The beleaguered energy sector seems to be turning around with two big oil giants returning to profit in the first quarter on an oil price rally. Exxon Mobil XOM posted big profits with better-than-expected earnings while results from Chevron CVX have been mixed (see: all the Energy ETFs here).

Exxon is the top performer among the supermajors this year, climbing 44%, followed by a gain of 27% for Chevron, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Earnings in Focus

The largest U.S. oil producer Exxon Mobil came up with earnings of 65 cents per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 59 cents and the year-ago earnings of 53 cents per share. Revenues rose 6% year over year to $59.15 billion and edged past the estimated figure of $55.16 billion.

Chevron reported earnings of 92 cents per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a couple of cents. The company had earned $1.31 per share in the year-ago period. Revenues grew 1.7% year over year to $32 billion and edged past the consensus mark of $30.9 billion (read: Best ETF Investment Strategies for Q2 2021).

ETFs in Focus

Following the results, energy ETFs with the largest allocation to the energy behemoths are in focus. Below we highlight a few in details.

Energy Select Sector SPDR XLE

This is the largest and the most-popular ETF in the energy space with AUM of $23.5 billion and an average daily volume of 32.6 million shares per day. Expense ratio is 0.12%. The fund follows the Energy Select Sector Index and holds 23 securities in its basket. Exxon Mobil and Chevron occupy the top two spots with 22.8% and 21.8% share, respectively. The product has a Zacks ETF Rank #3 (Hold) with a High risk outlook (read: 10 Most Popular ETFs of This Year).

iShares U.S. Energy ETF IYE

This ETF tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Oil & Gas Index, giving investors exposure to U.S. companies that produce and distribute oil and gas. It holds 33 stocks in its basket with AUM of $2.1 billion and an average daily volume of about 3.8 million shares. The product charges 42 bps in fees per year from its investors. Exxon Mobil and Chevron occupy the top two positions in the basket, taking the bigger chunk of assets at 23.9% and 19.6%, respectively. The product has a Zacks ETF Rank #3 with a High risk outlook.

Vanguard Energy ETF VDE

This fund manages $4.9 billion in asset base and provides exposure to a basket of 96 energy stocks by tracking the MSCI US Investable Market Energy 25/50 Index. The product sees a good volume of about 1.2 million shares and charges 10 bps in annual fees. Here again, Exxon and Chevron are the two leading firms with respectively 21.5% and 18.3% allocation. VDE has a Zacks ETF Rank #3 with a High risk outlook.

Fidelity MSCI Energy Index ETF FENY

The fund follows the MSCI USA IMI Energy Index, holding 82 stocks in its basket. Of these, XOM and CVX take the top two spots at 21.6% and 18.4%, respectively. The product charges 8 bps in annual fees and trades in a good volume of around 1.3 million shares. It has accumulated $905.4 million in its asset base and has a Zacks ETF Rank #4 (Sell) with a High risk outlook.