Is State Street SPDR S&P Pharmaceuticals ETF (XPH) a Strong ETF Right Now?

Core Insights - The State Street SPDR S&P Pharmaceuticals ETF (XPH) debuted on June 19, 2006, and provides broad exposure to the Health Care ETFs category [1] - The fund is designed to match the performance of the S&P Pharmaceuticals Select Industry Index, which represents the pharmaceuticals sub-industry of the S&P Total Markets Index [5][6] Fund Overview - The fund is sponsored by State Street Investment Management and has accumulated over $211.21 million in assets, categorizing it as an average-sized ETF in the Health Care sector [5] - The ETF has annual operating expenses of 0.35% and a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 0.92% [7] Sector Exposure and Holdings - The fund has a significant allocation to the Healthcare sector, representing 99.9% of the portfolio [8] - Crinetics Pharmaceuticals Inc (CRNX) constitutes approximately 3.31% of the fund's total assets, with the top 10 holdings accounting for about 29.03% of total assets under management [9] Performance Metrics - Year-to-date, the ETF has increased by approximately 28.24% and is up about 20.74% over the last 12 months as of November 27, 2025 [11] - The fund has a beta of 0.61 and a standard deviation of 18.96% over the trailing three-year period, indicating a higher risk profile [11] Alternatives - Other ETFs in the pharmaceuticals space include iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF (IHE) and VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF (PPH), with assets of $723.74 million and $1.2 billion respectively [13] - IHE has an expense ratio of 0.38% while PPH charges 0.36%, presenting alternatives for investors seeking lower-cost options [13]