Which paid more, XLEI or XLUI?

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, XLEI paid 22.3% of its starting price in cash and XLUI paid 14.1%, so XLEI paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.

Which returned more once distributions are counted, XLEI or XLUI?

With every distribution reinvested, XLEI returned +39.2% and XLUI +5.6% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.

Which is cheaper, XLEI or XLUI?

XLEI and XLUI both charge 0.35% a year, so neither is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Income ETFs

XLEI vs XLUI: Dividend Yield & Total Return

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Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, XLEI paid 22.3% of its price in cash against XLUI’s 14.1%, and returned more with it reinvested.

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Net assets on Nov 3, 2026: $209m for State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR Premium Income ETF and $69m for State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR Premium Income ETF.

XLEI on its own →XLUI on its own →

At a glance

22.3%

XLEI cash paid, 1 year

14.1%

XLUI cash paid, 1 year

+39.2%

XLEI total return, 1 year

+5.6%

XLUI total return, 1 year

XLEI · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 10.6 pts behind XLE

XLEI

+39.2%

XLE

+49.8%

10.6 pts behind XLE

XLEI over 1 year: paid 22.3%, price +13.8%, total +39.2%, XLE +49.8%, −10.6 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

XLE

+49.8%

XLEI

+39.2%

22.3% of it arrived as cash

10.6 pts behind XLE

Total return, distributions reinvested

10.6 pts behind XLE

XLEI over 1 year: paid 22.3%, price +13.8%, total +39.2%, XLE +49.8%, −10.6 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

XLE

+49.8%

XLEI

+39.2%

10.6 pts behind XLE

22.3% of it arrived as cash. Total return, distributions reinvested. XLEI over 1 year: paid 22.3%, price +13.8%, total +39.2%, XLE +49.8%, −10.6 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

XLUI · 1 year to Nov 4, 2026 4.6 pts ahead of XLU

XLUI

+5.6%

XLU

+1.0%

4.6 pts ahead of XLU

XLUI over 1 year: paid 14.1%, price −8.9%, total +5.6%, XLU +1.0%, +4.6 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

XLU

+1.0%

XLUI

+5.6%

4.6 pts ahead of XLU

Total return, distributions reinvested

4.6 pts ahead of XLU

XLUI over 1 year: paid 14.1%, price −8.9%, total +5.6%, XLU +1.0%, +4.6 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

XLU

+1.0%

XLUI

+5.6%

4.6 pts ahead of XLU

14.1% of it arrived as cash. Both charts share one scale, with zero at the line. XLUI over 1 year: paid 14.1%, price −8.9%, total +5.6%, XLU +1.0%, +4.6 pts. Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Data to Nov 4, 2026.

Pair scorecard

Both cost 0.35% a year; their one-year returns differ by 33.6 points; XLEI is 3.0 times larger.

Points (pts) are percentage points.

XLEI vs XLUI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	XLEI	XLUI
Paid and earned
Measure	XLEI	XLUI
Total return, 1 year	+39.2%	+5.6%
Price change, 1 year	rose 13.8%	fell 8.9%
Return of capital, issuer estimate	100% of the Nov 5, 2026 payment
Against its benchmark
Measure	XLEI	XLUI
Benchmark	Energy sector, measured through XLE	Utilities sector, measured through XLU
Cost and size
Measure	XLEI	XLUI
Expense ratio	0.35%	0.35%
Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026	$209m	$69m
Holdings
Measure	XLEI	XLUI
Holdings in common	0%

ETFIQ Distribution Coverage Score · XLEI scores higher How much of what it paid out did its total return cover?

IQ Income Score82.3XLEI33.2XLUI

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

XLEI 82.3

XLUI 33.2

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

Aug 8, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026 · 64 weekly returns

XLEI XLUI

Return

Total return edge XLEI +55.9% +6.5%

Annualized edge XLEI +43.4% +5.3%

Price return edge XLEI +22.3% −10.2%

Risk

Volatility edge XLUI 15.6% 12.1%

Max drawdown edge XLEI −7.9% −11.9%

Downside capture 78.9% 79.2%

Beta 0.67 0.71

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge XLEI 2.15 0.17

Sortino edge XLEI 3.42 0.23

Treynor 0.501 0.029

Calmar edge XLEI 5.47 0.44

Against the benchmark

Alpha +5.1% a year +1.3% a year

Alpha t-stat 1.28 0.43

Information ratio −1.04 0.18

Tracking error 8.6% 6.0%

Each against its own benchmark: XLEI against XLE, Aug 8, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026; XLUI against XLU, Aug 8, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026.

Reading

From Aug 2025 to Oct 2026, XLEI returned more: +55.9% to +6.5%. XLUI swung less: 12.1% to 15.6%. XLEI fell less at its worst: −7.9% to −11.9%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: XLEI vs XLUI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
Measure	XLEI	XLUI	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+55.9%	+6.5%	XLEI	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+43.4%	+5.3%	XLEI	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	+22.3%	−10.2%	XLEI	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	15.6%	12.1%	XLUI	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	9.8%	8.8%	XLUI (slight)	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−7.9%	−11.9%	XLEI	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture	57.9%	66.5%		Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture	78.9%	79.2%		Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta	0.67	0.71	Not an edge	How far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared	0.92	0.92	Not an edge	Share of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	2.15	0.17	XLEI	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	3.42	0.23	XLEI	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor	0.501	0.029		Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar	5.47	0.44	XLEI	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
Benchmark	XLE	XLU		The ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha	+5.1% a year	+1.3% a year	Not significant	Yearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat	1.28	0.43	Not an edge	How sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range	−2.9% to +13.2%	−4.9% to +7.6%	Includes zero	The 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio	−1.04	0.18		Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error	8.6%	6.0%	Not an edge	How far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 64 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, XLEI and XLUI hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Nov 3, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

0% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first XLEI XLUI

Only in one fund ↓

Only in XLEI

STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC 100.78%

STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC NOV26 70.5 CALL -0.02%

STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC NOV26 72.5 CALL -0.02%

STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC NOV26 69 CALL -0.04%

STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC NOV26 71 CALL -0.07%

STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC NOV26 70 CALL -0.76%

Only in XLUI

STATE STREET UTILITIES SELECT 102.24%

STATE STREET UTILITIES SELECT NOV26 44.5 CALL -0.01%

STATE STREET UTILITIES SELECT NOV26 44 CALL -0.03%

STATE STREET UTILITIES SELECT NOV26 43.5 CALL -0.07%

STATE STREET UTILITIES SELECT NOV26 42.5 CALL -0.08%

STATE STREET UTILITIES SELECT NOV26 43 CALL -2.05%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

XLEI State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR Premium Income ETF · Covered call on XLE, paying monthly XLUI State Street Utilities Select Sector SPDR Premium Income ETF · Covered call on XLU, paying monthly

Issuer State Street State Street

Strategy covered call covered call

Benchmark Energy sector (XLE) Utilities sector (XLU)

Pays monthly monthly

Payout rate, annualized 22.0% 14.9%

Expense ratio 0.35% 0.35%

Cash paid, 1 year 22.3% 14.1%

Price change, 1 year +13.8% −8.9%

Total return, 1 year +39.2% +5.6%

Benchmark return, 1 year +49.8% +1.0%

Ahead or behind −10.6 pts +4.6 pts

Return of capital, latest estimate 100% 100%

Age 1.3 years 1.3 years

Net assets, as of Nov 3, 2026 $209m $69m

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: XLEI vs XLUI: Dividend Yield & Total Return
	Total return		Cash paid		Against the benchmark
Window	XLEI	XLUI	XLEI	XLUI	XLEI	XLUI
3 months	+9.7%	+1.2%	5.3%	3.9%	−1.8 pts	+0.5 pts
6 months	+14.8%	−0.9%	10.5%	6.8%	+1.9 pts	+2.4 pts
1 year	+39.2%	+5.6%	22.3%	14.1%	−10.6 pts	+4.6 pts
Since launchXLEI Jul 2025 · XLUI Jul 2025	+41.9%	+8.1%	27.2%	17.5%	−8.4 pts	+2.1 pts

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Alert

About each fund

XLEI

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, XLEI paid 22.3% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 13.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +39.2%. Energy sector (XLE) returned +49.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 10.6 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 22.0%, paid monthly. State Street estimates that 100% of the distribution paid Nov 5, 2026 was a return of capital (its 19a-1 notice). That is a tax label, not a measure of erosion.

XLUI

Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, XLUI paid 14.1% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 8.9%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +5.6%. Utilities sector (XLU) returned +1.0% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 4.6 pts. At its price on Nov 4, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 14.9%, paid monthly.

Questions people ask

Which paid more, XLEI or XLUI?: Over the year to Nov 4, 2026, XLEI paid 22.3% of its starting price in cash and XLUI paid 14.1%, so XLEI paid more. Cash paid is not the same as money made: the price change matters too.
Which returned more once distributions are counted, XLEI or XLUI?: With every distribution reinvested, XLEI returned +39.2% and XLUI +5.6% over the year to Nov 4, 2026.
Which is cheaper, XLEI or XLUI?: XLEI and XLUI both charge 0.35% a year, so neither is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

XLEI vs GPTY XLEI vs MDST XLEI vs AIPI XLEI vs TDVI XLUI vs WEEI XLUI vs MDST XLUI vs GPTY XLUI vs AIPI

Where to next

Energy sector (XLE) →Utilities sector (XLU) →XLEI on its own →XLUI on its own →XLEI dividend history →XLEI holdings →XLUI dividend history →XLUI holdings →Method →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

XLEI and XLUI filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

XLEI and XLUI prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

XLEI 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

State Street website ↗

XLUI 19a-1 distribution notice ↗

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, XLEI against XLUI, data as of Nov 4, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/xlei-vs-xlui

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Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.