XLI vs VIS Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
XLI and VIS both target industrials sector exposure but take different paths to get there — XLI via the Industrial Select Sector Index, and VIS via the MSCI US Investable Market Industrials Index. The practical differences come down to issuer, cost structure, and the specific index rules each fund follows, since both are pursuing a similar investment outcome.
XLI vs VIS is largely a question of which issuer and index methodology you trust more for industrials sector exposure — the underlying investment case is similar, so cost, liquidity, and tracking precision tend to be the deciding factors.
XLI holds the edge across 5 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. XLI has delivered stronger 1-year price return (+13.26% vs +13.04% for VIS).
- want concentrated large-cap industrial and defense exposure
- prefer State Street's approach and fund lineup
- value deep liquidity and tight spreads among sector funds
- are comfortable with cyclically tied to capital spending and economic growth
- want broader industrial-sector exposure beyond the mega-cap leaders
- prefer Vanguard's approach and fund lineup
- value lower expense ratio than the SPDR industrials fund
- are comfortable with thinner liquidity than XLI
| Metric | XLI | VIS |
|---|---|---|
| ETF scorei | 70.0 | 71.0 |
| Latest closei | $169.01 | $324.75 |
| 1M returni | -7.93% | -7.83% |
| 6M returni | +3.56% | +3.01% |
| 1Y returni | +13.26% | +13.04% |
The ETF score weights long-term returns and risk-adjusted performance most heavily, but still rewards low expense ratios, larger fund size, and broader diversification — so it can favor low-cost, broad, mega-cap funds over smaller thematic or actively-managed funds even when the latter have delivered stronger returns.
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | XLI | VIS |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $11.47K (+14.7%) started 2025-09-17 | $11.42K (+14.2%) started 2025-09-17 |
| 5Y ago | $19.64K (+96.4%) started 2021-09-17 | $19.31K (+93.1%) started 2021-09-17 |
| 10Y ago | $42.08K (+320.8%) started 2016-09-19 | $40.71K (+307.1%) started 2016-09-19 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | XLI | VIS |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratioi | 0.08% | 0.09% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $31.95B | $8.56B |
| Dividend yieldi | 1.18% | 0.92% |
| Trailing P/Ei | 27.44 | 27.23 |
| Betai | 0.99 | 1.06 |
| 52-week change | 13.26% | 13.04% |
| Metric | XLI | VIS |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y returni | +13.26% | +13.04% |
| 6M returni | +3.56% | +3.01% |
| 1M returni | -7.93% | -7.83% |
| 1Y Sharpe ratio | 0.55 | 0.52 |
| Betai | 0.99 | 1.06 |
| Dividend yieldi | 1.18% | 0.92% |
| 5Y CAGR | +12.68% | +12.55% |
Over the past year, XLI and VIS have moved strongly in the same direction (correlation of 0.99), based on daily returns.
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | XLI | VIS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growthi | +13.26% | +13.04% |
| CAGRi | +13.27% | +13.05% | |
| Volatilityi | 17.23% | 18.29% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.55 | 0.52 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.80 | 0.74 | |
| Max drawdowni | 12.21% | 12.29% | |
| Current drawdowni | 9.38% | 9.89% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 2.52% | 2.57% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 3.62% | 3.72% | |
| Max daily dropi | 3.38% | 3.38% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 4.45% | 4.64% | |
| 5Y | Growthi | +81.67% | +80.60% |
| CAGRi | +12.68% | +12.55% | |
| Volatilityi | 17.63% | 18.60% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.51 | 0.49 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.74 | 0.71 | |
| Max drawdowni | 21.64% | 22.96% | |
| Current drawdowni | 9.38% | 9.89% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 4.36% | 5.26% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 6.28% | 7.41% | |
| Max daily dropi | 6.29% | 5.72% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 11.68% | 11.69% | |
| 10Y | Growthi | +251.12% | +246.83% |
| CAGRi | +13.39% | +13.25% | |
| Volatilityi | 20.06% | 20.51% | |
| Sharpe ratioi | 0.50 | 0.49 | |
| Sortino ratioi | 0.71 | 0.69 | |
| Max drawdowni | 42.33% | 42.42% | |
| Current drawdowni | 9.38% | 9.89% | |
| Avg drawdowni | 4.78% | 5.22% | |
| Ulcer Indexi | 7.50% | 8.03% | |
| Max daily dropi | 11.34% | 11.46% | |
| Max wkly dropi | 20.13% | 20.62% |
| Category | XLI | VIS |
|---|---|---|
| Fund name | State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF | Vanguard Industrials Index Fund ETF Shares |
| Type | ETF | ETF |
| Expense ratioi | 0.08% | 0.09% |
| Total assets (AUM)i | $31.95B | $8.56B |
| Dividend yieldi | 1.18% | 0.92% |
- Deep liquidity and tight spreads among sector funds
- Diversified across aerospace, defense, and transportation
- Benefits from infrastructure and reshoring spending trends
- Lower expense ratio than the SPDR industrials fund
- More diversified beyond the largest industrial names
- Vanguard's low-cost indexing approach
- Cyclically tied to capital spending and economic growth
- Defense and airline sub-sectors can diverge sharply
- Concentration in the largest names within the sector
- Thinner liquidity than XLI
- Cyclicality is a sector-wide trait, not fund-specific
- Broader universe includes smaller, more volatile names
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