ULTY vs YMAX: Dividend Yield, Total Return & Fees Compared

YieldMax™ Ultra Option Income Strategy ETFYieldMax™ Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs

Data as of the close · refreshed automatically every trading day

Higher yieldULTY95.52% vs 63.77%
Better 1-year total returnYMAX+4.51% vs -5.50%
Lower expense ratioULTY1.24% vs 1.28%

ULTY vs YMAX at a glance

YieldMax™ Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF (ULTY) and YieldMax™ Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs (YMAX) are compared below using data through the September 25, 2026 close, refreshed after every trading day.

Over the past year, YMAX returned +4.51% with dividends reinvested, compared with -5.50% for ULTY. ULTY currently yields 95.52% (trailing 12-month) against 63.77% for YMAX.

The higher-yielding fund (ULTY) has trailed on 1-year total return. Yield only measures the income a fund pays; total return also counts the change in share price, so it is the fuller basis for comparing the two.

Key figures for ULTY and YMAX
MetricULTYYMAX
Last close$25.75$7.77
Dividend yield95.52% (TTM)63.77% (TTM)
Expense ratio1.24%1.28%
Paysweeklyweekly
Dividends, last 12 months$24.60 (52 payments)$4.95 (53 payments)
IssuerYieldMax ETFsYieldMax ETFs
InceptionFeb 29, 2024Jan 17, 2024

Performance: ULTY vs YMAX

Total return assumes every distribution is reinvested. Switch to price return to see the change in share price alone.

ULTYYMAX

Total Return (%) · dividends reinvested · Sep 25, 2025 – Sep 25, 2026

DividendDuel.com

Overview

Key fund stats as of the latest close.

ETFTTM yield1Y total returnLast closeLast dividendPaysIssuer
ULTYYieldMax™ Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF
95.52%
-5.50%$25.75$0.306WeeklyYieldMax ETFs
YMAXYieldMax™ Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs
63.77%
+4.51%Best$7.77$0.06WeeklyYieldMax ETFs

Total returns

Price change plus dividends paid, by holding period. Best in each period is outlined.

ETF1M3M6M1Y2Y5Y
ULTYYieldMax™ Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF+1.85%+2.67%+11.80%-5.50%+21.00%—
YMAXYieldMax™ Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs+5.36%+11.60%+24.33%+4.51%+32.01%—

Dividends

Latest payout, trailing 12-month total and the last 12 distributions.

ETFLatest payoutvs. priorTrailing 12MRecent payouts
ULTYYieldMax™ Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF$0.306Sep 23, 2026+3.03%$24.59652 payoutsJul 8, 2026: $0.338Jul 15, 2026: $0.33Jul 22, 2026: $0.318Jul 29, 2026: $0.31Aug 5, 2026: $0.308Aug 12, 2026: $0.318Aug 19, 2026: $0.32Aug 26, 2026: $0.308Sep 2, 2026: $0.305Sep 9, 2026: $0.304Sep 16, 2026: $0.297Sep 23, 2026: $0.306
YMAXYieldMax™ Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs$0.06Sep 23, 2026+3.45%$4.95553 payoutsJul 8, 2026: $0.071Jul 15, 2026: $0.073Jul 22, 2026: $0.069Jul 29, 2026: $0.057Aug 5, 2026: $0.059Aug 12, 2026: $0.061Aug 19, 2026: $0.06Aug 26, 2026: $0.059Sep 2, 2026: $0.06Sep 9, 2026: $0.06Sep 16, 2026: $0.058Sep 23, 2026: $0.06

Recent dividend payments

The latest 12 distributions per share for each fund, newest first.

ULTYYMAX
Sep 23, 2026$0.306Sep 23, 2026$0.060
Sep 16, 2026$0.297Sep 16, 2026$0.058
Sep 9, 2026$0.304Sep 9, 2026$0.060
Sep 2, 2026$0.305Sep 2, 2026$0.060
Aug 26, 2026$0.308Aug 26, 2026$0.059
Aug 19, 2026$0.320Aug 19, 2026$0.060
Aug 12, 2026$0.318Aug 12, 2026$0.061
Aug 5, 2026$0.308Aug 5, 2026$0.059
Jul 29, 2026$0.310Jul 29, 2026$0.057
Jul 22, 2026$0.318Jul 22, 2026$0.069
Jul 15, 2026$0.330Jul 15, 2026$0.073
Jul 8, 2026$0.338Jul 8, 2026$0.071

ULTY vs YMAX: common questions

Which pays a higher dividend, ULTY or YMAX?

As of September 25, 2026, ULTY yields 95.52% (trailing 12-month) and YMAX yields 63.77% (trailing 12-month), so ULTY currently pays the higher yield. A higher yield does not guarantee a higher total return.

Which has performed better, ULTY or YMAX?

Over the past year with dividends reinvested, ULTY returned -5.50% and YMAX returned +4.51%. Past performance does not predict future results.

What would $10,000 in ULTY vs YMAX be worth after one year?

With dividends reinvested, $10,000 invested one year before September 25, 2026 would have grown to about $9,450 in ULTY and $10,451 in YMAX.

Which is cheaper to own, ULTY or YMAX?

ULTY has the lower expense ratio at 1.24% a year, compared with 1.28% for YMAX. On $10,000 that is roughly $124 vs $128 a year.

How often do ULTY and YMAX pay dividends?

ULTY pays weekly (52 payments in the last 12 months) and YMAX pays weekly (53 payments).

Is ULTY or YMAX the better investment?

It depends on your goals, time horizon and tax situation. Income-focused investors often weigh yield and payment frequency, while long-term investors usually compare total return and fees. Dividend Duel is an educational tool and does not provide investment advice.

Related comparisons

More side-by-side comparisons with ULTY and YMAX.

Figures come from end-of-day prices and distributions and are recalculated after every trading session; see our methodology. This page is for education only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Read the full disclosure.