Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
COWZ vs FTCS: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, COWZ returned +24.4% to FTCS's +9.5%; 6% 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 $7.8bn for First Trust Capital Strength ETF.
Pair scorecard
COWZ costs 0.04 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 14.9 points; COWZ is 2.5 times larger.
| Measure | COWZ | FTCS |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +24.4% | +9.5% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Pacer US Cash Cows 100 Index | Capital Strength Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.53% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $19.5bn | $7.8bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 6% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 20.4% | 21.0% |
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 +178.8%. FTCS swung less: 15.3% to 19.6%. FTCS fell less at its worst: −29.0% to −36.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | COWZ | FTCS | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +251.9% | +178.8% | COWZ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +13.6% | +11.0% | COWZ | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +188.5% | +146.8% | COWZ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.6% | 15.3% | FTCS | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.8% | 10.8% | FTCS | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −36.3% | −29.0% | FTCS | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.62 | 0.59 | COWZ (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.89 | 0.84 | COWZ (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.38 | 0.38 | Tie | 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 FTCS hold 6% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
6% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
COWZ and FTCS on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
COWZ and FTCS 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 FTCS follows Capital Strength Index.
- Holdings in common. 6% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 COWZ returned +24.4% and FTCS +9.5% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 14.9 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%.
FTCS
FTCS tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +9.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.53% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 50 positions, with the top ten at 21.0%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, COWZ or FTCS?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, COWZ returned +24.4% and FTCS +9.5%.
- Which is cheaper, COWZ or FTCS?
- COWZ is cheaper, by 0.04 percentage points a year. That is about $4 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, COWZ against FTCS, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cowz-vs-ftcs
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). COWZ against FTCS. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cowz-vs-ftcs
[COWZ against FTCS (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cowz-vs-ftcs)
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