GILD vs XLV: Correlation
Gilead Sciences (GILD) and Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) show a moderate relationship: their 3-year correlation of weekly returns is 0.41.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are GILD and XLV?
Over the past 3 years, GILD and XLV moved with a correlation of 0.41, which is moderate. Recent behaviour matches the longer record: 0.40 over 1 year against 0.41 over 3. Over 5 years the correlation is 0.49, and the annualized covariance of weekly returns is 146.1 %².
Among the 30 assets we track against GILD, XLV ranks #10 by 3-year correlation. Over the last 12 months GILD came out ahead by 6.6 percentage points (+34.1% against +27.5%). Across three years, the rolling one-year figure varied moderately, from 0.30 to 0.67. One caveat on sizing: GILD is 1.6 times as volatile as the other leg, so an equal-dollar split is far from equal-risk.
How is this computed?
Pearson correlation on weekly returns: ρ(A,B) = cov(rA, rB) / (σA · σB), over windows of 52, 156 and 260 weeks. Covariance is annualized (×52) and expressed in %². Full definitions on the methodology page.
GILD vs XLV: side by side
| GILD (Gilead Sciences) | XLV (Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +34.1% | +27.5% |
| 5-year return | +148.1% | +37.4% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 24.1% | 14.7% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.33 | 0.42 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -26.6% | -17.1% |
| Market cap | $184.6B | – |
| P/E (trailing) | – | – |
| Dividend yield | 2.17% | 1.56% |
| Expense ratio | – | 0.08% |
| Assets under management | – | $41.7B |
| Sector / category | Health Care | Sector ETF |
On the fund side, XLV sits in the Health category at State Street Investment Management, with $41.7B under management, 61 holdings, a 0.08% expense ratio, a 1.56% trailing dividend yield.
Year-by-year returns
| Year | GILD | XLV |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +23.6% | -2.1% |
| 2023 | -2.0% | +2.1% |
| 2024 | +18.7% | +2.5% |
| 2025 | +36.6% | +14.5% |
| 2026 | +22.8% | +11.8% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Fund exposure
A structural note: 2.94% of XLV is GILD itself, so the fund partly moves with the stock by construction.
Are GILD and XLV good diversifiers for each other?
Yes, to a useful degree: a correlation of 0.41 leaves real independence between the two, which historically damped combined volatility.
FAQ
What is the correlation between GILD and XLV?
As of 2026-08-27, the correlation of weekly returns between GILD and XLV is 0.41 over 3 years, 0.40 over 1 year and 0.49 over 5 years.
Is XLV a good diversifier for GILD?
Yes, to a useful degree: a correlation of 0.41 leaves real independence between the two, which historically damped combined volatility.
What does a correlation of 0.41 mean?
On the −1 to +1 scale, 0.41 describes how much the two returns move together: +1 is lockstep, 0 is independence, negative values mean opposite directions. It says nothing about which performed better.
Use this data
$ curl https://www.pairbook.io/api/v1/pairs/gild-vs-xlv.json
Drop this badge in a README or notebook; it updates with the data:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/gild-vs-xlv/)
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Related comparisons
Hubs: GILD correlations · XLV correlations
