Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
COWZ vs USMV: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, COWZ returned +24.4% to USMV's +10.8%; 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 $24.1bn for iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF.
Pair scorecard
USMV costs 0.34 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 13.6 points; USMV is 1.2 times larger.
| Measure | COWZ | USMV |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +24.4% | +10.8% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Pacer US Cash Cows 100 Index | MSCI USA Minimum Volatility (USD) Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.15% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $19.5bn | $24.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 16% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 20.4% | 14.8% |
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 +170.3%. USMV swung less: 14.9% to 19.6%. USMV fell less at its worst: −30.6% to −36.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | COWZ | USMV | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +251.9% | +170.3% | COWZ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +13.6% | +10.6% | COWZ | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +188.5% | +127.7% | COWZ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.6% | 14.9% | USMV | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.8% | 10.6% | USMV | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −36.3% | −30.6% | USMV | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.62 | 0.58 | COWZ (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.89 | 0.82 | COWZ (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.38 | 0.35 | COWZ (slight) | 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 USMV 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 USMV on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
COWZ and USMV do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. COWZ follows Pacer US Cash Cows 100 Index and USMV follows MSCI USA Minimum Volatility (USD) 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. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 COWZ returned +24.4% and USMV +10.8% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 13.6 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%.
USMV
USMV tracks the MSCI USA Min Vol Factor. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +10.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% 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 176 positions, with the top ten at 14.8%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, COWZ or USMV?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, COWZ returned +24.4% and USMV +10.8%.
- Which is cheaper, COWZ or USMV?
- USMV is cheaper, by 0.34 percentage points a year. That is about $34 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 USMV, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cowz-vs-usmv
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). COWZ against USMV. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cowz-vs-usmv
[COWZ against USMV (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cowz-vs-usmv)
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