GCOW vs PIEQ: Differences, Returns & Fees
GCOW and PIEQ hold 4% of their weight in the same names, and GCOW returned +19.6% over the year. Net assets: $3.4bn on Oct 2, 2026 for Pacer Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF, and $1.3bn on Oct 8, 2026 for Principal International Equity ETF.
PIEQ costs 0.12 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 6.6 points.
| GCOW | PIEQ | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.60% | 0.48% |
| Net assets, GCOW as of Oct 2, 2026 and PIEQ as of Oct 8, 2026 | $3.4bn | $1.3bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.6% | +13.0% |
| What it tracks | Pacer Global Cash Cows Dividend Index | No index, actively managed |
| Holdings in common | 4% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 20.5% | 47.1% |
| Below its high | 5.2%, high on Aug 25, 2026 | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, GCOW and PIEQ hold 4% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.
half
4% in common
On the same fields
GCOW and PIEQ on the fields both publish, as of Oct 9, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
GCOW in plain words
GCOW tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +19.6% with distributions reinvested, against +17.3% for the S&P 500. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.60% a year. By its holdings filed for Jul 31, 2026, 22% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 100 positions, with the top ten at 20.5%. It sat 5.2% below its high of Aug 25, 2026 on Oct 9, 2026.
PIEQ in plain words
PIEQ is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +13.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.3% for the S&P 500. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.48% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 35 positions, with the top ten at 47.1%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, GCOW or PIEQ?
- In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GCOW returned +19.6% and PIEQ +13.0%.
- Which is cheaper, GCOW or PIEQ?
- PIEQ is cheaper, by 0.12 percentage points a year. That is about $12 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure; a link is not an endorsement. 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, GCOW against PIEQ, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gcow-vs-pieq
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). GCOW against PIEQ. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gcow-vs-pieq
[GCOW against PIEQ (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gcow-vs-pieq)
Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.