF	-4.28%	13.16%	2.99%	2.14%	-4.46%	23.41%	15.56%	20.80%	5.80%	22.27%
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

The year-to-date returns for both investments are quite close, with IYH having a -4.28% return and XLV slightly higher at -4.18%. Both investments have delivered pretty close results over the past 10 years, with IYH having a 9.51% annualized return and XLV not far ahead at 9.80%.

IYH

• 1D: 0.78%
• 1M: -5.70%
• YTD: -4.28%
• 6M: 3.41%
• 1Y: 5.26%
• 3Y*: 5.68%
• 5Y*: 5.52%
• 10Y*: 9.51%

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)

IYH vs. XLV - Expense Ratio Comparison

IYH has a 0.43% expense ratio, which is higher than XLV's 0.08% expense ratio.

IYH

iShares U.S. Healthcare ETF

XLV

State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF

Return for Risk

IYH vs. XLV — Risk / Return Rank

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

IYH

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

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.

IYH vs. XLV - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for iShares U.S. Healthcare ETF (IYH) 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.

	IYH	XLV	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.30	0.28	+0.02
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.53	0.51	+0.03
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.07	1.06	0.00
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.32	0.28	+0.04
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	0.68	0.58	+0.10
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

IYH vs. XLV - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current IYH Sharpe Ratio is 0.30, which is comparable to the XLV Sharpe Ratio of 0.28. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of IYH 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

	IYH	XLV	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.30	0.28	+0.02
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.38	0.45	-0.08
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.57	0.59	-0.02
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.43	0.46	-0.03

Correlation

The correlation between IYH and XLV is 0.90, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

IYH vs. XLV - Dividend Comparison

IYH's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.30%, less than XLV's 1.70% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
IYH iShares U.S. Healthcare ETF	1.30%	1.19%	1.25%	1.18%	1.10%	0.94%	1.16%	1.14%	1.95%	1.10%	1.29%	2.02%
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

IYH vs. XLV - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum IYH drawdown since its inception was -43.12%, which is greater than XLV's maximum drawdown of -39.17%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for IYH and XLV.

Drawdown Indicators

	IYH	XLV	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-43.12%	-39.17%	-3.95%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-10.52%	-10.76%	+0.24%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-17.91%	-17.11%	-0.80%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-28.40%	-28.40%	0.00%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-7.45%	-7.41%	-0.04%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-8.97%	-7.12%	-1.85%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	4.95%	5.11%	-0.16%

Volatility

IYH vs. XLV - Volatility Comparison

iShares U.S. Healthcare ETF (IYH) and State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) have volatilities of 4.91% and 4.79%, respectively, indicating that both stocks experience similar levels of price fluctuations. This suggests that the risk associated with both stocks, as measured by volatility, is nearly the same. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	IYH	XLV	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	4.91%	4.79%	+0.12%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	10.32%	10.29%	+0.03%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	17.95%	17.73%	+0.22%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	14.79%	14.56%	+0.23%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	16.70%	16.53%	+0.17%