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Should You Invest in the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE)?
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Looking for broad exposure to the Energy - Broad segment of the equity market? You should consider the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on December 16, 1998.
Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.
Investor-friendly, sector ETFs provide many options to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Energy - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 1, placing it in top 6%.
Index Details
The fund is sponsored by State Street Investment Management. It has amassed assets over $38.42 billion, making it the largest ETF attempting to match the performance of the Energy - Broad segment of the equity market. XLE seeks to match the performance of the Energy Select Sector Index before fees and expenses.
The Energy Select Sector Index includes companies from the following industries: oil, gas & consumable fuels and energy equipment & services.
Costs
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts, other things remaining the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.08%, making it the least expensive product in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.71%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Energy sector -- about 100% of the portfolio.
Looking at individual holdings, Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM) accounts for about 23.57% of total assets, followed by Chevron Corp (CVX) and Conocophillips (COP).
Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF has added about 24.03% so far, and it's up approximately 38.8% over the last 12 months (as of 04/21/2026). XLE has traded between $40.25 and $62.56 in this past 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 0.50 and standard deviation of 21.14% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 25 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, XLE is an outstanding option for investors seeking exposure to the Energy ETFs segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
iShares Global Energy ETF (IXC) tracks S&P Global 1200 Energy Sector Index and the Vanguard Energy Index Fund ETF Shares (VDE) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Energy 25/50 Index. iShares Global Energy ETF has $2.69 billion in assets, Vanguard Energy Index Fund ETF Shares has $9.78 billion. IXC has an expense ratio of 0.4%, and VDE charges 0.09%.
Bottom Line
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.
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Should You Invest in the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE)?
Looking for broad exposure to the Energy - Broad segment of the equity market? You should consider the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE - Free Report) , a passively managed exchange traded fund launched on December 16, 1998.
Retail and institutional investors increasingly turn to passively managed ETFs because they offer low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency; these kind of funds are also excellent vehicles for long term investors.
Investor-friendly, sector ETFs provide many options to gain low risk and diversified exposure to a broad group of companies in particular sectors. Energy - Broad is one of the 16 broad Zacks sectors within the Zacks Industry classification. It is currently ranked 1, placing it in top 6%.
Index Details
The fund is sponsored by State Street Investment Management. It has amassed assets over $38.42 billion, making it the largest ETF attempting to match the performance of the Energy - Broad segment of the equity market. XLE seeks to match the performance of the Energy Select Sector Index before fees and expenses.
The Energy Select Sector Index includes companies from the following industries: oil, gas & consumable fuels and energy equipment & services.
Costs
Expense ratios are an important factor in the return of an ETF and in the long term, cheaper funds can significantly outperform their more expensive counterparts, other things remaining the same.
Annual operating expenses for this ETF are 0.08%, making it the least expensive product in the space.
It has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 2.71%.
Sector Exposure and Top Holdings
Even though ETFs offer diversified exposure which minimizes single stock risk, it is still important to look into a fund's holdings before investing. Luckily, most ETFs are very transparent products that disclose their holdings on a daily basis.
This ETF has heaviest allocation in the Energy sector -- about 100% of the portfolio.
Looking at individual holdings, Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM) accounts for about 23.57% of total assets, followed by Chevron Corp (CVX) and Conocophillips (COP).Performance and Risk
Year-to-date, the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF has added about 24.03% so far, and it's up approximately 38.8% over the last 12 months (as of 04/21/2026). XLE has traded between $40.25 and $62.56 in this past 52-week period.
The ETF has a beta of 0.50 and standard deviation of 21.14% for the trailing three-year period, making it a high risk choice in the space. With about 25 holdings, it has more concentrated exposure than peers.
Alternatives
State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on expected asset class return, expense ratio, and momentum, among other factors. Because of this, XLE is an outstanding option for investors seeking exposure to the Energy ETFs segment of the market. There are other additional ETFs in the space that investors could consider as well.
iShares Global Energy ETF (IXC) tracks S&P Global 1200 Energy Sector Index and the Vanguard Energy Index Fund ETF Shares (VDE) tracks MSCI US Investable Market Energy 25/50 Index. iShares Global Energy ETF has $2.69 billion in assets, Vanguard Energy Index Fund ETF Shares has $9.78 billion. IXC has an expense ratio of 0.4%, and VDE charges 0.09%.
Bottom Line
To learn more about this product and other ETFs, screen for products that match your investment objectives and read articles on latest developments in the ETF investing universe, please visit Zacks ETF Center.