Data as of .
XLEI vs XLUI: which paid, and which earned it?
Over the year XLEI paid 20.7% of its price in cash against XLUI’s 13.6%, and returned more with it reinvested.
ETFIQ Return Stability Score: XLEI 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, XLEI and XLUI hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Holding | XLEI | XLUI |
|---|---|---|
| SSI US GOV MONEY MARKET CLASS | 0.51% | 0.25% |
| Only in XLEI | Only in XLUI |
|---|---|
| STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC 100.58% | STATE STREET UTILITIES SELECT 100.35% |
| US DOLLAR 0.02% | STATE STREET UTILITIES SELECT OCT26 43 CALL -0.12% |
| STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC OCT26 69 CALL -0.03% | STATE STREET UTILITIES SELECT OCT26 42 CALL -0.48% |
| STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC OCT26 68 CALL -0.12% | |
| STATE STREET ENERGY SELECT SEC OCT26 67 CALL -0.95% |
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.
Performance, window by window
| Window | Total return | Cash paid | Against the benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XLEI | XLUI | XLEI | XLUI | XLEI | XLUI | |
| 3 months | +17.4% | −5.3% | 5.2% | 2.9% | −3.0 pts | +2.3 pts |
| 6 months | +12.6% | −1.9% | 9.4% | 6.8% | +2.7 pts | +4.8 pts |
| 1 year | +37.8% | +2.0% | 20.7% | 13.6% | −10.0 pts | +1.9 pts |
| Since launch | +41.2% | +2.4% | 23.1% | 14.7% | −10.0 pts | +3.2 pts |
| XLEI State Street(R) Energy Select Sector SPDR(R) Premium Income ETF Covered call on XLE, paying monthly | XLUI State Street(R) Utilities Select Sector SPDR(R) Premium Income ETF Covered call on XLU, paying monthly | |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | State Street | State Street |
| Strategy | covered call | covered call |
| Benchmark | Energy sector (XLE), used as the energy proxy | Utilities sector (XLU) |
| Pays | monthly | monthly |
| Payout rate, annualized | 15.8% | 11.8% |
| Expense ratio | 0.35% | 0.35% |
| Cash paid, 1 year | 20.7% | 13.6% |
| Price change, 1 year | +12.8% | −11.3% |
| Total return, 1 year | +37.8% | +2.0% |
| Benchmark return, 1 year | +47.8% | +0.1% |
| Ahead or behind | −10.0 pts | +1.9 pts |
| Return of capital, latest estimate | not published | not published |
| Age | 415 days | 415 days |
| Net assets | $119m | $55m |
XLEI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, XLEI paid 20.7% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price rose 12.8%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +37.8%. Energy sector (XLE), used as the energy proxy returned +47.8% over the same days, so a holder was behind by 10.0 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 15.8%, paid monthly.
XLUI in plain words
Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, XLUI paid 13.6% of its starting value in cash distributions while its price fell 11.3%. With every distribution reinvested, the fund returned +2.0%. Utilities sector (XLU) returned +0.1% over the same days, so a holder was ahead by 1.9 pts. At its price on Sep 18, 2026 the latest distribution annualizes to 11.8%, paid monthly.
Questions people ask
- Which paid more, XLEI or XLUI?
- Over the year to Sep 18, 2026, XLEI paid 20.7% of its starting price in cash and XLUI paid 13.6%, 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 +37.8% and XLUI returned +2.0% over the year to Sep 18, 2026, so XLEI returned more.
- Which is cheaper, XLEI or XLUI?
- XLEI charges 0.35% a year and XLUI charges 0.35%, so XLEI 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, XLEI against XLUI, data as of Sep 18, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/income/xlei-vs-xlui Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.