Data as of .
MDST vs XLCI: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year XLCI paid 10.9% of its price in cash against MDST’s 10.0%, though MDST returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: XLCI 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 XLCI hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in MDST | Only in XLCI |
|---|---|
| ENERGY TRANSFER LP 8.97% | STATE STREET COMMUNICATION SER 100.05% |
| ENBRIDGE INC 8.79% | SSI US GOV MONEY MARKET CLASS 0.37% |
| WILLIAMS COMPANIES INC (THE) 8.61% | STATE STREET COMMUNICATION SER OCT26 117 -0.42% |
| ENTERPRISE PRODUCTS PARTNERS LP 6.87% | |
| DT MIDSTREAM INC 6.43% | |
| KINDER MORGAN INC 5.64% | |
| CHENIERE ENERGY INC 5.05% | |
| ONEOK INC 5.00% |
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 17, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MDST | XLCI | MDST | XLCI | MDST | XLCI | |
| 3 months | +4.6% | +3.2% | 2.4% | 2.9% | −15.9 pts | +1.6 pts |
| 6 months | +5.8% | +2.8% | 4.7% | 5.5% | −4.2 pts | +3.4 pts |
| 1 year | +19.2% | +2.2% | 10.0% | 10.9% | −28.6 pts | +7.9 pts |
| Since launch | +48.9% | +7.3% | 26.1% | 12.4% | +7.3 pts | +1.9 pts |
| MDST Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF Option income on XLE, paying monthly | XLCI State Street(R) Communication Services Select Sector SPDR(R) Premium Income ETF Covered call on XLC, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Westwood | State Street |
| Strategy | option income | covered call |
| Benchmark | Energy sector (XLE), used as the energy proxy | Communication services (XLC) |
| Pays | monthly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 9.3% | 8.1% |
| Expense ratio | 0.80% | 0.35% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 10.0% | 10.9% |
| Price change, 1 year | +8.2% | −8.8% |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.2% | +2.2% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +47.8% | −5.7% |
| Ahead or behind | −28.6 pts | +7.9 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | not published |
| Age | 892 days | 415 days |
| Net assets | $247m | $3m |
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.
XLCI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, XLCI paid 10.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 8.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +2.2%. Communication services (XLC) returned −5.7% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 7.9 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 8.1%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, MDST or XLCI?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, MDST paid 10.0% of its starting price in cash and XLCI paid 10.9%, so XLCI 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 XLCI?
- With every distribution reinvested, MDST returned +19.2% and XLCI returned +2.2% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so MDST returned more.
- Which is cheaper, MDST or XLCI?
- MDST charges 0.80% a year and XLCI charges 0.35%, so XLCI 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 XLCI, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/mdst-vs-xlci Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.