Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
COWZ vs SPY: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, COWZ returned +24.4% to SPY's +13.6%; 8% 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 $814.8bn for SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust.
Pair scorecard
SPY costs 0.40 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 10.8 points; SPY is far larger, $814.8bn against $19.5bn.
| Measure | COWZ | SPY |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +24.4% | +13.6% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Pacer US Cash Cows 100 Index | S&P 500 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.09% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $19.5bn | $814.8bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 8% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 20.4% | 38.1% |
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 returnsSPY returned more: +296.0% to +251.9%. SPY swung less: 17.2% to 19.6%. SPY fell less at its worst: −31.8% to −36.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | COWZ | SPY | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +251.9% | +296.0% | SPY | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +13.6% | +15.0% | SPY (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +188.5% | +240.0% | SPY | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.6% | 17.2% | SPY | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.8% | 11.9% | SPY | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −36.3% | −31.8% | SPY | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.62 | 0.75 | SPY | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.89 | 1.08 | SPY | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.38 | 0.47 | SPY | 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 SPY hold 8% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
8% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
COWZ and SPY on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
COWZ and SPY do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. COWZ follows Pacer US Cash Cows 100 Index and SPY follows S&P 500 Index.
- Holdings in common. 8% 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 SPY +13.6% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 10.8 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%.
SPY
SPY tracks the S&P 500. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.6% with distributions reinvested, against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% 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 504 positions, with the top ten at 38.1%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, COWZ or SPY?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, COWZ returned +24.4% and SPY +13.6%.
- Which is cheaper, COWZ or SPY?
- SPY is cheaper, by 0.40 percentage points a year. That is about $40 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 SPY, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cowz-vs-spy
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). COWZ against SPY. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cowz-vs-spy
[COWZ against SPY (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cowz-vs-spy)
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