QUAL vs XLC Overlap
QUAL is an equity ETF from IShares, while XLC is a communication services ETF from SPDR. QUAL and XLC show limited overlap, with an estimated weighted overlap of 10.09%. They share 6 holdings in the loaded dataset, led by META, NFLX, and GOOGL.
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Quick Answer
QUAL is an equity ETF from IShares, while XLC is a communication services ETF from SPDR. QUAL and XLC show limited overlap, with an estimated weighted overlap of 10.09%. They share 6 holdings in the loaded dataset, led by META, NFLX, and GOOGL.
- 10.09% weighted overlap across 6 shared holdings.
- The top three shared holdings explain 80.21% of the measured overlap.
- QUAL is the broader fund, while XLC is more targeted.
- The overlap is mostly explained by the top shared positions rather than sector labels alone.
- Holding both can still add materially different exposure.
Data Freshness
- QUAL holdings
- Mar 12, 2026
- XLC holdings
- Mar 12, 2026
- Overlap computed
- Mar 15, 2026
- Data source
- Financial Modeling Prep
Review the methodology for the overlap formula and refresh policy.
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About These ETFs
What Stands Out In This Comparison
What This Means
QUAL is an equity ETF from IShares, while XLC is a communication services ETF from SPDR. QUAL and XLC do not own much of the same portfolio weight. That usually means you are combining different parts of the market, with only a small amount of duplication through names like META, NFLX, and GOOGL.
How They Differ
QUAL is an equity ETF from IShares, while XLC is a communication services ETF from SPDR. QUAL is the broader fund, while XLC is the more targeted sleeve. XLC has the lower expense ratio, while QUAL charges more for its exposure.
What Drives The Overlap
The overlap is driven by a relatively small set of large shared positions. The top three shared holdings account for 80.21% of the score, which means the result is heavily influenced by the biggest common weights rather than a long tail of tiny positions.
When One May Fit Better
If you want the broader portfolio building block, QUAL is usually the wider choice. If you want the more focused tilt, XLC is the narrower expression. XLC has the lower expense ratio, while QUAL charges more for its exposure.
Overlap Driver Snapshot
Concentration
The top three shared holdings explain 80.21% of the full overlap score.
That helps show whether the score comes from a handful of giant shared positions or from a broader mix of common holdings.
Shared Sector Tilt
Sector tags are not consistently available for the biggest shared positions in this dataset, so this comparison leans more on the specific holdings than on sector labels.
Top Shared Holdings
These are the holdings contributing the most to the overlap score between QUAL and XLC.
| Holding | Name | QUAL Wt. | XLC Wt. | Overlap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| META | META PLATFORMS INC CLASS A | 3.87% | 19.71% | 3.87% |
| NFLX | NETFLIX INC | 2.14% | 5.68% | 2.14% |
| GOOGL | ALPHABET INC CLASS A | 2.09% | 10.51% | 2.09% |
| GOOG | ALPHABET INC CLASS C | 1.76% | 8.39% | 1.76% |
| EA | ELECTRONIC ARTS INC | 0.19% | 4.40% | 0.19% |
| OMC | OMNICOM GROUP INC | 0.06% | 3.31% | 0.06% |
Why These ETFs Overlap
QUAL is an equity ETF from IShares, while XLC is a communication services ETF from SPDR. The overlap exists because both funds allocate meaningful weight to the same holdings. In this dataset, the biggest shared drivers are META, NFLX, and GOOGL, which appear in both portfolios and push the overlap score higher.
Holding both QUAL and XLC can make sense if you want exposure to different sleeves of the market. The overlap is small enough that both funds may still improve diversification.
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Frequently Asked Questions About QUAL and XLC
What is the overlap between QUAL and XLC?+
How many holdings do QUAL and XLC share?+
Is the QUAL and XLC overlap high?+
Why do QUAL and XLC overlap?+
Which ETF is broader, QUAL or XLC?+
How Overlap Is Calculated
A straightforward approach used by portfolio analysts.
For every stock that appears in both ETFs, we take the smaller of the two weights. Adding up all those minimums gives the total overlap percentage. A score of 100% means the two ETFs hold the exact same stocks in the same proportions.
Want the full explanation? Read the methodology page.