GCOW vs VYMI: Differences, Returns & Fees
GCOW and VYMI hold 16% of their weight in the same names, and VYMI returned +24.1% over the year. Net assets: $3.4bn on Oct 2, 2026 for Pacer Global Cash Cows Dividend ETF, and $21.4bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard International High Dividend Yield ETF.
VYMI costs 0.53 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.5 points; VYMI is 6.4 times larger.
| GCOW | VYMI | |
|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.60% | 0.07% |
| Net assets, as of Jul 31, 2026 | $3.4bn | $21.9bn |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.6% | +24.1% |
| What it tracks | Pacer Global Cash Cows Dividend Index | FTSE All-World ex US High Dividend Yield Index |
| Holdings in common | 16% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 20.5% | 13.6% |
| Below its high | 5.2%, high on Aug 25, 2026 | 5.3%, high on Sep 3, 2026 |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, GCOW and VYMI hold 16% 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 Jul 31, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026.
half
16% in common
On the same fields
GCOW and VYMI 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.
VYMI in plain words
VYMI tracks an index of International High Dividend Yield. Over the year to Oct 9, 2026 it returned +24.1% with distributions reinvested, against +17.3% for the S&P 500. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.07% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Aug 31, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 1,574 positions, with the top ten at 13.6%. It sat 5.3% below its high of Sep 3, 2026 on Oct 9, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, GCOW or VYMI?
- In the year to Oct 9, 2026, with distributions reinvested, GCOW returned +19.6% and VYMI +24.1%.
- Which is cheaper, GCOW or VYMI?
- VYMI is cheaper, by 0.53 percentage points a year. That is about $53 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.
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ETFIQ, GCOW against VYMI, data as of Oct 9, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gcow-vs-vymi
ETFIQ. (Oct 9, 2026). GCOW against VYMI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gcow-vs-vymi
[GCOW against VYMI (ETFIQ, Oct 9, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/gcow-vs-vymi)
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