Data as of .
SDTY vs ULTY: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year ULTY paid 46.9% of its price in cash against SDTY’s 24.7%, though SDTY returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: SDTY scores higher
Was the payout funded by returns, or by your own capital?
A percentile among the 161 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, SDTY and ULTY hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in SDTY | Only in ULTY |
|---|---|
| TREASURY BILL 92.47% | Alphabet Inc 5.66% |
| TREASURY BILL 3.84% | Analog Devices Inc 5.47% |
| TREASURY BILL 3.68% | Amazon.com Inc 5.16% |
| Lam Research Corp 4.99% | |
| Ciena Corp 4.95% | |
| Quanta Services Inc 4.95% | |
| Lumentum Holdings Inc 4.86% | |
| NVIDIA Corp 4.80% |
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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDTY | ULTY | SDTY | ULTY | SDTY | ULTY | |
| 3 months | +4.6% | −0.3% | 6.1% | 14.2% | +1.3 pts | −3.6 pts |
| 6 months | +14.8% | +11.2% | 13.8% | 29.8% | −1.2 pts | −4.8 pts |
| 1 year | +16.9% | −5.8% | 24.7% | 46.9% | −0.6 pts | −23.3 pts |
| Since launch | +21.9% | +9.0% | 35.1% | 86.7% | −6.3 pts | −45.9 pts |
| SDTY YieldMax(R) S&P 500 0DTE Covered Call Strategy ETF 0DTE covered call on SPY, paying weekly | ULTY YieldMax(R) Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF Synthetic covered call on SPY, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | YieldMax | YieldMax |
| Strategy | 0DTE covered call | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | S&P 500 (SPY) | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy |
| Pays | weekly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 21.0% | 61.5% |
| Expense ratio | 1.08% | 1.30% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 24.7% | 46.9% |
| Price change, 1 year | −9.9% | −53.3% |
| Total return, 1 year | +16.9% | −5.8% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Ahead or behind | −0.6 pts | −23.3 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 63% | 100% |
| Age | 582 days | 925 days |
SDTY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, SDTY paid 24.7% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 9.9%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +16.9%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +17.5% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 0.6 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 21.0%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 63% of the distribution paid Sep 10, 2026 was a return of capital (19a-1 notice, estimated, a tax characterization rather than a measure of erosion).
ULTY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, ULTY paid 46.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 53.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −5.8%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +17.5% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 23.3 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 61.5%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Sep 10, 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, SDTY or ULTY?
- Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, SDTY paid 24.7% of its starting price in cash and ULTY paid 46.9%, so ULTY paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
- Which returned more once distributions are counted, SDTY or ULTY?
- With every distribution reinvested, SDTY returned +16.9% and ULTY returned −5.8% over the year to Sep 11, 2026, so SDTY returned more.
- Which is cheaper, SDTY or ULTY?
- SDTY charges 1.08% a year and ULTY charges 1.30%, so SDTY 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, SDTY against ULTY, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/sdty-vs-ulty Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.