LIVE
XLV
Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF · ETF - Broad Healthcare Sector
$149.40
+1.41% this month
VERSUS
⟷
COMPARE
IHI
iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF · ETF - Medical Devices Subsector
$49.07
-2.26% this month
Scoreboard verdict
Across expense ratio, momentum, yield, fund size, risk
XLV
5
IHI
0
Comparison scoreboard
XLV LEADS 5/5Exp. Ratio
XLV ✓0.08%
IHI 0.38%
1Y Return
XLV ✓+14.13%
IHI -18.18%
Div. Yield
XLV ✓1.68%
IHI 0.45%
AUM
XLV ✓$38.25B
IHI $2.99B
Beta
XLV ✓0.58
IHI 0.82
Metrics last refreshed: 6/20/2026
Quick take
XLV vs IHI Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
XLV (Health Care Select Sector SPDR) provides broad S&P 500 healthcare exposure across pharma, biotech, managed care, and devices at ultra-low cost, while IHI (iShares US Medical Devices) concentrates purely in medical device companies at higher cost. XLV is the standard broad healthcare allocation tool; IHI is a subsector bet on medical technology innovation and aging demographics driving surgical procedure demand.
XLV vs IHI is broad healthcare sector diversification (all S&P 500 healthcare subsectors at 0.09%) versus medical device subsector concentration (pure-play devices, robotics, and diagnostics at 0.40%) — the tradeoff between comprehensive healthcare coverage and targeted medical technology exposure.
Live analysis · updated 6/20/2026
XLV holds the edge across 5 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. XLV has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+14.13% vs -18.18% for IHI).
Normalized 1Y performance
XLV
IHI
Recent returns
XLV
IHI
Who should consider this stock?
XLV may suit investors who:
- →Want comprehensive healthcare sector exposure at ultra-low cost (0.09%) — pharmaceuticals, biotech, managed care, medical devices, and healthcare technology in one ETF
- →Value healthcare's defensive characteristics during economic slowdowns — healthcare spending is relatively inelastic and XLV provides broad sector diversification without overweighting any single healthcare subsector
- →Use XLV as a sector rotation tool or to overweight defensive sectors during market uncertainty without taking subsector concentration risk
IHI may suit investors who:
- →Want pure-play medical device and equipment exposure — concentrated in companies like Intuitive Surgical, Abbott, Medtronic, and Boston Scientific that benefit from aging demographics and surgical technology innovation
- →Value the aging population tailwind for elective procedures, cardiac devices, orthopedic implants, and diabetes monitoring devices that is more directly expressed in IHI than in broad XLV
- →Accept the higher expense ratio (0.40%) and subsector concentration risk in exchange for more targeted medical technology exposure without managed care or pharmaceutical company weights
Performance & AI score
| Metric | XLV | IHI |
|---|---|---|
| ETF score | 58.0 | 14.0 |
| Latest close | $149.40 | $49.07 |
| 1M return | +1.41% | -2.26% |
| 6M return | -2.04% | -21.04% |
| 1Y return | +14.13% | -18.18% |
$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | XLV | IHI |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $11.62K (+16.2%) started 2025-06-18 | $8.22K (-17.8%) started 2025-06-18 |
| 5Y ago | $14.22K (+42.2%) started 2021-06-18 | $8.78K (-12.2%) started 2021-06-18 |
| 10Y ago | $29.77K (+197.7%) started 2016-06-20 | $24.1K (+141.0%) started 2016-06-20 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
Fund characteristics
| Metric | XLV | IHI |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.08% | 0.38% |
| Total assets (AUM) | $38.25B | $2.99B |
| Dividend yield | 1.68% | 0.45% |
| Trailing P/E | 24.10 | 30.25 |
| Beta | 0.58 | 0.82 |
| 52-week change | 14.13% | -18.18% |
Risk & fund metrics
| Metric | XLV | IHI |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y return | +14.13% | -18.18% |
| 6M return | -2.04% | -21.04% |
| 1M return | +1.41% | -2.26% |
| 1Y Sharpe ratio | 0.66 | -1.32 |
| Beta | 0.58 | 0.82 |
| Dividend yield | 1.68% | 0.45% |
| 5Y CAGR | +5.53% | -3.01% |
Drawdown & downside risk
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
1Y risk snapshot
XLV max drawdown10.47%
IHI max drawdown26.11%
XLV max wkly drop4.68%
IHI max wkly drop5.71%
5Y risk snapshot
XLV max drawdown17.11%
IHI max drawdown33.12%
XLV max wkly drop8.36%
IHI max wkly drop10.41%
10Y risk snapshot
XLV max drawdown28.40%
IHI max drawdown33.25%
XLV max wkly drop13.20%
IHI max wkly drop13.64%
Performance metrics by period
| Period | Metric | XLV | IHI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | +14.13% | -18.18% |
| CAGR | +14.14% | -18.19% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.66 | -1.32 | |
| Max drawdown | 10.47% | 26.11% | |
| Max daily drop | 2.80% | 3.25% | |
| Max wkly drop | 4.68% | 5.71% | |
| 5Y | Growth | +30.86% | -14.15% |
| CAGR | +5.53% | -3.01% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.13 | -0.30 | |
| Max drawdown | 17.11% | 33.12% | |
| Max daily drop | 5.48% | 6.38% | |
| Max wkly drop | 8.36% | 10.41% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +149.43% | +131.14% |
| CAGR | +9.58% | +8.75% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.36 | 0.30 | |
| Max drawdown | 28.40% | 33.25% | |
| Max daily drop | 9.86% | 10.57% | |
| Max wkly drop | 13.20% | 13.64% |
Fund overview
| Category | XLV | IHI |
|---|---|---|
| Fund name | State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF | iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF |
| Type | ETF | ETF |
| Expense ratio | 0.08% | 0.38% |
| Total assets (AUM) | $38.25B | $2.99B |
| Dividend yield | 1.68% | 0.45% |
XLV strengths
- →Comprehensive healthcare sector coverage — XLV provides one-stop exposure to pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, healthcare services, and managed care in a single low-cost ETF
- →Ultra-low expense ratio (0.09%) from State Street makes XLV one of the cheapest sector ETFs available
- →Healthcare's defensive characteristics — drug and insurance demand is relatively inelastic to economic cycles, making XLV a common defensive allocation in equity portfolios
IHI strengths
- →Pure-play medical device exposure — IHI concentrates in the segment of healthcare most tied to surgical volume recovery post-COVID, elective procedure demand, and innovative device adoption (robotic surgery, minimally invasive)
- →Aging demographics are a powerful structural tailwind — orthopedic implants, cardiac devices, diabetes management, and diagnostic imaging demand grows with an aging population
- →Technology innovation within devices — Intuitive Surgical's robotic surgery, continuous glucose monitors (Abbott FreeStyle Libre), and structural heart devices represent high-growth subsegments within IHI
Risks to watch — XLV
- →Pharmaceutical and managed care concentration — top holdings in UnitedHealth, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, and AbbVie often represent 40%+ of XLV, concentrating exposure in a few companies
- →Drug pricing political risk affects the entire healthcare sector — any legislative action on pharmaceutical pricing, Medicare negotiation, or healthcare reform can impact XLV broadly
- →Large managed care components (UnitedHealth, Humana, CVS) behave differently from pharma and biotech — XLV's sector blend means subsector dynamics are mixed
Risks to watch — IHI
- →Higher expense ratio (0.40%) versus XLV's 0.09% — investors pay more for IHI's subsector concentration
- →Subsector volatility — IHI can be more volatile than broad XLV as it lacks the defensive buffer of managed care and pharmaceuticals during device-specific headwinds
- →Hospital procedure volume sensitivity — IHI companies rely on hospitals performing elective surgeries; COVID-era procedure deferrals significantly impacted medical device revenue in 2020
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