Why a $8.3 Million Cut to a 12% Yield ETF Signals a Portfolio Reset
Jonathan Ponciano, The Motley Fool
Mon, January 5, 2026 at 4:50 PM EST
5 min read
Key Points
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Michigan-based Foguth Wealth Management sold 475,844 shares of QYLD in the fourth quarter for an estimated $8.28 million based on quarterly average pricing.
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The quarter-end position value decreased by $6.76 million, reflecting both share sales and price movement.
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As of December 31, Foguth reported holding 1.24 million QYLD shares valued at $22.01 million.
Michigan-based Foguth Wealth Management reduced its position in the Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF (NASDAQ:QYLD) by 475,844 shares, an estimated $8.28 million transaction based on quarterly average pricing, according to a Monday SEC filing.
What Happened
According to a SEC filing released Monday, Foguth Wealth Management decreased its stake in the Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF (NASDAQ:QYLD) by 475,844 shares during the fourth quarter. The estimated transaction value was $8.28 million based on the quarterly average share price. The position’s quarter-end value decreased by $6.76 million, reflecting both trading activity and price changes.
What Else to Know
The sell activity reduced QYLD’s share of 13F reportable AUM from 4.69% pre-trade to 3.41% post-trade.
Top holdings after the filing:
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NASDAQ: QQQM: $36.74 million (5.7% of AUM)
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NYSEMKT: DIVB: $26.95 million (4.2% of AUM)
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NYSEMKT: SPY: $25.25 million (3.9% of AUM)
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NYSEMKT: XLK: $25.00 million (3.9% of AUM)
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NYSEMKT: SPYV: $21.72 million (3.4% of AUM)
As of Friday, AQYLD shares were priced at $17.68, up 9.54% over the past year and trailing the S&P 500 by about 7.27 percentage points.
ETF Overview
ETF Snapshot
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QYLD's investment strategy centers on replicating the CBOE NASDAQ-100 BuyWrite Index by holding NASDAQ-100 equities and selling monthly at-the-money index call options to generate income.
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Its underlying holdings consist primarily of the full NASDAQ-100 Index constituents, with a non-diversified portfolio structure and systematic covered call overlays.
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The fund structure is an exchange-traded fund with a passive, rules-based approach.
The Global X NASDAQ 100 Covered Call ETF (QYLD) is a large-scale ETF with over $8 billion in assets under management, offering exposure to the NASDAQ-100 while systematically generating income through covered call strategies. The fund seeks to deliver enhanced yield by writing monthly at-the-money call options on the NASDAQ-100 Index, appealing to investors seeking income and equity market participation.
Story Continues
QYLD's strategy provides a competitive edge for income-focused investors by combining equity exposure with option premium income, resulting in a high dividend yield relative to traditional equity ETFs. Its rules-based, transparent approach and focus on the technology-heavy NASDAQ-100 make it a differentiated solution within the income-oriented ETF landscape.
What this transaction means for investors
Covered-call ETFs like this one can look irresistible on the surface, especially with trailing yields north of 12% and monthly distributions that feel dependable. But those payouts come with trade-offs that become harder to ignore over time.This fund’s structure systematically caps upside by selling at-the-money call options on the Nasdaq-100, which works best in sideways or choppy markets. When equities grind higher, the income looks good, but the total return lags, and over longer stretches, that opportunity cost compounds. That’s increasingly relevant when the rest of the portfolio leans back toward broad equity exposure and diversified factor ETFs rather than pure income plays.The trim also aligns with the fund’s broader positioning. Post-sale, the largest holdings skew toward core equity exposure, diversified dividend strategies, and broad market ETFs, signaling a preference for flexibility over yield maximization. Even with a respectable roughly 9% one-year NAV return, the covered-call ETF still trails the S&P 500 materially, reinforcing why it’s often treated as a tactical allocation rather than a core holding.
Glossary
Covered call: An options strategy where an investor holds a stock and sells call options to generate income.At-the-money: An option whose strike price is equal to the current market price of the underlying asset.BuyWrite Index: An index tracking a strategy of holding stocks and selling call options on those stocks.13F reportable AUM: Assets under management reported to the SEC on Form 13F, covering certain institutional investment holdings.Dividend yield: The annual dividend income of an investment divided by its current price, shown as a percentage.Alpha: A measure of an investment's performance relative to a benchmark, showing value added or lost.Trailing twelve-month (TTM): The 12-month period ending with the most recent quarterly report.Exchange-traded fund (ETF): An investment fund traded on stock exchanges, holding a basket of assets like stocks or bonds.Non-diversified portfolio: A portfolio concentrated in fewer securities or sectors, increasing exposure to specific risks.Systematic covered call overlays: A rules-based approach to regularly selling call options on portfolio holdings to generate income.Passive, rules-based approach: An investment strategy that follows a set methodology without active management decisions.Option premium: The income received by selling an option contract, paid by the option buyer to the seller.
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Jonathan Ponciano has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Why a $8.3 Million Cut to a 12% Yield ETF Signals a Portfolio Reset was originally published by The Motley Fool
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