XOP vs. EMLP: Should You Buy a Low-Cost Oil Fund or Higher-Yield Infrastructure ETF?
XOP targets upstream drillers with a 0.35% expense ratio and 46.4% 1-year returns, while EMLP focuses on pipelines and utilities with a 2.8% dividend yield but deeper volatility.
Overview
The State Street SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (NYSEMKT:XOP) offers low-cost, targeted upstream energy exposure, whereas the First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund (NYSEMKT:EMLP) provides a higher-yielding, utility-heavy infrastructure play.
Energy investors often distinguish between upstream producers and the toll-booth business models of midstream infrastructure. While XOP targets drillers and refiners, EMLP focuses on the pipelines and utilities that move and process energy. This comparison looks at how these distinct mandates affect performance, cost, and income.
Details
Beta measures price volatility relative to the S&P 500; beta is calculated from monthly returns over the available fund history (up to five years). The 1-yr return represents total return over the trailing 12 months. Dividend yield is the trailing-12-month distribution yield as of the close of trading on Aug. 10.
Source
Originally published at www.fool.com.