Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

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Income ETFs

QYLD vs SEPI: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QYLD paid 12.3% of its price in cash against SEPI’s 8.9%, though SEPI returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets: $8.5bn on Oct 12, 2026 for Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF, and $152m on Jun 30, 2026 for Shelton Equity Premium Income ETF.

At a glance
12.3%
QYLD cash paid, 1 year
8.9%
SEPI cash paid, 1 year
+16.5%
QYLD total return, 1 year
+17.9%
SEPI total return, 1 year
QYLD · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 4.2 pts ahead of QQQ
QYLD
+16.5%
QQQ
+12.3%

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

QYLD over 1 year: paid 12.3%, price +3.3%, total +16.5%, QQQ +12.3%, +4.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QYLD

+16.5%

12.3% of it arrived as cash

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

Total return, distributions reinvested

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

QYLD over 1 year: paid 12.3%, price +3.3%, total +16.5%, QQQ +12.3%, +4.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

QQQ

+12.3%

QYLD

+16.5%

12.3% as cash

4.2 pts ahead of QQQ

12.3% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. QYLD over 1 year: paid 12.3%, price +3.3%, total +16.5%, QQQ +12.3%, +4.2 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.
SEPI · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 3.1 pts ahead of SPY
SEPI
+17.9%
SPY
+14.8%

3.1 pts ahead of SPY

SEPI over 1 year: paid 8.9%, price +8.3%, total +17.9%, SPY +14.8%, +3.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

SEPI

+17.9%

8.9% of it arrived as cash

3.1 pts ahead of SPY

Total return, distributions reinvested

3.1 pts ahead of SPY

SEPI over 1 year: paid 8.9%, price +8.3%, total +17.9%, SPY +14.8%, +3.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

SPY

+14.8%

SEPI

+17.9%

8.9% cash

3.1 pts ahead of SPY

8.9% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, 0 to +17.9%. SEPI over 1 year: paid 8.9%, price +8.3%, total +17.9%, SPY +14.8%, +3.1 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Both charts share one scale, 0 to +17.9%. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

SEPI costs 0.06 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.4 points.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

QYLD vs SEPI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
MeasureQYLDSEPI
Paid and earned
Total return, 1 year+16.5%+17.9%
Price change, 1 yearrose 3.3%rose 8.3%
Return of capital, issuer estimate99% of the Sep 24, 2026 payment99% of the Sep 30, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
BenchmarkNasdaq-100, measured through QQQS&P 500, measured through SPY
Cost and size
Expense ratio0.60%0.54%
Net assets, QYLD as of Oct 12, 2026 and SEPI as of Jun 30, 2026$8.5bn$152m
Holdings
Holdings in common38%
ETFIQ Distribution Coverage Score · SEPI scores higher How much of what it paid out did its total return cover?
IQ Income Score72.8QYLD85.9SEPI

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

Sep 19, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026 · 58 weekly returns
QYLD SEPI
Return
Total return edge QYLD (slight) +20.3% +18.9%
Annualized edge QYLD (slight) +18.0% +16.8%
Price return edge SEPI +4.6% +8.5%
Risk
Volatility edge QYLD 9.1% 10.2%
Max drawdown edge QYLD −3.9% −6.6%
Downside capture 64.8% 77.5%
Beta 0.55 0.80
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe edge QYLD 1.45 1.20
Sortino edge QYLD (slight) 2.21 2.13
Treynor 0.127 0.153
Calmar edge QYLD 4.60 2.54
Against the benchmark
Alpha −2.3% a year +4.6% a year
Alpha t-stat −1.37 1.36
Information ratio −0.93 0.65
Tracking error 10.6% 4.2%

Each against its own benchmark: QYLD against QQQ, Dec 20, 2013 to Oct 30, 2026; SEPI against SPY, Sep 19, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026.

Reading

From Sep 2025 to Oct 2026, QYLD returned slightly more: +20.3% to +18.9%. QYLD swung less: 9.1% to 10.2%. QYLD fell less at its worst: −3.9% to −6.6%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured
Open ↓
Risk and return: QYLD vs SEPI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
MeasureQYLDSEPIEdgeHow it is measured
Return
Total return+20.3%+18.9%QYLD (slight)Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized+18.0%+16.8%QYLD (slight)Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return+4.6%+8.5%SEPIPrice change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility9.1%10.2%QYLDSpread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation6.0%5.8%SEPI (slight)Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown−3.9%−6.6%QYLDDeepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture37.8%83.6%Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture64.8%77.5%Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta0.550.80Not an edgeHow far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared0.770.88Not an edgeShare of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe1.451.20QYLDReturn above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino2.212.13QYLD (slight)Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor0.1270.153Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar4.602.54QYLDAnnualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
BenchmarkQQQSPYThe ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha−2.3% a year+4.6% a yearNot significantYearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat−1.371.36Not an edgeHow sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range−5.5% to +1.0%−2.2% to +11.5%Includes zeroThe 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio−0.930.65Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error10.6%4.2%Not an edgeHow far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 58 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

38%

By the books each fund has filed, QYLD and SEPI hold 38% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.

0 half 100%

half

38% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first QYLD SEPI
APPLE INC. 7.65% 5.45%
MICRON TECHNOLOGY, INC. 4.32% 6.79%
NVIDIA CORPORATION 8.20% 4.20%
ADVANCED MICRO DEVICES, INC. 3.62% 7.84%
MICROSOFT CORPORATION 5.82% 3.55%
ALPHABET INC. 3.50% 4.86%
AMAZON.COM, INC. 4.93% 3.50%
BROADCOM INC. 3.11% 3.20%
META PLATFORMS, INC. 2.78% 2.90%
WALMART INC. 2.53% 1.76%
NETFLIX, INC. 1.41% 1.26%
FORTINET, INC. 0.55% 1.19%
Only in one fund ↓
Only in QYLD
ALPHABET INC. 3.28%
TESLA, INC. 2.62%
CISCO SYSTEMS, INC. 2.13%
INTEL CORPORATION 2.11%
COSTCO WHOLESALE CORPORATION 1.97%
APPLIED MATERIALS, INC. 1.88%
LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION 1.71%
PALANTIR TECHNOLOGIES INC. 1.32%
Only in SEPI
CATERPILLAR INC 7.49%
GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP INC (THE) 4.07%
JOHNSON & JOHNSON 3.44%
EXXON MOBIL CORP 3.21%
MERCK & COMPANY INC 2.78%
EBAY INC 2.57%
ARISTA NETWORKS INC 2.27%
DUKE ENERGY CORP 2.17%
Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

QYLD Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF · Covered call on QQQ, paying monthly SEPI Shelton Equity Premium Income ETF · Covered call on SPY, paying monthly
Strategy covered call covered call
Benchmark Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) S&P 500 (SPY)
Pays monthly monthly
Payout rate, annualized 12.2% 8.5%
Expense ratio 0.60% 0.54%
Cash paid, 1 year 12.3% 8.9%
Price change, 1 year +3.3% +8.3%
Total return, 1 year +16.5% +17.9%
Benchmark return, 1 year +12.3% +14.8%
Ahead or behind +4.2 pts +3.1 pts
Return of capital, latest estimate 99% 99%
Age 12.9 years 1.2 years
Net assets, QYLD as of Oct 12, 2026 and SEPI as of Jun 30, 2026 $8.5bn $152m

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: QYLD vs SEPI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Total returnCash paidAgainst the benchmark
WindowQYLDSEPIQYLDSEPIQYLDSEPI
3 months+2.4%−0.1%3.0%2.1%+5.9 pts0.0 pts
6 months+5.4%+6.8%6.0%4.4%+5.8 pts+1.8 pts
1 year+16.5%+17.9%12.3%8.9%+4.2 pts+3.1 pts
3 years+52.7%–37.9%–−38.6 pts–
Since launchNot the same days: QYLD Dec 2013 · SEPI Sep 2025+194.8%+23.5%117.5%10.0%−610.5 pts+3.7 pts

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About each fund
QYLD

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QYLD paid 12.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 3.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +16.5%. Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) returned +12.3% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 4.2 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 12.2%, paid monthly. Global X estimates that 99% of the distribution paid Sep 24, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.

SEPI

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, SEPI paid 8.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 8.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +17.9%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.8% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 3.1 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 8.5%, paid monthly. Shelton estimates that 99% of the distribution paid Sep 30, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice).

Questions people ask

Which paid more, QYLD or SEPI?
Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, QYLD paid 12.3% of its starting price in cash and SEPI paid 8.9%, so QYLD paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
Which returned more once distributions are counted, QYLD or SEPI?
With every distribution reinvested, QYLD returned +16.5% and SEPI +17.9% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, QYLD or SEPI?
QYLD charges 0.60% a year and SEPI charges 0.54%, so SEPI 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, QYLD against SEPI, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/qyld-vs-sepi

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