Data as of .
ULTY vs XYLD: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year ULTY paid 46.9% of its price in cash against XYLD’s 11.0%, though XYLD returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: XYLD 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, ULTY and XYLD hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in ULTY | Only in XYLD |
|---|---|
| Alphabet Inc 5.66% | NVIDIA CORP 8.01% |
| Analog Devices Inc 5.47% | APPLE INC 7.39% |
| Amazon.com Inc 5.16% | MICROSOFT CORP 5.58% |
| Lam Research Corp 4.99% | AMAZON.COM INC 3.81% |
| Ciena Corp 4.95% | ALPHABET INC-CL A 3.01% |
| Quanta Services Inc 4.95% | BROADCOM INC 2.60% |
| Lumentum Holdings Inc 4.86% | ALPHABET INC-CL C 2.40% |
| NVIDIA Corp 4.80% | META PLATFORMS INC 2.16% |
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 11, 2026.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ULTY | XYLD | ULTY | XYLD | ULTY | XYLD | |
| 3 months | −0.3% | +5.0% | 14.2% | 2.6% | −3.6 pts | +1.9 pts |
| 6 months | +11.2% | +10.5% | 29.8% | 5.5% | −4.8 pts | −5.1 pts |
| 1 year | −5.8% | +17.9% | 46.9% | 11.0% | −23.3 pts | −1.2 pts |
| 3 years | not published | +43.2% | not published | 32.9% | not published | −32.8 pts |
| Since launch | +9.0% | +190.8% | 86.7% | 112.9% | −45.9 pts | −133.7 pts |
| ULTY YieldMax(R) Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF Synthetic covered call on SPY, paying weekly | XYLD Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF Covered call on ACWI, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | YieldMax | Global X |
| Strategy | synthetic covered call | covered call |
| Benchmark | S&P 500 (SPY), used as a default proxy | All-country world (ACWI) |
| Pays | weekly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 61.5% | 9.0% |
| Expense ratio | 1.30% | 0.60% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 46.9% | 11.0% |
| Price change, 1 year | −53.3% | +5.9% |
| Total return, 1 year | −5.8% | +17.9% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +17.5% | +19.1% |
| Ahead or behind | −23.3 pts | −1.2 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | 100% | 93% |
| Age | 925 days | 4827 days |
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).
XYLD in plain words
Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, XYLD paid 11.0% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 5.9%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +17.9%. All-country world (ACWI) returned +19.1% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 1.2 pts. At its price on Sep 11, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 9.0%, paid monthly. Global X estimates that 93% of the distribution paid Aug 27, 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, ULTY or XYLD?
- Over the year to Sep 11, 2026, ULTY paid 46.9% of its starting price in cash and XYLD paid 11.0%, 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 XYLD?
- With every distribution reinvested, ULTY returned −5.8% and XYLD returned +17.9% over the year to Sep 11, 2026, so XYLD returned more.
- Which is cheaper, ULTY or XYLD?
- ULTY charges 1.30% a year and XYLD charges 0.60%, so XYLD 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 XYLD, data as of Sep 11, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/ulty-vs-xyld Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.