Data as of .
KNG vs SPYI: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year SPYI paid 13.1% of its price in cash against KNG’s 8.5%, and returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: SPYI 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, KNG and SPYI hold 11% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | KNG | SPYI |
|---|---|---|
| Johnson & Johnson | 1.85% | 0.95% |
| ExxonMobil Holdings Corp. | 1.54% | 0.89% |
| Walmart Inc. | 1.71% | 0.77% |
| Caterpillar Inc. | 1.32% | 0.77% |
| AbbVie Inc. | 1.52% | 0.69% |
| The Procter & Gamble Company | 1.72% | 0.53% |
| The Coca-Cola Company | 1.56% | 0.49% |
| Chevron Corporation | 1.58% | 0.48% |
| International Business Machines Corporat | 1.62% | 0.41% |
| Linde Plc | 1.32% | 0.37% |
| McDonald's Corporation | 1.37% | 0.30% |
| PepsiCo, Inc. | 1.39% | 0.29% |
| Only in KNG | Only in SPYI |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-16 Cincinnati Financial Corporat 0.00% | NVIDIA Corp 7.57% |
| 2026-10-16 Essex Property Trust, Inc. C 0.00% | Apple Inc 6.59% |
| 2026-10-16 Eversource Energy C 70 0.00% | Microsoft Corp 4.32% |
| 2026-10-16 Federal Realty Investment Tru 0.00% | Amazon.com Inc 3.65% |
| 2026-10-16 Kenvue Inc. C 18 0.00% | Alphabet Inc 3.28% |
| 2026-10-16 Kimberly-Clark Corporation C 0.00% | Broadcom Inc 2.80% |
| 2026-10-16 Realty Income Corporation C 5 0.00% | Alphabet Inc 2.61% |
| 2026-10-16 Sysco Corporation C 80 0.00% | Micron Technology Inc 1.99% |
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 Jun 30, 2026 and Sep 18, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KNG | SPYI | KNG | SPYI | KNG | SPYI | |
| 3 months | +1.8% | +3.1% | 2.2% | 3.0% | −0.1 pts | +0.9 pts |
| 6 months | +7.1% | +14.4% | 4.4% | 6.5% | −0.9 pts | −3.6 pts |
| 1 year | +8.3% | +15.3% | 8.5% | 13.1% | −1.6 pts | −1.2 pts |
| 3 years | +24.0% | +57.2% | 25.4% | 38.6% | −4.3 pts | −21.2 pts |
| Since launch | +101.5% | +77.1% | 59.4% | 50.3% | −15.2 pts | −25.3 pts |
| KNG FT Vest S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Target Income ETF Dividend stocks with call overlay on NOBL, paying monthly | SPYI NEOS S&P 500(R) High Income ETF Option income on SPY, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | First Trust | NEOS |
| Strategy | dividend stocks with call overlay | option income |
| Benchmark | S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats (NOBL) | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| Pays | monthly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 8.8% | 12.1% |
| Expense ratio | 0.74% | 0.68% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 8.5% | 13.1% |
| Price change, 1 year | −0.4% | +1.2% |
| Total return, 1 year | +8.3% | +15.3% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +9.9% | +16.6% |
| Ahead or behind | −1.6 pts | −1.2 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | 93% |
| Age | 3097 days | 1480 days |
| Net assets | $3.3bn | $12.2bn |
KNG in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, KNG paid 8.5% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 0.4%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +8.3%. S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats (NOBL) returned +9.9% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 1.6 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 8.8%, paid monthly.
SPYI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, SPYI paid 13.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 1.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +15.3%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 1.2 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 12.1%, paid monthly. NEOS estimates that 93% of the distribution paid Jun 18, 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, KNG or SPYI?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, KNG paid 8.5% of its starting price in cash and SPYI paid 13.1%, so SPYI 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 SPYI?
- With every distribution reinvested, KNG returned +8.3% and SPYI returned +15.3% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so SPYI returned more.
- Which is cheaper, KNG or SPYI?
- KNG charges 0.74% a year and SPYI charges 0.68%, so SPYI 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, KNG against SPYI, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/kng-vs-spyi Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.