MSTY vs PLTY — income now or growth kept?

MSTY sells options on synthetic MSTR exposure, while PLTY sells options on a synthetic PLTR position. Both are concentrated covered-call ETFs: option premium supports distributions, upside participation is limited by the call strategy, and declines in the referenced company still affect fund value. Their prices were $13.22 for MSTY and $31.33 for PLTY as of July 15, 2026, according to YieldMax issuer data. Per-share prices and payouts require rate and total-return context before they can be compared.

MSTY's distribution rate was 81.30%, compared with 49.76% for PLTY. Their SEC 30-day yields were 1.03% and 1.07%. A distribution rate annualizes recent cash paid, while SEC yield is a standardized measure of net investment income. Options proceeds and return-of-capital classifications help explain why the distribution rates were many times the SEC yields. Neither statistic describes total return, and neither establishes a future payout level.

MSTY's latest 12 recurring payout events totaled $3.6339 per share, averaging $0.30283 and ranging from $0.1549 to $0.5553. PLTY's latest 12 totaled $3.9608, averaging $0.33007 and ranging from $0.2574 to $0.4810. Relative to the prior 12 events, those totals declined 14.10% for MSTY and 30.81% for PLTY. The event windows are useful for modeling payout variability, but they are historical observations rather than annualized growth rates or predictions.

The expense ratios were 1.03% for MSTY and 1.07% for PLTY. MSTY reported a 56% trailing return-of-capital share, while PLTY reported 62%. Return of capital generally reduces cost basis and may defer tax until a later sale, subject to final tax documents; it does not create an extra economic return and is not inherently a negative label. The comparison therefore turns on two different company-specific exposures and two recent payout records within the same high-variability, weekly option-income design.

AI-assisted analysis · generated 2026-07-17 from each fund’s stored, issuer-sourced data · reviewed structure, not advice