Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
COWZ vs QQQ: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, COWZ returned +24.4% to QQQ's +15.2%; 7% 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 $483.0bn for Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1.
Pair scorecard
QQQ costs 0.31 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 9.2 points; QQQ is far larger, $483.0bn against $19.5bn.
| Measure | COWZ | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +24.4% | +15.2% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.5%, high on Oct 6, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Pacer US Cash Cows 100 Index | Nasdaq-100 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.18% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $19.5bn | $483.0bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 7% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 20.4% | 46.7% |
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 returnsQQQ returned more: +535.2% to +251.9%. COWZ swung slightly less: 19.6% to 20.6%. QQQ fell slightly less at its worst: −35.1% to −36.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | COWZ | QQQ | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +251.9% | +535.2% | QQQ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +13.6% | +20.7% | QQQ | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +188.5% | +494.5% | QQQ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.6% | 20.6% | COWZ (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.8% | 13.7% | Tie | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −36.3% | −35.1% | QQQ (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.62 | 0.89 | QQQ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.89 | 1.35 | QQQ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.38 | 0.59 | QQQ | 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 QQQ hold 7% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
7% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
COWZ and QQQ on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
COWZ and QQQ do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. COWZ follows Pacer US Cash Cows 100 Index and QQQ follows Nasdaq-100 Index.
- Holdings in common. 7% 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 QQQ +15.2% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 9.2 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%.
QQQ
QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +15.2% with distributions reinvested, against +15.2% for its benchmark, the Nasdaq-100 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.18% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 96% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 103 positions, with the top ten at 46.7%. It sat 4.5% below its high of Oct 6, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, COWZ or QQQ?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, COWZ returned +24.4% and QQQ +15.2%.
- Which is cheaper, COWZ or QQQ?
- QQQ is cheaper, by 0.31 percentage points a year. That is about $31 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.
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ETFIQ, COWZ against QQQ, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cowz-vs-qqq
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). COWZ against QQQ. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cowz-vs-qqq
[COWZ against QQQ (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cowz-vs-qqq)
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