Data as of .
ULTY vs XISE: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year ULTY paid 44.9% of its price in cash against XISE’s 6.5%, though XISE returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: XISE 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, ULTY and XISE hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in ULTY | Only in XISE |
|---|---|
| Advanced Micro Devices Inc 5.23% | 2027-09-17 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust C 0.08 98.96% |
| MercadoLibre Inc 4.99% | 2027-09-17 State Street® SPDR® S&P 500® ETF Trust P 761.61 5.02% |
| Lumentum Holdings Inc 4.75% | US Dollar 1.19% |
| Strategy Inc 4.66% | U.S. Treasury Bill, 0%, due 01/28/2027 0.55% |
| Comfort Systems USA Inc 4.61% | U.S. Treasury Bill, 0%, due 02/25/2027 0.55% |
| Alphabet Inc 4.39% | U.S. Treasury Bill, 0%, due 10/29/2026 0.55% |
| Lam Research Corp 4.34% | U.S. Treasury Bill, 0%, due 12/01/2026 0.55% |
| Coherent Corp 4.30% | U.S. Treasury Bill, 0%, due 12/31/2026 0.55% |
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 Sep 18, 2026 and Sep 21, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ULTY | XISE | ULTY | XISE | ULTY | XISE | |
| 3 months | −1.1% | +1.2% | 13.7% | 2.0% | −3.3 pts | −1.1 pts |
| 6 months | +14.0% | +4.9% | 30.1% | 3.6% | −4.0 pts | −13.2 pts |
| 1 year | −7.8% | +6.1% | 44.9% | 6.5% | −24.3 pts | −10.5 pts |
| 3 years | not published | +20.9% | not published | 19.1% | not published | −57.5 pts |
| Since launch | +10.7% | +21.1% | 86.9% | 19.2% | −44.1 pts | −57.0 pts |
| ULTY YieldMax(R) Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF Synthetic covered call on SPY, paying weekly | XISE FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer & Premium Income ETF - September Buffer with income on SPY, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | YieldMax | First Trust |
| Strategy | synthetic covered call | buffer with income |
| Benchmark | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy | S&P 500 (SPY) |
| Pays | weekly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 59.8% | 6.0% |
| Expense ratio | 1.30% | 0.85% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 44.9% | 6.5% |
| Price change, 1 year | −54.1% | −0.6% |
| Total return, 1 year | −7.8% | +6.1% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +16.6% | +16.6% |
| Ahead or behind | −24.3 pts | −10.5 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 100% | not published |
| Age | 932 days | 1096 days |
| Net assets | $721m | $32m |
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).
XISE in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, XISE paid 6.5% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 0.6%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +6.1%. S&P 500 (SPY) returned +16.6% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 10.5 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 6.0%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, ULTY or XISE?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, ULTY paid 44.9% of its starting price in cash and XISE paid 6.5%, 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, ULTY or XISE?
- With every distribution reinvested, ULTY returned −7.8% and XISE returned +6.1% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so XISE returned more.
- Which is cheaper, ULTY or XISE?
- ULTY charges 1.30% a year and XISE charges 0.85%, so XISE 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, ULTY against XISE, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/ulty-vs-xise Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.