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NYSEARCA:XLV

Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV)

149.63
+0.23 (0.15%)
as of Jun 18, 2026, 11:41:22 pm Market Open.
49 watching
0
BUY
Healthcare stock with a 5-year horizon? She prefers owning individual names, but XLV includes Thermo-Fisher, BMO, Abbott, etc. Healthcare will change a lot in coming years, and XLV gives you a good representation.
BUY
XLV vs. IBB Has done very well, and also well positioned for the type of market we're in right now. Cap weighted. A fine way to get pure beta in the sector. A better choice than IBB. IBB is much more concentrated with a higher risk in biotech. Smaller caps have lagged large caps since last year, to the tune of 50-60% relative performance, because of the impact of higher interest rates on growth, plus the FDA's become slower to approve new drugs.
PAST TOP PICK
(A Top Pick May 05/21, Up 14%) Recently pulled up again, with defensive sectors doing quite well. He sold in October. Longer term, in 2022, healthcare will be a good sector to be in. Put it on the back burner for now, and take a look again in May.
BUY
Long-term, really likes the sector. When things are hot, the sector may lag. XLV has about 65 names. Aging demographics, growing emerging markets and middle class, increased healthcare spending. This year, healthcare ranks #8 out of 11 sectors. But if you're concerned about the long term, which he thinks you should be, XLV is a good place to start.
DON'T BUY

Better to buy the holdings? He doesn't buy ETFs, because he's an active manager. He'd rather buy the individual stocks, and he doesn't know what's in this ETF, though Thermo-Fisher, a key holding, is a fine company. In this sector, he owns Anthem, Abbvie and CVS, for example. Healthcare isn't in the sun now, but you can do well if you pick the right stocks.

TOP PICK
There's been talk of change of the US healthcare system for years, but Covid is making it difficult to do that right now and makes healthcare protected from attack. Strong seasonal period right now. Elective surgeries coming back. Huge opportunity for an uptick at least until August. Yield is 1.39%.
PAST TOP PICK
(A Top Pick May 07/20, Up 8%) Healthcare sector is a bit exhausted right now, and seeing relative weakness. He's walked back from it a bit. Coming up to an election, healthcare can become a political football.
TOP PICK
The healthcare sector has outperformed the S&P since February. There is a lot of money going into this sector. It tends to do well this time of year also. We also have to be more cautious in election years but it will be harder for this sector to be kicked back and forth like a football.
PAST TOP PICK
(A Top Pick May 09/19, Up 4%) Seasonality ends Oct. 24. It's been faltering lately. The US election campaign is a headwind and will continue to overhang. He may exit this.
PAST TOP PICK
(A Top Pick Sep 12/18, Down 1%) He was stopped out of this. The medical devices space is good. Biotech services, are under huge pressure. This ETF was a little too inclusive so he exited.
COMMENT

US Healthcare For knee replacements and implants he likes SNN-N. He does not prefer the ETFs, such as XLV-N, because they hold too broad of an array of companies, including the big drug companies that are under pressure. He would focus on the tool and device space instead.

PAST TOP PICK
(A Top Pick Aug 07/18, Up 1%) He was stopped out a while ago. Managed care got hit and became politicized. The sector went neutral, so he went into medical devices instead.
TOP PICK
It is defensive with a seasonal period from May first to the beginning of August. Investors get attracted to this sector at this time of the year because it is defensive. It has started to outperform the market. It is less exposed to the China/US trade deal. It is not a bad place to be. It is a place to hide out in.
TOP PICK
Buying beta. Can drop with the market but high quality market exposure. Tends to have high cash flow, large cap, robust companies, well diversified. Yield 1.6%.
TOP PICK
You want to focus your portfolio on leadership. He likes healthcare late cycle. These tend to have a higher cap. This is the largest diversified exposure in his portfolio.
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