Get the weekly note
ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

Data as of .

APRJ vs ULTY: which paid, and which earned it?

Over the year ULTY paid 44.9% of its price in cash against APRJ’s 5.7%, though APRJ returned more with it reinvested.

Innovator Premium Income 30 Barrier ETF - April and YieldMax(R) Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF.

5.7%APRJ cash paid, 1 year
44.9%ULTY cash paid, 1 year
+6.0%APRJ total return, 1 year
−7.8%ULTY total return, 1 year

ETFIQ Return Stability Score: APRJ scores higher

Was the payout funded by returns, or by your own capital?

APRJ 44.2ULTY 3.83.8, the lowest in this set96.8, the highest

A percentile among the 173 income ETFs writing on an index or proxy. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All income ETFs ranked by it · How it is computed

APRJ10.5 pts behind SPY · 1 year to Sep 18, 2026
SPY+16.6%APRJ+6.0%5.7% as cash10.5 pts behind SPYTotal return, distributions reinvestedSPY+16.6%APRJ+6.0%10.5 pts behind SPY
ULTY24.3 pts behind SPY · 1 year to Sep 18, 2026
SPY+16.6%ULTY−7.8%24.3 pts behind SPYTotal return, distributions reinvestedSPY+16.6%ULTY−7.8%24.3 pts behind SPY

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, APRJ and ULTY hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Only in each
Only in APRJOnly in ULTY
TREASURY BILL 95.06%Advanced Micro Devices Inc 5.23%
TREASURY BILL 1.66%MercadoLibre Inc 4.99%
TREASURY BILL 1.65%Lumentum Holdings Inc 4.75%
TREASURY BILL 1.64%Strategy Inc 4.66%
Comfort Systems USA Inc 4.61%
Alphabet Inc 4.39%
Lam Research Corp 4.34%
Coherent Corp 4.30%

Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026 and Sep 21, 2026.

Performance, window by window

APRJ and ULTY over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ.
WindowTotal returnCash paidAgainst the benchmark
APRJULTYAPRJULTYAPRJULTY
3 months+1.3%−1.1%1.7%13.7%−1.0 pts−3.3 pts
6 months+3.8%+14.0%3.0%30.1%−14.2 pts−4.0 pts
1 year+6.0%−7.8%5.7%44.9%−10.5 pts−24.3 pts
3 years+19.3%not published17.4%not published−59.1 ptsnot published
Since launch+23.7%+10.7%19.4%86.9%−69.9 pts−44.1 pts
Open the live comparison on ETFIQ
APRJ and ULTY on the same fields, as of Sep 18, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
APRJ
Innovator Premium Income 30 Barrier ETF - April
Defined income on SPY, paying quarterly
ULTY
YieldMax(R) Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF
Synthetic covered call on SPY, paying weekly
IssuerInnovatorYieldMax
Strategydefined incomesynthetic covered call
BenchmarkS&P 500 (SPY)S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy
Paysquarterlyweekly
Payout rate, annualized6.8%59.8%
Expense ratio0.79%1.30%
Cash paid, 1 year5.7%44.9%
Price change, 1 year+0.1%−54.1%
Total return, 1 year+6.0%−7.8%
Benchmark return, 1 year+16.6%+16.6%
Ahead or behind−10.5 pts−24.3 pts
Return of capital, latest estimatenot published100%
Age1264 days932 days
Net assets$31m$721m

APRJ in plain words

Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, APRJ paid 5.7% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 0.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +6.0%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 10.5 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 6.8%, paid quarterly.

ULTY in plain words

Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, ULTY paid 44.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 54.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −7.8%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 24.3 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 59.8%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Sep 17, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).

Questions people ask

Which paid more, APRJ or ULTY?
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, APRJ paid 5.7% of its starting price in cash and ULTY paid 44.9%, so ULTY paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
Which returned more once distributions are counted, APRJ or ULTY?
With every distribution reinvested, APRJ returned +6.0% and ULTY returned −7.8% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so APRJ returned more.
Which is cheaper, APRJ or ULTY?
APRJ charges 0.79% a year and ULTY charges 1.30%, so APRJ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

Where these figures came from

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.

APRJ against ULTY, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 18, 2026. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, APRJ against ULTY, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/aprj-vs-ulty Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

How every figure is computed · Standards and sources