Data as of Nov 4, 2026.
BALQ vs SEPI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
BALQ and SEPI both write options for income.
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Net assets: $43m on Nov 3, 2026 for iShares Nasdaq Premium Income Active ETF, and $152m on Jun 30, 2026 for Shelton Equity Premium Income ETF.
4.1 pts ahead of QQQ
BALQ since launch: paid 10.0%, price +5.1%, total +15.6%, QQQ +11.5%, +4.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
QQQ
+11.5%
BALQ
+15.6%
10.0% of it arrived as cash
4.1 pts ahead of QQQ
Total return, distributions reinvested
4.1 pts ahead of QQQ
BALQ since launch: paid 10.0%, price +5.1%, total +15.6%, QQQ +11.5%, +4.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
QQQ
+11.5%
BALQ
+15.6%
10.0% cash
4.1 pts ahead of QQQ
10.0% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. BALQ since launch: paid 10.0%, price +5.1%, total +15.6%, QQQ +11.5%, +4.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
Data to Nov 4, 2026.3.1 pts ahead of SPY
SEPI over 1 year: paid 8.9%, price +8.3%, total +17.9%, SPY +14.8%, +3.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
SPY
+14.8%
SEPI
+17.9%
8.9% of it arrived as cash
3.1 pts ahead of SPY
Total return, distributions reinvested
3.1 pts ahead of SPY
SEPI over 1 year: paid 8.9%, price +8.3%, total +17.9%, SPY +14.8%, +3.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
SPY
+14.8%
SEPI
+17.9%
8.9% cash
3.1 pts ahead of SPY
8.9% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, 0 to +17.9%. SEPI over 1 year: paid 8.9%, price +8.3%, total +17.9%, SPY +14.8%, +3.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.
Both charts share one scale, 0 to +17.9%. Data to Nov 4, 2026.Pair scorecard
BALQ costs 0.19 points a year less.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | BALQ | SEPI |
|---|---|---|
| Paid and earned | ||
| Total return, 1 year | not published | +17.9% |
| Price change | rose 5.1% (since Dec 3, 2025) | rose 8.3% (1 year) |
| Return of capital, issuer estimate | 97% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment | 99% of the Sep 30, 2026 payment |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| Benchmark | Nasdaq-100, measured through QQQ | S&P 500, measured through SPY |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.54% |
| Net assets, BALQ as of Nov 3, 2026 and SEPI as of Jun 30, 2026 | $43m | $152m |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 41% | |
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, BALQ and SEPI hold 41% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Nov 3, 2026.
half
41% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
As of Nov 4, 2026. Source: ETFIQ. Cash paid: distributions over the window, as a share of the starting price. Payout rate: the latest payment, annualized, over today’s price.
Window by window
| Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | BALQ | SEPI | BALQ | SEPI | BALQ | SEPI |
| 3 months | −3.8% | −0.1% | 2.1% | 2.1% | −0.3 pts | 0.0 pts |
| 6 months | +1.3% | +6.8% | 5.2% | 4.4% | +1.7 pts | +1.8 pts |
| 1 year | – | +17.9% | – | 8.9% | – | +3.1 pts |
| Since launchNot the same days: BALQ Dec 2025 · SEPI Sep 2025 | +15.6% | +23.5% | 10.0% | 10.0% | +4.1 pts | +3.7 pts |
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BALQ
Over the period from its first trade on Dec 3, 2025 to Nov 4, 2026, BALQ paid 10.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 5.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +15.6%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +11.5% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 4.1 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 8.5%, paid monthly. iShares estimates that 97% of the distribution paid Nov 5, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.
SEPI
Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, SEPI paid 8.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 8.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +17.9%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 3.1 pts. Shelton estimates that 99% of the distribution paid Sep 30, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).
Questions people ask
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.
Every number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, BALQ against SEPI, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-sepi
ETFIQ. (Nov 4, 2026). BALQ against SEPI. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-sepi
[BALQ against SEPI (ETFIQ, Nov 4, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/income/balq-vs-sepi)
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