Data as of .
MDST vs SOXY: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year SOXY paid 16.4% of its price in cash against MDST’s 10.0%, and returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: SOXY 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, MDST and SOXY hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in MDST | Only in SOXY |
|---|---|
| ENERGY TRANSFER LP 8.97% | NVIDIA Corp 6.50% |
| ENBRIDGE INC 8.79% | Marvell Technology Inc 5.71% |
| WILLIAMS COMPANIES INC (THE) 8.61% | Intel Corp 5.71% |
| ENTERPRISE PRODUCTS PARTNERS LP 6.87% | Broadcom Inc 5.67% |
| DT MIDSTREAM INC 6.43% | ARM Holdings PLC 5.07% |
| KINDER MORGAN INC 5.64% | ASML Holding NV 4.52% |
| CHENIERE ENERGY INC 5.05% | Advanced Micro Devices Inc 4.22% |
| ONEOK INC 5.00% | Micron Technology Inc 4.21% |
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.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MDST | SOXY | MDST | SOXY | MDST | SOXY | |
| 3 months | +4.6% | −16.9% | 2.4% | 2.5% | −15.9 pts | −3.7 pts |
| 6 months | +5.8% | +52.4% | 4.7% | 8.4% | −4.2 pts | +3.5 pts |
| 1 year | +19.2% | +84.9% | 10.0% | 16.4% | −28.6 pts | +3.5 pts |
| Since launch | +48.9% | +123.2% | 26.1% | 26.9% | +7.3 pts | −9.2 pts |
| MDST Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF Option income on XLE, paying monthly | SOXY YieldMax(R) Target 12(TM) Semiconductor Option Income ETF Synthetic covered call on SMH, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Westwood | YieldMax |
| Strategy | option income | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | Energy sector (XLE), used as the energy proxy | Semiconductors (SMH) |
| Pays | monthly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 9.3% | 11.7% |
| Expense ratio | 0.80% | 1.06% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 10.0% | 16.4% |
| Price change, 1 year | +8.2% | +64.1% |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.2% | +84.9% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +47.8% | +81.3% |
| Ahead or behind | −28.6 pts | +3.5 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | 95% |
| Age | 892 days | 654 days |
| Net assets | $247m | $66m |
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.
SOXY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, SOXY paid 16.4% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 64.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +84.9%. Semiconductors (SMH) returned +81.3% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 3.5 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 11.7%, paid monthly. YieldMax estimates that 95% of the distribution paid Sep 3, 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, MDST or SOXY?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, MDST paid 10.0% of its starting price in cash and SOXY paid 16.4%, so SOXY paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
- Which returned more once distributions are counted, MDST or SOXY?
- With every distribution reinvested, MDST returned +19.2% and SOXY returned +84.9% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so SOXY returned more.
- Which is cheaper, MDST or SOXY?
- MDST charges 0.80% a year and SOXY charges 1.06%, 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, MDST against SOXY, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/mdst-vs-soxy Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.