ETF Versus

COWZ vs SPY

Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF vs State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust

Last updated: 2026-04-02

Pacer US Cash Cows 100 ETF (COWZ) is an exchange-traded fund that provides exposure to us factor - cash flow securities. It charges an above-average expense ratio of 0.49%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 2.07%. Launched in 2016, the fund has a 10-year track record.

AUM: $18.0B ER: 0.49% Yield: 2.07% Since: Dec 16, 2016
SPY State Street

State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) is an exchange-traded fund issued by State Street that provides exposure to large-cap U.S. equities across growth and value styles. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.09%. The fund offers a moderate dividend yield of 1.13%. Launched in 1993, the fund has a 33-year track record.

AUM: $636.7B ER: 0.09% Yield: 1.13% Since: Jan 22, 1993

Quick Verdict

SPY is significantly cheaper at 0.09% vs 0.49% expense ratio, saving you approximately $781 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. SPY has edged ahead over the past year (16.8% vs 14.1%). Income investors may prefer COWZ for its higher yield (2.1% vs 1.1%).

Key Metrics

Metric COWZ SPY
Expense Ratio 0.49% 0.09%
Dividend Yield 2.1% 1.1%
Fund Family N/A State Street
Category US Factor - Cash Flow US Large Cap Blend

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

85 103 121 139 157 175 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
COWZ +50.8%
SPY +61.2%

Performance Comparison

Period COWZ SPY Difference
1 Month -3.81% -4.54% +0.73%
3 Months +3.13% -4.09% +7.22%
6 Months +7.80% -2.09% +9.89%
YTD +3.13% -4.09% +7.22%
1 Year +14.14% +16.80% -2.66%
3 Years +30.37% +59.45% -29.08%
5 Years +50.77% +61.25% -10.48%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period COWZ Fees SPY Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $960 $179 $781
$10.000 20 years $4.052 $771 $3.281
$10.000 30 years $12.832 $2.486 $10.347
$50.000 10 years $4.799 $896 $3.903
$50.000 30 years $64.162 $12.428 $51.734
$100.000 30 years $128.324 $24.855 $103.469

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric COWZ SPY
Annualized Volatility 17.8% 17.1%
Max Drawdown -22.6% -25.4%
Sharpe Ratio 0.30 0.38

Dividend Comparison

Metric COWZ SPY
Annual Dividend (per share) $1.29 $7.38
Dividend Yield 2.07% 1.13%
Distribution Frequency Quarterly Quarterly

Top Holdings

0 of top 9 holdings overlap (0% overlap in top holdings)

COWZ Top Holdings

NameWeight
ConocoPhillipsCOP2.35%
Pfizer Inc.PFE2.12%
Altria Group, Inc.MO2.09%
AT&T Inc.T2.08%
Bristol-Myers Squibb CompanyBMY2.05%
Verizon Communications Inc.VZ2.04%
T-Mobile US, Inc.TMUS2.00%
Diamondback Energy, Inc.FANG1.97%
Gilead Sciences, Inc.GILD1.96%
QUALCOMM IncorporatedQCOM1.94%

SPY Top Holdings

NameWeight
NVIDIA CorporationNVDA7.58%
Apple Inc.AAPL6.66%
Microsoft CorporationMSFT4.91%
Amazon.com, Inc.AMZN3.64%
Broadcom Inc.AVGO2.62%
Alphabet Inc.GOOG2.40%
Meta Platforms, Inc.META2.24%
Tesla, Inc.TSLA1.87%
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.BRK.B1.57%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose SPY if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Choose SPY if...

recent performance momentum matters to your strategy. Note that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

Choose COWZ if...

you prioritize dividend income and want higher regular distributions from your portfolio.

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