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Recent Asset Class PerformanceBespoke Investment Group • Sun, May 12
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Unlike QE1 And QE2, Utilities Are Not Underperforming After QE3Qineqt • Tue, Oct 2, 2012
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Utilities: Summer's Safe HavenTodd Campbell • Tue, Jun 26, 2012
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Utilities ETFs Outperforming On Stability, DividendsTom Lydon • Tue, Jun 12, 2012
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Wednesday's ETF To Watch: Utilities Select Sector SPDRJared Cummans • Wed, Jan 25, 2012
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Recent Asset Class PerformanceBespoke Investment Group • Sun, May 12
There are no Transcripts on XLU.
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at MarketWatch.com (May 13, 2013)
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at CNBC.com (May 13, 2013)
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at MarketWatch.com (May 5, 2013)
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at MarketWatch.com (Apr 30, 2013)
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at MarketWatch.com (Apr 16, 2013)
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at CNBC.com (Apr 12, 2013)
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at CNBC.com (Apr 5, 2013)
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at CNBC.com (Apr 4, 2013)
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at MarketWatch.com (Apr 2, 2013)
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at MarketWatch.com (Apr 2, 2013)
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at CNBC.com (Mar 5, 2013)
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at CNBC.com (Feb 11, 2013)
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at CNBC.com (Jan 17, 2013)
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at MarketWatch.com (Jan 4, 2013)
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at MarketWatch.com (Dec 6, 2012)
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at CNBC.com (Nov 27, 2012)
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at MarketWatch.com (Oct 11, 2012)
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at MarketWatch.com (Aug 7, 2012)
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at MarketWatch.com (Aug 6, 2012)
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at MarketWatch.com (Aug 6, 2012)
XLU vs. ETF Alternatives
XLU Description
The Utilities Select Sector SPDR® Fund, before expenses, seeks to closely match the returns and characteristics of the Utilities Select Sector Index. Our approach is designed to provide portfolios with low portfolio turnover, accurate tracking, and lower costs.
See more details on sponsor's website
See more details on sponsor's website
Sector: Utilities
Country: United States
Key Info
- In Your Portfolio: A Guide to Sector ETFs, Utilities ETFs
- Asset Class Performance: Sectors
- All
- | Earnings
- | Dividends
- | M&A
- | On the move
- Thursday, May 23, 12:50 PM The defensive utility sector (XLU -1%) isn’t looking very safe at the moment, as the break below the 50-day moving average suggests further weakness in the days ahead. Technician Ralph Acampora sees the break as a short-term sell for the Dow Jones Utility index but also a longer-term positive for the broader market as investors rotate out of defensive sectors and into more economically sensitive stocks. 1 Comment [Energy, Quick Ideas]
- Monday, May 13, 2:13 PM Defensive stocks such as utilities (XLU -0.4%), which have led this year’s market surge, are fading, and investors should consider cyclical sectors such as tech and energy for long-term value, BlackRock's Russ Koesterich recommends. The utilities sector is overpriced and probably has more room to fall, but investors starved for yields should look at dividend-paying companies from outside the U.S. Comment! [Energy, Tech]
- Thursday, May 9, 12:12 PM Stocks recover from early losses, returning to about unchanged in the noon hour. Notably lower today is the utility sector (XLU -1.2%) which is used to outperforming, but not this month. Ahead of the S&P 500 by about 700 basis points at the start of May, the XLU is now even with the broader market for the year. 3 Comments
- Monday, May 6, 7:27 AM The S&P 500 (SPY) is fairly valued, says Goldman, but opportunity lies in cyclicals (XLY, XLE, XLI, XLB) which are more undervalued vs. defensives (XLU, XLP, XLV, XTL) than at any time in the last 15 years. "Given the 4 P/E multiple point head start, even a slight valuation normalization should translate into outperformance of cyclicals over defensives during the next 12 months." 1 Comment
- Friday, May 3, 12:54 PM Stocks remain sharply higher midday (SPY +1.2%), with the year's leaders - healthcare (XLV +0.7%), utilities (XLU +0.2%), and staples (XLP +0.7%) - lagging, and the year's laggers - industrials (XLI +2.1%), tech (XLK +1.1%), and energy (XLE +1.9%) - leading. Treasurys (TLT -2.1%) are suffering one of their worst days of the year, and broader fixed income (AGG -0.3%). 1 Comment
- Monday, April 29, 12:13 PM "Which has a higher P/E - Procter & Gamble (PG) or Google (GOOG)," asks the WSJ's Tom Lauricella. Enthusiasm for anything with yield has driven the P-E ratios of dividend payers (DVY) like P&G maybe way too high. Techs (XLK) with double-digit earnings growth, no debt, and massive cash balances trade at 12x, says MFS' James Swanson, while a utility (XLU) in Ohio is at 16x. "How far do you go with this game?" "Pretty far," says Templeton's Donald Taylor. "The macro environment (causing this) is not at all likely to change anytime soon." 7 Comments [Quick Ideas]
- Thursday, April 4, 6:30 PM The big year for utility funds is pretty much over, ISI predicts, expecting regulated utilities to post a flat total return for the balance of 2013. Even though the Utilities ETF (XLU) has another 13% to go before matching its 2007 high, ISI views the group’s valuation at nearly 16x next year’s earnings, its exposure to a change in interest rates and its big outperformance YTD as key reasons to stay away. 3 Comments [Energy, Quick Ideas]
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Thursday, March 28, 5:25 PM
The week's ETF movers - Gainers: GAZ +3.9%. OIL +3.7%. USO +3.4%. EWY +2.9%. XLU +2.3%.
ETF Losers: TAN -4.5%. VXX -3.2%. REMX -3.1%. PSLV -1.8%. GDXJ -1.5%. Comment! [On the Move] - Friday, March 15, 10:12 AM Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU) announces quarterly distribution of $0.3289. 30-day SEC yield of 3.73% (as of 03/14/2013). For shareholders of record Mar. 19. Payable Mar. 25. Ex-div date Mar. 15. Comment! [Dividends]
- Tuesday, March 12, 9:48 AM The trailing P/E ratio on the S&P 500 (SPY) has creeped up to 15.25 from just above 13 late last spring, writes Bespoke. There's nothing unusual about rising valuations during rallies, they say, but keep it on your radar. Contributing most of late to rising multiples have been Staples (XLP) and Discretionary (XLY), but dividend favorites Telecoms (XTL) and Utilities (XLU) continue to trade at nosebleed (for them) valuations. 3 Comments
- Friday, March 8, 2:59 PM A check of sector performance YTD finds financials (XLF), consumer discretionary (XLY), healthcare (XLV), consumer staples (XLP), energy (XLE), and industrials (XLI) all ahead of SPY's 9% gain. Utilities (XLU) are lagging just a bit, but the biggest drag is tech (XLK), up 4.9%. Not bad considering Apple's 19% decline. Comment!
- Thursday, February 7, 2:50 PM Exelon's (EXC) dividend cut is a bad sign for income investors, Paul Ausick writes, citing the forces that led EXC's move which exert a similar power over other utilities: higher depreciation and amortization expenses due to added capital spending, and a variety of costs - warmer weather, low electricity demand, tighter emission regulations - over which they have little or no control. 12 Comments [Energy]
- Thursday, January 24, 1:31 PM A look at the relative strength of S&P 500 sectors vs. the overall average over the past year finds 3 - Consumer Discretionary (XLY), Financials (XLF), and Health Care (XLV) outperforming. Big outperformers a few months back, Telecom (IYZ) and Utilities (XLU) now trail. Underperforming badly not long ago, Energy (XLE) and Industrials (XLI) claw their way back. 2 Comments
- Wednesday, January 16, 4:33 PM Tech (XLK) is the new defensive sector, its 14.8 PE ratio continuing to trail traditional cautious plays like telecom (IST), consumer staples (XLP), and utilities (XLU). At a lofty 22 PE ratio, telecom leads all S&P sectors - it's a pretty fancy multiple for a slow-growth sector, but investors are attracted by the lofty yield. The S&P (SPY) as a whole has creeped up to a 14.8 ratio. 2 Comments
- Tuesday, January 8, 3:29 PM Vanguard's recent expense reduction means 9 of its 10 sector ETFs are now the cheapest available to U.S. investors. With an annual expense ratio of just 0.14%, VOX, VPU, VCR, VDC, VDE, VHT, VIS, VGT, and VAW stack up favorably vs. the 0.18% charged by State Street's Sector SPDRs (XLU, XLY, XLP, XLE, XLF, XLV, XLK, XLI, XLB and XTL which charges 0.35%) and the 0.47%-0.48% iShares sector ETFs (RXI, KXI, IYE, IYF, IYZ, IYH, IDU, IYW, IYM, IYJ) charge. At 0.19%, Vanguard Financials (VFH) is still slightly more expensive than the Financial SPDR (XLF). 2 Comments
- Sunday, January 6, 8:56 AM While the preferred stock (PFF) led the income pack in 2012 with a total return of 18.2%, the current risk-reward profile isn't great, says Barclays' Shobhit Gupta, with the upside capped by the issuer call option, and significant downside if rates rise. One overlooked class for investors: Convertible Bonds (CWB). Barron's overview of the income sector. 26 Comments [Quick Ideas]
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Ryan Mallory
Evening Tape: Fed Rumors Scare, Bank & Utilities Drag http://bit.ly/131F4XK $SPY $XLF $XLU - View all 0 replies
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Clayton Rulli
$XLU has been great to me this year.... did well on $ED wish I bought more. Upset I didn't buy more $EPD on the dip below 50! - View all 0 replies
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ONeil Trader
Is this the beginning of a correction? http://goo.gl/BnIyu $SPY $IWM $XLF $XLU $TLT $EEM - View all 0 replies
LATEST REPLIES
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Sir. Monaco: interesting read, whats your read on the trend in the oils? manufacturing increasing and using more natty-gas and oils, etc.
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FortSumter
$XLU Bought Jan $36 calls for $0.14 Nice uptrend starting on charts. Volume increasing, money moving in. - View all 2 replies
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David Jackson
The only sectors which are up over the last 3 months are $XLP $XLU $XLV. What does this tell you: http://bit.ly/6A4AdX - View all 1 replies
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Ocean Man: Tells me to sell some defensives tomorrow. No QE Wed = they'll drop with market. Yes QE = they fall out of favor.
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OneLongTrade: Thanks for pointing that out. I also see a negative divergence on the RSI. But I wouldn't short until a confirmed breakdown below that 20SMA
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Saibus Research
If You Like Duke Energy, You'll Love Wisconsin Energy http://seekingalpha.com/a/eic7 $DUK, $EXC, $DUK, $SO, $WEC, $XLU - View all 1 replies
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Michael A. Gayed
Safety trade in Utilities (XLU) and long bonds (TLT) getting slaughtered. Money looks to be getting more aggressive. - View all 7 replies
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Michael A. Gayed
Market internals still look good today with defensive sectors like XLU down more than SPY alongside strongs TIPS (TIP). - View all 4 replies
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Robin Heiderscheit: I dunno, IWM continues to underperform today and breadth is poor. Plus VIX seems to be bottoming. On correction alert with tight stops. -
Michael A. Gayed: Agree that there are some negatives. Actually writing out the Lead-Lag Report as I send this. Conditions remain more + than -.
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Michael A. Gayed
XLF and XLU fighting it out...rare to see days where Financials and Utilities are both doing well. - View all 2 replies
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Ocean Man: Last I saw you were fully hedged, buying shorts, right before a huge up move. Now you're praising a 1.6% move up when half the commodity -
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Rummeljordan: +1 I still am holding it though, on a longer term relationship with it. Great pop today.






