XLV vs PBE: A Tale of Two ETFs in the US Pharma Market
The State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) and the Invesco Biotechnology & Genome ETF (PBE) offer investors two different approaches to accessing the US pharmaceutical market. XLV provides broad exposure to the S&P 500 healthcare sector at a low cost, while PBE targets a concentrated niche of biotechnology companies using a quantitative approach.
XLV holds 60 holdings, all classified as healthcare stocks, with its largest positions including Eli Lilly & Co (LLY), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), and AbbVie (ABBV). In contrast, PBE holds 30 US firms leading the way in genomic engineering and biotechnology research, with its largest positions including Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX), Biogen Inc (BIIB), and Amgen Inc (AMGN).
PBE has been outperforming XLV in recent months due to its preference for small-cap stocks, which are currently experiencing a strong year. Over the past three years, PBE returned an annualized 13%, compared to 7.9% for XLV.
However, XLV beats PBE in the 5-year and 10-year look-backs, returning 6.4% and 10.1% respectively to XLV’s 4% and 8.4% 5- and 10-year annualized returns. The choice between these two ETFs ultimately comes down to balancing broad sector stability against the high-growth potential of a specific industry.