Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
COWZ vs GDX: how they differ
Over the year GDX returned more, +40.2% against +23.4%, and COWZ charges 0.49% against 0.51%.
Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF and VanEck Gold Miners ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, COWZ and GDX hold 2% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | COWZ | GDX |
|---|---|---|
| Newmont Corp | 1.93% | 10.42% |
| Only in COWZ | Only in GDX |
|---|---|
| QUALCOMM Inc 2.67% | Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd 10.67% |
| Altria Group Inc 2.21% | Barrick Mining Corp 7.95% |
| ConocoPhillips 2.17% | Wheaton Precious Metals Corp 5.61% |
| CVS Health Corp 2.16% | Anglogold Ashanti Plc 5.04% |
| Bristol-Myers Squibb Co 2.03% | Franco-Nevada Corp 4.89% |
| Ford Motor Co 2.01% | Kinross Gold Corp 4.40% |
| Uber Technologies Inc 2.01% | Gold Fields Ltd 4.07% |
| Pfizer Inc 2.00% | Pan American Silver Corp 2.98% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026.
| COWZ Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF | GDX VanEck Gold Miners ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Thematic ETF |
| Issuer | Pacer | VanEck |
| What it is | US Cash Cows 100 | Miners and metals |
| Total return, 1 year | +23.4% | +40.2% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | +5.9 pts | +22.7 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.51% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 95.8% | 11.0% |
| Holdings | 100 | 59 |
COWZ in plain words
COWZ is an index equity fund tracking the US Cash Cows 100. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +23.4% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.49% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 96% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 100 positions, with the top ten at 21.2%. It sat 3.2% below its high of Sep 3, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
GDX in plain words
By weight, 11% of GDX's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 100%. The top ten holdings are 58% of the fund across 59 positions, as published by its issuer for Sep 10, 2026. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 the fund returned +40.2% with distributions reinvested against +17.5% for the S&P 500, so a holder was ahead by 22.7 pts. It sits 16.2% below its all-time high of Feb 27, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, COWZ or GDX?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, COWZ returned +23.4% and GDX returned +40.2%, so GDX returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, COWZ or GDX?
- COWZ charges 0.49% a year and GDX charges 0.51%, so COWZ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do COWZ and GDX overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 96% of COWZ and 11% of GDX by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 2% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
- Are COWZ and GDX the same kind of fund?
- No. COWZ is an index ETF and GDX is a thematic ETF, so they are built for different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and what each actually holds.
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Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, COWZ against GDX, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/COWZ-GDX Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources