Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Income ETFs

KNG vs XYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, XYLD paid 10.7% of its price in cash against KNG’s 8.8%, though KNG returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets: $3.4bn on Nov 3, 2026 for FT Vest S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Target Income ETF, and $3.4bn on Oct 12, 2026 for Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF.

At a glance
8.8%
KNG cash paid, 1 year
10.7%
XYLD cash paid, 1 year
+20.8%
KNG total return, 1 year
+15.9%
XYLD 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.
XYLD · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 1.1 pts ahead of SPY
XYLD
+15.9%
SPY
+14.8%

1.1 pts ahead of SPY

XYLD over 1 year: paid 10.7%, price +4.4%, total +15.9%, SPY +14.8%, +1.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

XYLD

+15.9%

10.7% of it arrived as cash

1.1 pts ahead of SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

1.1 pts ahead of SPY

XYLD over 1 year: paid 10.7%, price +4.4%, total +15.9%, SPY +14.8%, +1.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

XYLD

+15.9%

1.1 pts ahead of SPY

10.7% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, 0 to +23.9%. XYLD over 1 year: paid 10.7%, price +4.4%, total +15.9%, SPY +14.8%, +1.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

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

Pair scorecard

XYLD costs 0.14 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 4.9 points.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

KNG vs XYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
MeasureKNGXYLD
Paid and earned
Total return, 1 year+20.8%+15.9%
Price change, 1 yearrose 11.1%rose 4.4%
Return of capital, issuer estimate80% of the Oct 30, 2026 payment93% of the Sep 24, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
BenchmarkS&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, measured through NOBLS&P 500, measured through SPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.74%0.60%
Net assets, as of Oct 12, 2026$3.3bn$3.4bn
Holdings
Holdings in common11%
ETFIQ Distribution Coverage Score · KNG scores higher How much of what it paid out did its total return cover?
IQ Income Score91.3KNG77.5XYLD

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

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

Apr 6, 2018 to Oct 30, 2026 · 447 weekly returns
KNG XYLD
Return
Total return edge KNG +113.7% +95.9%
Annualized edge KNG +9.2% +8.1%
Price return edge KNG +29.8% −13.9%
Risk
Volatility edge XYLD 16.6% 12.9%
Max drawdown edge KNG (slight) −30.1% −32.6%
Downside capture 96.9% 70.9%
Beta 0.96 0.66
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge Tie 0.45 0.46
Sortino edge KNG (slight) 0.63 0.58
Treynor 0.078 0.102
Calmar edge KNG 0.31 0.25
Against the benchmark
Alpha −0.6% a year −1.5% a year
Alpha t-stat −0.81 −0.99
Information ratio −0.42 −0.75
Tracking error 2.4% 7.8%

Each against its own benchmark: KNG against NOBL, Apr 6, 2018 to Oct 30, 2026; XYLD against SPY, Jul 5, 2013 to Oct 30, 2026.

Reading

From Apr 2018 to Oct 2026, KNG returned more: +113.7% to +95.9%. XYLD swung less: 12.9% to 16.6%. KNG fell slightly less at its worst: −30.1% to −32.6%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured
Open ↓
Risk and return: KNG vs XYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
MeasureKNGXYLDEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+113.7%+95.9%KNGPrice change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+9.2%+8.1%KNGTotal return as a yearly rate.
Price return+29.8%−13.9%KNGPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility16.6%12.9%XYLDSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation11.8%10.3%XYLDLike volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−30.1%−32.6%KNG (slight)Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture91.7%51.3%Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture96.9%70.9%Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta0.960.66Not an edgeHow far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared0.980.78Not an edgeShare of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe0.450.46TieReturn above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino0.630.58KNG (slight)Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor0.0780.102Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar0.310.25KNGAnnualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
BenchmarkNOBLSPYThe ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha−0.6% a year−1.5% a yearNot significantYearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat−0.81−0.99Not an edgeHow sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range−2.1% to +0.9%−4.5% to +1.5%Includes zeroThe 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio−0.42−0.75Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error2.4%7.8%Not an edgeHow far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 447 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

11%

By the books each fund has filed, KNG and XYLD hold 11% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Nov 3, 2026.

0 half 100%

half

11% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first KNG XYLD
ExxonMobil Holdings Corp. 1.43% 1.01%
Johnson & Johnson 1.48% 0.97%
Walmart Inc. 1.52% 0.77%
AbbVie Inc. 1.44% 0.70%
Caterpillar Inc. 1.21% 0.59%
Chevron Corporation 1.42% 0.58%
The Coca-Cola Company 1.46% 0.53%
The Procter & Gamble Company 1.48% 0.53%
Linde Plc 1.46% 0.34%
International Business Machines Corporation 1.42% 0.33%
PepsiCo, Inc. 1.46% 0.30%
McDonald's Corporation 1.53% 0.30%
Only in one fund ↓
Only in KNG
2026-11-20 AbbVie Inc. C 290 0.00%
2026-11-20 Archer-Daniels-Midland Company C 82.50 0.00%
2026-11-20 C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. C 140 0.00%
2026-11-20 Caterpillar Inc. C 730 0.00%
2026-11-20 Essex Property Trust, Inc. C 270 0.00%
2026-11-20 Genuine Parts Company C 135 0.00%
2026-11-20 Kenvue Inc. C 19 0.00%
2026-11-20 Sysco Corporation C 82.50 0.00%
Only in XYLD
NVIDIA CORPORATION 7.64%
APPLE INC. 7.13%
MICROSOFT CORPORATION 5.42%
AMAZON.COM, INC. 4.18%
ALPHABET INC. 3.28%
BROADCOM INC. 2.90%
ALPHABET INC. 2.65%
META PLATFORMS, INC. 1.92%
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 XYLD Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF · Covered call on SPY, paying monthly
Strategy dividend stocks with call overlay covered call
Benchmark S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats (NOBL) S&P 500 (SPY)
Pays monthly monthly
Payout rate, annualized 8.0% 9.1%
Expense ratio 0.74% 0.60%
Cash paid, 1 year 8.8% 10.7%
Price change, 1 year +11.1% +4.4%
Total return, 1 year +20.8% +15.9%
Benchmark return, 1 year +23.9% +14.8%
Ahead or behind −3.1 pts +1.1 pts
Return of capital, latest estimate 80% 93%
Age 8.6 years 13.4 years
Net assets, KNG as of Nov 3, 2026 and XYLD as of Oct 12, 2026 $3.4bn $3.4bn

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 XYLD: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Total returnCash paidAgainst the benchmark
WindowKNGXYLDKNGXYLDKNGXYLD
3 months+5.2%+2.4%2.0%2.2%−0.5 pts+2.6 pts
6 months+13.5%+7.9%4.3%5.1%−1.4 pts+2.9 pts
1 year+20.8%+15.9%8.8%10.7%−3.1 pts+1.1 pts
3 years+41.8%+48.4%26.9%34.0%−6.7 pts−34.5 pts
Since launchNot the same days: KNG Mar 2018 · XYLD Jun 2013+120.8%+194.8%61.2%114.5%−19.0 pts−316.0 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.

XYLD

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, XYLD paid 10.7% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 4.4%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +15.9%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 1.1 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 9.1%, paid monthly. Global X estimates that 93% of the distribution paid Sep 24, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which paid more, KNG or XYLD?
Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, KNG paid 8.8% of its starting price in cash and XYLD paid 10.7%, so XYLD 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 XYLD?
With every distribution reinvested, KNG returned +20.8% and XYLD +15.9% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, KNG or XYLD?
KNG charges 0.74% a year and XYLD charges 0.60%, so XYLD is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
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Sources and dates

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 XYLD, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/kng-vs-xyld

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