Which paid more, KNG or SDVD?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, KNG paid 8.8% of its starting price in cash and SDVD paid 9.7%, so SDVD paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.

Which returned more once distributions are counted, KNG or SDVD?

With every distribution reinvested, KNG returned +20.8% and SDVD +18.9% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, KNG or SDVD?

KNG charges 0.74% a year and SDVD charges 0.85%, so KNG is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

KNG vs SDVD: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, SDVD paid 9.7% of its price in cash against KNG’s 8.8%, though KNG returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $3.4bn for FT Vest S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Target Income ETF and $903m for FT Vest SMID Rising Dividend Achievers Target Income ETF.

KNG on its own →SDVD on its own →

At a glance

8.8%

KNG cash paid, 1 year

9.7%

SDVD cash paid, 1 year

+20.8%

KNG total return, 1 year

+18.9%

SDVD total return, 1 year

KNG · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 3.1 pts behind NOBL

KNG

+20.8%

NOBL

+23.9%

3.1 pts behind NOBL

KNG over 1 year: paid 8.8%, price +11.1%, total +20.8%, NOBL +23.9%, −3.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

NOBL

+23.9%

KNG

+20.8%

8.8% of it arrived as cash

3.1 pts behind NOBL

Total return, distributions reinvested

3.1 pts behind NOBL

KNG over 1 year: paid 8.8%, price +11.1%, total +20.8%, NOBL +23.9%, −3.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

NOBL

+23.9%

KNG

+20.8%

3.1 pts behind NOBL

8.8% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. KNG over 1 year: paid 8.8%, price +11.1%, total +20.8%, NOBL +23.9%, −3.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SDVD · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 1.4 pts ahead of SDVY

SDVD

+18.9%

SDVY

+17.5%

1.4 pts ahead of SDVY

SDVD over 1 year: paid 9.7%, price +8.6%, total +18.9%, SDVY +17.5%, +1.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SDVY

+17.5%

SDVD

+18.9%

9.7% of it arrived as cash

1.4 pts ahead of SDVY

Total return, distributions reinvested

1.4 pts ahead of SDVY

SDVD over 1 year: paid 9.7%, price +8.6%, total +18.9%, SDVY +17.5%, +1.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SDVY

+17.5%

SDVD

+18.9%

1.4 pts ahead of SDVY

9.7% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, 0 to +23.9%. SDVD over 1 year: paid 9.7%, price +8.6%, total +18.9%, SDVY +17.5%, +1.4 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Both charts share one scale, 0 to +23.9%. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

KNG costs 0.11 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.9 points; KNG is 3.8 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

KNG vs SDVD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	KNG	SDVD
Paid and earned
Measure	KNG	SDVD
Total return, 1 year	+20.8%	+18.9%
Price change, 1 year	rose 11.1%	rose 8.6%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	80% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment	22% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	KNG	SDVD
Benchmark	S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, measured through NOBL	First Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend Achievers ETF, measured through SDVY
Cost and size
Measure	KNG	SDVD
Expense ratio	0.74%	0.85%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$3.4bn	$903m
Holdings
Measure	KNG	SDVD
Holdings in common	5%

ETFIQ Distribution Coverage Score · KNG scores higher How much of what it paid out did its total return cover?

IQ Income Score91.3KNG84.7SDVD

How much of its payouts the fund's total return covered, ranked against 167 income ETFs not writing on a single company. 100 is best. How it is computed

KNG 91.3

SDVD 84.7

0.3, the lowest in this set 99.7, the highest

One year only, and a ratio of two published numbers: it says nothing about where a distribution came from. All income ETFs ranked by it →

Method

Risk and return

Aug 18, 2023 to Oct 30, 2026 · 167 weekly returns

KNG SDVD

Return

Total return edge SDVD +30.9% +53.5%

Annualized edge SDVD +8.7% +14.3%

Price return edge SDVD −1.4% +15.0%

Risk

Volatility edge KNG 11.0% 16.9%

Max drawdown edge KNG −11.0% −22.2%

Downside capture 96.9% 95.9%

Beta 0.96 0.94

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge SDVD 0.41 0.61

Sortino edge SDVD 0.57 0.89

Treynor 0.078 0.109

Calmar edge KNG 0.80 0.64

Against the benchmark

Alpha −0.6% a year +0.8% a year

Alpha t-stat −0.81 0.75

Information ratio −0.42 0.10

Tracking error 2.4% 2.1%

Each against its own benchmark: KNG against NOBL, Apr 6, 2018 to Oct 30, 2026; SDVD against SDVY, Aug 18, 2023 to Oct 30, 2026.

Reading

From Aug 2023 to Oct 2026, SDVD returned more: +53.5% to +30.9%. KNG swung less: 11.0% to 16.9%. KNG fell less at its worst: −11.0% to −22.2%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: KNG vs SDVD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	KNG	SDVD	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+30.9%	+53.5%	SDVD	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+8.7%	+14.3%	SDVD	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	−1.4%	+15.0%	SDVD	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	11.0%	16.9%	KNG	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	7.9%	11.6%	KNG	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−11.0%	−22.2%	KNG	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture	91.7%	93.3%		Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture	96.9%	95.9%		Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta	0.96	0.94	Not an edge	How far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared	0.98	0.99	Not an edge	Share of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.41	0.61	SDVD	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.57	0.89	SDVD	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor	0.078	0.109		Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar	0.80	0.64	KNG	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
Benchmark	NOBL	SDVY		The ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha	−0.6% a year	+0.8% a year	Not significant	Yearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat	−0.81	0.75	Not an edge	How sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range	−2.1% to +0.9%	−1.3% to +2.9%	Includes zero	The 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio	−0.42	0.10		Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error	2.4%	2.1%	Not an edge	How far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 167 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, KNG and SDVD hold 5% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Nov 3, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

5% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first KNG SDVD

Cincinnati Financial Corporation 1.52% 0.95%

Dover Corporation 1.53% 0.89%

T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. 1.47% 0.88%

A.O. Smith Corporation 1.53% 0.85%

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. 1.48% 0.53%

Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. 1.48% 0.23%

PPG Industries, Inc. 1.57% 0.22%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in KNG

Pentair plc 1.89%

Roper Technologies, Inc. 1.70%

Erie Indemnity Company 1.58%

The Clorox Company 1.58%

Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. 1.57%

Abbott Laboratories 1.56%

General Dynamics Corporation 1.55%

Lowe's Companies, Inc. 1.55%

Only in SDVD

The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. 1.09%

Reinsurance Group of America, Incorporated 1.06%

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. 1.06%

Veralto Corporation 1.05%

Assurant, Inc. 1.02%

Interparfums, Inc. 1.02%

National HealthCare Corporation 1.02%

VeriSign, Inc. 1.02%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

KNG FT Vest S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Target Income ETF · Dividend stocks with call overlay on NOBL, paying monthly SDVD FT Vest SMID Rising Dividend Achievers Target Income ETF · Writes calls on the Russell 2000, investing in the Nasdaq US Small-Mid Cap Rising Dividend Achievers Index, paying monthly

Issuer First Trust First Trust

Strategy dividend stocks with call overlay dividend stocks with call overlay

Benchmark S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats (NOBL) First Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (SDVY)

Pays monthly monthly

Payout rate, annualized 8.0% 8.2%

Expense ratio 0.74% 0.85%

Cash paid, 1 year 8.8% 9.7%

Price change, 1 year +11.1% +8.6%

Total return, 1 year +20.8% +18.9%

Benchmark return, 1 year +23.9% +17.5%

Ahead or behind −3.1 pts +1.4 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 80% 22%

Age 8.6 years 3.2 years

Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $3.4bn $903m

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

Window by window: KNG vs SDVD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	KNG	SDVD	KNG	SDVD	KNG	SDVD
3 months	+5.2%	−2.3%	2.0%	2.0%	−0.5 pts	+0.5 pts
6 months	+13.5%	+3.3%	4.3%	4.1%	−1.4 pts	+0.9 pts
1 year	+20.8%	+18.9%	8.8%	9.7%	−3.1 pts	+1.4 pts
3 years	+41.8%	+60.8%	26.9%	31.3%	−6.7 pts	+1.0 pts
Since launchNot the same days: KNG Mar 2018 · SDVD Aug 2023	+120.8%	+53.9%	61.2%	31.3%	−19.0 pts	+1.9 pts

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About each fund

KNG

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, KNG paid 8.8% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 11.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +20.8%. S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats (NOBL) returned +23.9% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 3.1 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 8.0%, paid monthly. First Trust estimates that 80% of the distribution paid Oct 30, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.

SDVD

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, SDVD paid 9.7% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 8.6%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +18.9%. First Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (SDVY) returned +17.5% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 1.4 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 8.2%, paid monthly. First Trust estimates that 22% of the distribution paid Oct 30, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which paid more, KNG or SDVD?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, KNG paid 8.8% of its starting price in cash and SDVD paid 9.7%, so SDVD paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
Which returned more once distributions are counted, KNG or SDVD?: With every distribution reinvested, KNG returned +20.8% and SDVD +18.9% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, KNG or SDVD?: KNG charges 0.74% a year and SDVD charges 0.85%, so KNG is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

KNG vs RDVI KNG vs VAIE KNG vs YSPC KNG vs SIOO SDVD vs RDVI SDVD vs SIXH SDVD vs ULTY SDVD vs TSPY

Where to next

S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats (NOBL) →First Trust SMID Cap Rising Dividend Achievers ETF (SDVY) →KNG on its own →SDVD on its own →KNG dividend history →KNG holdings →SDVD dividend history →SDVD holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

KNG and SDVD filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

KNG and SDVD prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

KNG and SDVD 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

First Trust page for KNG ↗

First Trust page for SDVD ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

How this is computed

It is a place in a set, not a rating or a recommendation.

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, KNG against SDVD, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/kng-vs-sdvd

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.