Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
COWZ vs VXUS: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, COWZ returned +24.4% to VXUS's +13.8%; 1% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $19.5bn on Oct 27, 2026 for Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF, and $163.2bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Total International Stock ETF.
Pair scorecard
VXUS costs 0.44 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 10.6 points.
| Measure | COWZ | VXUS |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +24.4% | +13.8% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 5.1%, high on Sep 4, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Pacer US Cash Cows 100 Index | FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.05% |
| Net assets, COWZ as of Oct 27, 2026 and VXUS as of Sep 30, 2026 | $19.5bn | $163.2bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 1% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 20.4% | 14.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Dec 30, 2016 to Oct 23, 2026 · 512 weekly returnsCOWZ returned more: +251.9% to +138.7%. VXUS swung less: 16.4% to 19.6%. VXUS fell slightly less at its worst: −34.6% to −36.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | COWZ | VXUS | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +251.9% | +138.7% | COWZ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +13.6% | +9.2% | COWZ | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +188.5% | +79.9% | COWZ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.6% | 16.4% | VXUS | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.8% | 11.7% | VXUS | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −36.3% | −34.6% | VXUS (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.62 | 0.47 | COWZ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.89 | 0.65 | COWZ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.38 | 0.27 | 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 VXUS hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026.
half
1% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
COWZ and VXUS on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
COWZ and VXUS do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. COWZ follows Pacer US Cash Cows 100 Index and VXUS follows FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index.
- Holdings in common. 1% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 COWZ returned +24.4% and VXUS +13.8% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 10.6 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%.
VXUS
VXUS tracks an index of Total International Stock. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 8,913 positions, with the top ten at 14.6%. It sat 5.1% below its high of Sep 4, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, COWZ or VXUS?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, COWZ returned +24.4% and VXUS +13.8%.
- Which is cheaper, COWZ or VXUS?
- VXUS is cheaper, by 0.44 percentage points a year. That is about $44 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 VXUS, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cowz-vs-vxus
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). COWZ against VXUS. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cowz-vs-vxus
[COWZ against VXUS (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cowz-vs-vxus)
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