Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
COWZ vs VYMI: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, COWZ returned +24.4% to VYMI's +22.3%; 2% of their weight is in the same names.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about COWZ and VYMI
Net assets: $19.5bn on Oct 27, 2026 for Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF, and $21.4bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF.
Pair scorecard
VYMI costs 0.42 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.1 points.
| Measure | COWZ | VYMI |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +24.4% | +22.3% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 4.6%, high on Sep 3, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Pacer US Cash Cows 100 Index | FTSE All-World ex US High Dividend Yield Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.49% | 0.07% |
| Net assets, COWZ as of Oct 27, 2026 and VYMI as of Sep 30, 2026 | $19.5bn | $21.4bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 2% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 20.4% | 13.8% |
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 +169.4%. VYMI swung less: 16.1% to 19.6%. COWZ fell slightly less at its worst: −36.3% to −38.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | COWZ | VYMI | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +251.9% | +169.4% | COWZ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +13.6% | +10.6% | COWZ | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +188.5% | +79.1% | COWZ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 19.6% | 16.1% | VYMI | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 13.8% | 11.6% | VYMI | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −36.3% | −38.3% | COWZ (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.62 | 0.55 | COWZ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.89 | 0.76 | COWZ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.38 | 0.28 | 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 VYMI hold 2% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026.
half
2% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
COWZ and VYMI on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
COWZ and VYMI do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. COWZ follows Pacer US Cash Cows 100 Index and VYMI follows FTSE All-World ex US High Dividend Yield Index.
- Holdings in common. 2% 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 VYMI +22.3% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 2.1 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
The two-page PDF for this pair is coming. Save the comparison to follow its changes. Free. It needs an email sign-in, once.
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%.
VYMI
VYMI tracks an index of International High Dividend Yield. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +22.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.07% 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 1,509 positions, with the top ten at 13.8%. It sat 4.6% below its high of Sep 3, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, COWZ or VYMI?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, COWZ returned +24.4% and VYMI +22.3%.
- Which is cheaper, COWZ or VYMI?
- VYMI is cheaper, by 0.42 percentage points a year. That is about $42 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.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, COWZ against VYMI, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cowz-vs-vymi
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). COWZ against VYMI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cowz-vs-vymi
[COWZ against VYMI (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/cowz-vs-vymi)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.