Data as of .
MDST vs XLFI: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year XLFI paid 10.9% of its price in cash against MDST’s 10.0%, though MDST returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: XLFI 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 XLFI hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in MDST | Only in XLFI |
|---|---|
| ENERGY TRANSFER LP 8.97% | STATE STREET FINANCIAL SELECT 99.88% |
| ENBRIDGE INC 8.79% | SSI US GOV MONEY MARKET CLASS 0.48% |
| WILLIAMS COMPANIES INC (THE) 8.61% | STATE STREET FINANCIAL SELECT OCT26 59 CALL -0.00% |
| ENTERPRISE PRODUCTS PARTNERS LP 6.87% | STATE STREET FINANCIAL SELECT OCT26 58 CALL -0.35% |
| 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 18, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MDST | XLFI | MDST | XLFI | MDST | XLFI | |
| 3 months | +4.6% | +5.1% | 2.4% | 2.4% | −15.9 pts | +0.4 pts |
| 6 months | +5.8% | +12.6% | 4.7% | 5.5% | −4.2 pts | −2.2 pts |
| 1 year | +19.2% | +5.2% | 10.0% | 10.9% | −28.6 pts | +0.4 pts |
| Since launch | +48.9% | +8.7% | 26.1% | 12.4% | +7.3 pts | +1.0 pts |
| MDST Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF Option income on XLE, paying monthly | XLFI State Street(R) Financial Select Sector SPDR(R) Premium Income ETF Covered call on XLF, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Westwood | State Street |
| Strategy | option income | covered call |
| Benchmark | Energy sector (XLE), used as the energy proxy | Financials sector (XLF) |
| Pays | monthly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 9.3% | 6.7% |
| Expense ratio | 0.80% | 0.35% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 10.0% | 10.9% |
| Price change, 1 year | +8.2% | −6.2% |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.2% | +5.2% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +47.8% | +4.8% |
| Ahead or behind | −28.6 pts | +0.4 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | not published |
| Age | 892 days | 415 days |
| Net assets | $247m | $10m |
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.
XLFI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, XLFI paid 10.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 6.2%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +5.2%. Financials sector (XLF) returned +4.8% over the same days, so a holder was about even. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 6.7%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, MDST or XLFI?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, MDST paid 10.0% of its starting price in cash and XLFI paid 10.9%, so XLFI 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 XLFI?
- With every distribution reinvested, MDST returned +19.2% and XLFI returned +5.2% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so MDST returned more.
- Which is cheaper, MDST or XLFI?
- MDST charges 0.80% a year and XLFI charges 0.35%, so XLFI 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 XLFI, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/mdst-vs-xlfi Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.