Data as of .
MDST vs XLSI: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year XLSI paid 11.8% of its price in cash against MDST’s 10.0%, though MDST returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: XLSI 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 XLSI hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in MDST | Only in XLSI |
|---|---|
| ENERGY TRANSFER LP 8.97% | STATE STREET CONSUMER STAPLES 99.85% |
| ENBRIDGE INC 8.79% | SSI US GOV MONEY MARKET CLASS 0.75% |
| WILLIAMS COMPANIES INC (THE) 8.61% | US DOLLAR 0.07% |
| ENTERPRISE PRODUCTS PARTNERS LP 6.87% | STATE STREET CONSUMER STAPLES OCT26 86 C -0.17% |
| DT MIDSTREAM INC 6.43% | STATE STREET CONSUMER STAPLES OCT26 85 C -0.50% |
| 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 | XLSI | MDST | XLSI | MDST | XLSI | |
| 3 months | +4.6% | +1.2% | 2.4% | 3.1% | −15.9 pts | +6.3 pts |
| 6 months | +5.8% | +4.9% | 4.7% | 6.2% | −4.2 pts | +1.4 pts |
| 1 year | +19.2% | +5.5% | 10.0% | 11.8% | −28.6 pts | +12.5 pts |
| Since launch | +48.9% | +4.8% | 26.1% | 12.7% | +7.3 pts | +4.5 pts |
| MDST Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF Option income on XLE, paying monthly | XLSI State Street(R) Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR(R) Premium Income ETF Covered call on XLY, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Westwood | State Street |
| Strategy | option income | covered call |
| Benchmark | Energy sector (XLE), used as the energy proxy | Consumer discretionary (XLY) |
| Pays | monthly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 9.3% | 9.3% |
| Expense ratio | 0.80% | 0.35% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 10.0% | 11.8% |
| Price change, 1 year | +8.2% | −6.5% |
| Total return, 1 year | +19.2% | +5.5% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +47.8% | −6.9% |
| Ahead or behind | −28.6 pts | +12.5 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | not published |
| Age | 892 days | 415 days |
| Net assets | $247m | $18m |
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.
XLSI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, XLSI paid 11.8% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 6.5%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +5.5%. Consumer discretionary (XLY) returned −6.9% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 12.5 pts.
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, MDST or XLSI?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, MDST paid 10.0% of its starting price in cash and XLSI paid 11.8%, so XLSI 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 XLSI?
- With every distribution reinvested, MDST returned +19.2% and XLSI returned +5.5% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so MDST returned more.
- Which is cheaper, MDST or XLSI?
- MDST charges 0.80% a year and XLSI charges 0.35%, so XLSI 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 XLSI, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/mdst-vs-xlsi Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.