Data as of .
SPUT vs ULTY: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year ULTY paid 44.9% of its price in cash against SPUT’s 5.2%, though SPUT returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: SPUT 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, SPUT and ULTY hold 6% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | SPUT | ULTY |
|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA Corp | 3.85% | 2.36% |
| Alphabet Inc | 1.84% | 4.39% |
| Advanced Micro Devices Inc | 0.47% | 5.23% |
| Caterpillar Inc | 0.35% | 3.07% |
| Lam Research Corp | 0.27% | 4.34% |
| Palantir Technologies Inc | 0.24% | 4.27% |
| Analog Devices Inc | 0.16% | 4.11% |
| Quanta Services Inc | 0.09% | 2.67% |
| MercadoLibre Inc | 0.07% | 4.99% |
| Ciena Corp | 0.06% | 3.07% |
| Marathon Petroleum Corp | 0.06% | 2.38% |
| Comfort Systems USA Inc | 0.05% | 4.61% |
| Only in SPUT | Only in ULTY |
|---|---|
| TREASURY BILL 49.24% | Space Exploration Technologies Corp 4.11% |
| Apple Inc 3.22% | Alibaba Group Holding Ltd 4.07% |
| Microsoft Corp 2.47% | VanEck Gold Miners ETF/USA 4.07% |
| Amazon.com Inc 2.09% | Figure Technology Solutions Inc 4.02% |
| Broadcom Inc 1.60% | Shopify Inc 3.55% |
| Alphabet Inc 1.59% | TransMedics Group Inc 3.48% |
| Meta Platforms Inc 1.10% | First American Government Obligations Fund 12/01/2031 2.74% |
| Tesla Inc 0.91% | Amplify Junior Silver Miners ETF 1.94% |
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 21, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPUT | ULTY | SPUT | ULTY | SPUT | ULTY | |
| 3 months | +2.4% | −1.1% | 1.1% | 13.7% | +0.1 pts | −3.3 pts |
| 6 months | +11.5% | +14.0% | 2.5% | 30.1% | −6.5 pts | −4.0 pts |
| 1 year | +11.5% | −7.8% | 5.2% | 44.9% | −5.1 pts | −24.3 pts |
| Since launch | +22.4% | +10.7% | 8.5% | 86.9% | −15.6 pts | −44.1 pts |
| SPUT Innovator Equity Premium Income - Daily PutWrite ETF Covered call on SPY, paying monthly | ULTY YieldMax(R) Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF Synthetic covered call on SPY, paying weekly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Innovator | YieldMax |
| Strategy | covered call | synthetic covered call |
| Benchmark | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy |
| Pays | monthly | weekly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 4.7% | 59.8% |
| Expense ratio | 0.79% | 1.30% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 5.2% | 44.9% |
| Price change, 1 year | +6.0% | −54.1% |
| Total return, 1 year | +11.5% | −7.8% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +16.6% | +16.6% |
| Ahead or behind | −5.1 pts | −24.3 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | 100% |
| Age | 553 days | 932 days |
| Net assets | $17m | $721m |
SPUT in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, SPUT paid 5.2% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 6.0%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +11.5%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 5.1 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 4.7%, paid monthly.
ULTY in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, ULTY paid 44.9% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 54.1%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned −7.8%. S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 24.3 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 59.8%, paid weekly. YieldMax estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Sep 17, 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, SPUT or ULTY?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, SPUT paid 5.2% of its starting price in cash and ULTY paid 44.9%, 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, SPUT or ULTY?
- With every distribution reinvested, SPUT returned +11.5% and ULTY returned −7.8% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so SPUT returned more.
- Which is cheaper, SPUT or ULTY?
- SPUT charges 0.79% a year and ULTY charges 1.30%, so SPUT 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, SPUT against ULTY, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/sput-vs-ulty Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.