XLV vs. IHE

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

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

XLV and IHE are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. 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. IHE is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the Dow Jones U.S. Select Pharmaceuticals Index. It was launched on May 5, 2006. Both XLV and IHE 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

XLV vs. IHE - Performance Comparison

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

XLV vs. IHE - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
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%
IHE iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF	3.70%	31.69%	8.13%	1.06%	-4.87%	13.07%	13.66%	15.47%	-7.76%	10.64%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, XLV achieves a -4.18% return, which is significantly lower than IHE's 3.70% return. Over the past 10 years, XLV has outperformed IHE with an annualized return of 9.80%, while IHE has yielded a comparatively lower 8.20% annualized return.

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%

IHE

• 1D: 1.15%
• 1M: -3.66%
• YTD: 3.70%
• 6M: 18.16%
• 1Y: 32.13%
• 3Y*: 16.43%
• 5Y*: 10.17%
• 10Y*: 8.20%

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

XLV vs. IHE - Expense Ratio Comparison

XLV has a 0.08% expense ratio, which is lower than IHE's 0.42% expense ratio.

IHE

iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF

XLV

State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF

Return for Risk

XLV vs. IHE — Risk / Return Rank

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

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

IHE

IHE Risk / Return Rank: 78
IHE Sharpe Ratio Rank: 81
IHE Sortino Ratio Rank: 81
IHE Omega Ratio Rank: 75
IHE Calmar Ratio Rank: 83
IHE Martin Ratio Rank: 72

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.

XLV vs. IHE - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) and iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF (IHE). 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.

	XLV	IHE	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.28	1.59	-1.31
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.51	2.20	-1.69
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.06	1.29	-0.23
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.28	2.52	-2.24
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	0.58	7.93	-7.34
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

XLV vs. IHE - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current XLV Sharpe Ratio is 0.28, which is lower than the IHE Sharpe Ratio of 1.59. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of XLV and IHE, 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

	XLV	IHE	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.28	1.59	-1.31
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.45	0.64	-0.19
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.59	0.45	+0.14
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.46	0.50	-0.04

Correlation

The correlation between XLV and IHE is 0.86, 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

XLV vs. IHE - Dividend Comparison

XLV's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 1.70%, which matches IHE's 1.70% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
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%
IHE iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF	1.70%	1.76%	1.73%	1.39%	2.01%	1.49%	1.19%	1.40%	1.25%	1.36%	0.92%	1.93%

Drawdowns

XLV vs. IHE - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum XLV drawdown since its inception was -39.17%, roughly equal to the maximum IHE drawdown of -38.20%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for XLV and IHE.

Drawdown Indicators

	XLV	IHE	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-39.17%	-38.20%	-0.97%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-10.76%	-10.58%	-0.18%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-17.11%	-16.03%	-1.08%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-28.40%	-29.59%	+1.19%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-7.41%	-4.22%	-3.19%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-7.12%	-7.95%	+0.83%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	5.11%	3.36%	+1.75%

Volatility

XLV vs. IHE - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) is 4.79%, while iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF (IHE) has a volatility of 5.91%. This indicates that XLV experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than IHE based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	XLV	IHE	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	4.79%	5.91%	-1.12%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	10.29%	12.12%	-1.83%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	17.73%	20.70%	-2.97%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	14.56%	15.95%	-1.39%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	16.53%	18.11%	-1.58%