Data as of .
EIPI vs MDST: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year MDST paid 10.0% of its price in cash against EIPI’s 7.6%, though EIPI returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: EIPI scores higher
Was the payout funded by returns, or by your own capital?
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
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, EIPI and MDST hold 32% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | EIPI | MDST |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Products Partners L.P. | 8.76% | 6.87% |
| Energy Transfer LP | 6.86% | 8.97% |
| MPLX LP | 4.67% | 4.42% |
| Kinder Morgan, Inc. | 3.88% | 5.64% |
| ONEOK, Inc. | 3.12% | 5.00% |
| Plains GP Holdings, L.P. (Class A) | 2.01% | 4.37% |
| The Williams Companies, Inc. | 1.95% | 8.61% |
| Targa Resources Corp. | 1.56% | 4.44% |
| Cheniere Energy, Inc. | 1.40% | 5.05% |
| DT Midstream, Inc. | 0.43% | 6.43% |
| Only in EIPI | Only in MDST |
|---|---|
| ExxonMobil Holdings Corp. 3.50% | ENBRIDGE INC 8.79% |
| US Dollar 2.97% | SOUTH BOW CORP 4.92% |
| Shell plc (ADR) 2.90% | TC ENERGY CORP 4.91% |
| National Fuel Gas Company 2.62% | PEMBINA PIPELINE CORP 4.65% |
| Duke Energy Corporation 2.43% | ANTERO MIDSTREAM CORP 4.43% |
| EOG Resources, Inc. 2.21% | HESS MIDSTREAM LP 4.08% |
| The Southern Company 1.94% | KINETIK HOLDINGS INC 3.11% |
| Entergy Corporation 1.85% | WESTERN MIDSTREAM PARTNERS LP 2.38% |
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 18, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EIPI | MDST | EIPI | MDST | EIPI | MDST | |
| 3 months | +5.1% | +4.6% | 1.7% | 2.4% | −15.4 pts | −15.9 pts |
| 6 months | +4.1% | +5.8% | 3.4% | 4.7% | −5.8 pts | −4.2 pts |
| 1 year | +21.1% | +19.2% | 7.6% | 10.0% | −26.8 pts | −28.6 pts |
| Since launch | +49.1% | +48.9% | 22.6% | 26.1% | +1.2 pts | +7.3 pts |
| EIPI FT Energy Income Partners Enhanced Income ETF Covered call on XLE, paying monthly | MDST Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF Option income on XLE, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | First Trust | Westwood |
| Strategy | covered call | option income |
| Benchmark | Energy sector (XLE), used as the energy proxy | Energy sector (XLE), used as the energy proxy |
| Pays | monthly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 6.7% | 9.3% |
| Expense ratio | 1.11% | 0.80% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 7.6% | 10.0% |
| Price change, 1 year | +12.8% | +8.2% |
| Total return, 1 year | +21.1% | +19.2% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +47.8% | +47.8% |
| Ahead or behind | −26.8 pts | −28.6 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | not published |
| Age | 865 days | 892 days |
| Net assets | $1.1bn | $247m |
EIPI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, EIPI paid 7.6% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 12.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +21.1%. Energy sector (XLE), used as the energy proxy returned +47.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 26.8 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 6.7%, paid monthly.
MDST in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, MDST paid 10.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 8.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +19.2%. Energy sector (XLE), used as the energy proxy returned +47.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 28.6 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 9.3%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, EIPI or MDST?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, EIPI paid 7.6% of its starting price in cash and MDST paid 10.0%, so MDST paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
- Which returned more once distributions are counted, EIPI or MDST?
- With every distribution reinvested, EIPI returned +21.1% and MDST returned +19.2% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so EIPI returned more.
- Which is cheaper, EIPI or MDST?
- EIPI charges 1.11% a year and MDST charges 0.80%, so MDST 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.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, EIPI against MDST, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/eipi-vs-mdst Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.