Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
COWZ vs FDL: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, COWZ returned +24.4% to FDL's +26.0%; 16% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $19.5bn for Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF and $8.2bn for First Trust Morningstar ETF.
Pair scorecard
FDL costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.6 points; COWZ is 2.4 times larger.
| Measure | COWZ | FDL |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +24.4% | +26.0% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Pacer US Cash Cows 100 Index | Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.43% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $19.5bn | $8.2bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 16% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 20.4% | 50.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Dec 30, 2016 to Oct 23, 2026 · 512 weekly returnsCOWZ returned more: +251.9% to +188.2%. FDL swung less: 17.3% to 19.6%. COWZ fell slightly less at its worst: −36.3% to −38.0%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | COWZ | FDL | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +251.9% | +188.2% | COWZ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +13.6% | +11.4% | COWZ | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +188.5% | +90.8% | COWZ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.6% | 17.3% | FDL | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.8% | 12.4% | FDL (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −36.3% | −38.0% | COWZ (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.62 | 0.56 | COWZ (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.89 | 0.78 | COWZ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.38 | 0.30 | COWZ | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 512 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, COWZ and FDL hold 16% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
16% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
COWZ and FDL on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
COWZ and FDL are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. COWZ follows Pacer US Cash Cows 100 Index and FDL follows Morningstar Dividend Leaders Index.
- Holdings in common. 16% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return (similar). Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 COWZ returned +24.4% and FDL +26.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 1.6 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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COWZ
COWZ tracks an index of US Cash Cows 100. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +24.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.49% a year. By its holdings filed for Jul 31, 2026, 95% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 100 positions, with the top ten at 20.4%.
FDL
FDL tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +26.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.43% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 93% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 100 positions, with the top ten at 50.6%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, COWZ or FDL?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, COWZ returned +24.4% and FDL +26.0%.
- Which is cheaper, COWZ or FDL?
- FDL is cheaper, by 0.06 percentage points a year. That is about $6 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, COWZ against FDL, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cowz-vs-fdl
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). COWZ against FDL. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cowz-vs-fdl
[COWZ against FDL (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cowz-vs-fdl)
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