Data as of .
KNG vs ULTY: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year ULTY paid 44.9% of its price in cash against KNG’s 8.5%, though KNG returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: KNG 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 ULTY hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in KNG | Only in ULTY |
|---|---|
| Johnson & Johnson 1.85% | Alphabet Inc 5.66% |
| Nucor Corporation 1.85% | Analog Devices Inc 5.47% |
| West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. 1.77% | Amazon.com Inc 5.16% |
| Chubb Limited 1.74% | Lam Research Corp 4.99% |
| Becton, Dickinson and Company 1.72% | Ciena Corp 4.95% |
| The Procter & Gamble Company 1.72% | Quanta Services Inc 4.95% |
| Archer-Daniels-Midland Company 1.71% | Lumentum Holdings Inc 4.86% |
| Walmart Inc. 1.71% | NVIDIA Corp 4.80% |
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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KNG | ULTY | KNG | ULTY | KNG | ULTY | |
| 3 months | +1.8% | −1.1% | 2.2% | 13.7% | −0.1 pts | −3.3 pts |
| 6 months | +7.1% | +14.0% | 4.4% | 30.1% | −0.9 pts | −4.0 pts |
| 1 year | +8.3% | −7.8% | 8.5% | 44.9% | −1.6 pts | −24.3 pts |
| 3 years | +24.0% | not published | 25.4% | not published | −4.3 pts | not published |
| Since launch | +101.5% | +10.7% | 59.4% | 86.9% | −15.2 pts | −44.1 pts |
| KNG FT Vest S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Target Income ETF Dividend stocks with call overlay on NOBL, paying monthly | ULTY YieldMax(R) Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF Synthetic covered call on SPY, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | First Trust | YieldMax |
| Strategy | dividend stocks with call overlay | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats (NOBL) | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy |
| Pays | monthly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 8.8% | 59.8% |
| Expense ratio | 0.74% | 1.30% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 8.5% | 44.9% |
| Price change, 1 year | −0.4% | −54.1% |
| Total return, 1 year | +8.3% | −7.8% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +9.9% | +16.6% |
| Ahead or behind | −1.6 pts | −24.3 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | 100% |
| Age | 3097 days | 932 days |
| Net assets | $3.3bn | $721m |
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.
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, KNG or ULTY?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, KNG paid 8.5% 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, KNG or ULTY?
- With every distribution reinvested, KNG returned +8.3% and ULTY returned −7.8% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so KNG returned more.
- Which is cheaper, KNG or ULTY?
- KNG charges 0.74% a year and ULTY charges 1.30%, so KNG 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 ULTY, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/kng-vs-ulty Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.