Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
ENFR vs MDST: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, ENFR returned +31.7% to MDST's +22.6%, and ENFR charges 0.35% to MDST's 0.80%.
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Net assets: $548m on Aug 31, 2026 for Alerian Energy Infrastructure ETF, and $287m on Jul 31, 2026 for Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF.
Pair scorecard
ENFR costs 0.45 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 9.1 points.
| Measure | ENFR | MDST |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +31.7% | +22.6% |
| Price change, 1 year | rose 26.2% | rose 11.5% |
| Latest payout, annualized | 9.7% | |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 100% of the Oct 5, 2026 payment | |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 6.7%, high on Oct 30, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Alerian Midstream Energy Select Index | Benchmark: Alerian Energy Infrastructure ETF, measured through ENFR |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.80% |
| Net assets, ENFR as of Aug 31, 2026 and MDST as of Jul 31, 2026 | $548m | $287m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 85% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 21% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 60.3% | |
Risk and return
Apr 19, 2024 to Oct 30, 2026 · 132 weekly returnsFrom Apr 2024 to Oct 2026, ENFR returned more: +80.0% to +53.1%. MDST swung less: 14.5% to 18.0%. MDST fell slightly less at its worst: −10.7% to −11.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | ENFR | MDST | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +80.0% | +53.1% | ENFR | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +26.1% | +18.3% | ENFR | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +60.4% | +18.4% | ENFR | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 18.0% | 14.5% | MDST | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 12.1% | 10.3% | MDST | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −11.4% | −10.7% | MDST (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 1.14 | 0.94 | ENFR | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.69 | 1.32 | ENFR | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 2.29 | 1.71 | ENFR | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 132 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, ENFR and MDST hold 85% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026.
half
85% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
ENFR and MDST on the fields both publish, as of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ. Cash paid: distributions over the window, as a share of the starting price.
Client brief:
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ENFR
ENFR tracks an index. Over the year to Nov 4, 2026 it returned +31.7% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.35% a year. By its holdings filed for Aug 31, 2026, 21% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 28 positions, with the top ten at 60.3%. It sat 6.7% below its high of Oct 30, 2026 on Nov 4, 2026.
MDST
Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, MDST paid 10.8% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 11.5%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +22.6%. Alerian Energy Infrastructure ETF (ENFR) returned +31.7% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 9.1 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 9.7%, paid monthly. Westwood estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Oct 5, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.
Questions people ask
- Are ENFR and MDST in the same category?
- ENFR is a stock ETF and MDST is an option-income ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
- Which returned more over the last year, ENFR or MDST?
- In the year to Nov 4, 2026, with distributions reinvested, ENFR returned +31.7% and MDST +22.6%.
- Which is cheaper, ENFR or MDST?
- ENFR is cheaper, by 0.45 percentage points a year. That is about $45 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, ENFR against MDST, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/enfr-vs-mdst
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). ENFR against MDST. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/enfr-vs-mdst
[ENFR against MDST (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/enfr-vs-mdst)
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