Key facts, as of
As of October 8, 2026, Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) trades at $168.81, up 17.0% over the past year. Its 52-week range runs from $141.05 to $176.60; the price is 4.4% below that high. It is 4.4% below its all-time high of $176.60, reached in August 2026. Over the 10 years to the end of September 2026, with dividends reinvested, it returned +176.1%, against +312.9% for the S&P 500 (SPY). It sits 7.6% above its 200-day average of $156.91, the usual sign of a long-term uptrend. Its 30-day volatility is 10.8% annualized, which we rate low risk. It has a trailing P/E of 30.1.
Cite: Portfolio Terminal, "Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) stock analysis", 2026-10-08. https://portfolio-terminal.com/analyse/xlv
Where it trades today
trading 78% of the way up its 52-week range
How the price has moved
How far it is from its record
Health Care Select Sector SPDR (XLV) is 4.4% below its all-time high of $176.60, reached in August 2026. Over the 10 years to the end of September 2026, with dividends reinvested, it returned +176.1%, against +312.9% for the S&P 500 (SPY).
What to weigh before acting
What Matters Now
- The real question is what role this fund should play in allocation construction, not whether one short-term move looks attractive.
- XLV trades at 30.1x earnings, well above the etf average of 20.0x, so the market is already pricing in above-consensus execution.
- Recent realized volatility sits near 10.8%, below the sector norm of 18.0%, which supports a steadier role inside a diversified portfolio.
- Relative performance versus SPY, QQQ, IWM matters here because leadership inside etf rarely stays static for long.
Portfolio Use Case
- XLV fits best as a benchmark or core allocation building block rather than as a thesis that depends on single-company execution.
- The risk profile looks balanced enough for a diversified core-plus portfolio, provided the position size reflects sector concentration.
- This page is most useful for deciding whether the stock deserves a permanent slot in the portfolio or just a place on the watchlist.
What Would Change the View
- A reset in earnings expectations or a faster peer catch-up could compress the premium valuation currently embedded in XLV.
- There is little income cushion here, so total return depends mainly on price appreciation and execution staying on track.
- The view would need revisiting if peers such as SPY, QQQ, IWM start winning the marginal flow or posting cleaner operating momentum.
Methodology
- Price, market cap, beta, yield, and liquidity fields for XLV come from Yahoo Finance quote and summary data.
- 30-day volatility is calculated from recent daily returns and annualized using a 252-trading-day convention.
- Sector context uses stored benchmark averages for ETF so each page compares the ticker against a stable peer baseline rather than against the whole market.
- Peer comparisons use the Portfolio Terminal coverage set and highlight nearby listed alternatives such as SPY, QQQ, IWM.
Sources
- Yahoo Finance quote dataopen →
Live quote, valuation, beta, yield, and volume fields used for XLV. Last refresh: Oct 8, 2026, 10:10 AM.
- Portfolio Terminal methodologyopen →
Explains how analytics, refresh cadence, and portfolio interpretation work across the product.
- Peer set and coverage context
Comparative context for this page is anchored around nearby tracked names such as SPY, QQQ, IWM.
What this fund is
In seeking to track the performance of the index, the fund employs a replication strategy. It generally invests substantially all, but at least 95%, of its total assets in the securities comprising the index. The index includes companies from the following industries: pharmaceuticals; health care equipment & supplies; health care providers & services; biotechnology; life sciences tools & services; and health care technology. The fund is non-diversified.
At 0.08% a year, $10,000 left for 30 years at 7% before fees would end $1,806 lower than with no fee, counting what the fee would have earned. Compare it with other funds
What the fund owns
Top 10 Holdings
Sector Allocation
How it sits in etf
Exchange-traded funds offering diversified exposure to various markets and strategies.
The companies it competes with
XLV beside the etf names it is usually measured against.
What the chart is saying
In an uptrend, 4.4% under its 1-year high with no resistance above.
uptrend- Price is 0.0% above its 50-day average and 7.6% above its 200-day.
- The 50-day crossed above the 200-day on 2026-07-08 (a “golden cross”).
- RSI at 51 is neither stretched nor washed out.
- Nothing above has stopped it this year; the nearest floor is $164.91 (-2.3%).
A description of the chart, not advice. Indicators describe what the price has done; none of them knows what it does next.
Questions people ask about it
Is XLV a good investment in 2026?
Health Care Select Sector SPDR trades at a P/E ratio of 30.1, with low volatility (10.8% annualized). The stock is in a consolidation phase.
What is the risk level of XLV?
Based on 30-day volatility of 10.8%, XLV has LOW risk.
Does XLV pay dividends?
Health Care Select Sector SPDR currently does not pay a regular dividend.
How far is XLV from its all-time high?
Health Care Select Sector SPDR is 4.4% below its all-time high of $176.60, reached in August 2026. Over the 10 years to the end of September 2026, with dividends reinvested, it returned +176.1%, against +312.9% for the S&P 500 (SPY).
Compare XLV with anything
Five years side by side: what $10,000 became, how far each fell, whether they move together.