Security Comparison

XOM vs XOMO: Which Is the Better Pick in 2026?

A head-to-head comparison of Exxon Mobil Corporation and YieldMax XOM Option Income Strategy ETF covering yield, cost, risk, and income potential.

Updated October 8, 2026

How these figures are calculated: methodology.

Best for

XOMInvestors who want direct ownership of the underlying business, with no fund wrapper or management fee.
XOMOInvestors who want to maximize current income — roughly 30.19%, generated by selling options premium.

Jump to the side-by-side numbers

Visual comparison

Key metrics

Projected income on $10K

Projections assume the current yield and share price remain constant. Actual results will vary.

Total returns

100% reinvested · ex-date convention. Period returns use this fixed assumption, independent of chart settings. YTD and 1Y are cumulative period returns; 3Y, 5Y, and 10Y are annualized. The shared Since-start window is annualized only when it covers at least one year.

XOM has outpaced XOMO over the trailing twelve months, posting a 52.46% total return against 31.54%. The lead holds up over 3 years too: XOM has compounded at 18.89% a year, against 10.63% for XOMO. Figures are total returns: price change plus every distribution reinvested.

Total return and risk statistics by fund. Each row is one fund; each column is one period or statistic.
Symbol	YTD cumulative	1Y cumulative	3Y annualized	Since Aug 2023	Volatility	Sharpe	Sortino	Max drawdown
XOM	40.50%	52.46%	18.89%	18.10%	23.3%	0.55	0.77	-20.1%
XOMO	24.18%	31.54%	10.63%	8.69%	19.2%	0.29	0.39	-18.9%

Total return with all distributions reinvested on the ex-dividend date (a modeling convention, not the cash-settlement date), split-adjusted, as of October 9, 2026. YTD and 1Y are cumulative period returns; 3Y, 5Y, and 10Y are annualized. The shared Since-start window is annualized only when it covers at least one year. “Since Aug 2023” measures every fund from August 31, 2023 — the start of shared available history — so all funds share one comparison window. Volatility is the annualized standard deviation of daily total returns over the trailing 3 years. Sharpe and Sortino divide the annualized return in excess of the risk-free rate by, respectively, that volatility and the downside deviation (both over the trailing 3 years) — higher is better. Max drawdown is the largest peak-to-trough total-return decline over the same window — shallower is better.

Distribution rate, SEC yield and return of capital

Metric	XOM	XOMO
Forward distribution rate	2.45%	30.19%
Trailing 12-month yield	2.45%	37.36%
30-day SEC yield	—	2.85%
Return of capital	—	75.78%

Total return (price change plus reinvested distributions) is the Total returns section above. Return of capital is the share of a recent distribution that was not income. A 30-day SEC yield can sit far from the headline distribution rate; both numbers are the fund's own published fields.

Side-by-side snapshot

Side-by-side snapshot. Each row is one metric; each column is one fund.
Metric	XOM	XOMO
Full name	Exxon Mobil Corporation	YieldMax XOM Option Income Strategy ETF
Issuer	—	YieldMax
Last Close	$168.50 as of October 8, 2026	$11.04 as of October 8, 2026
Distribution rate	2.45%	30.19%
Trailing 12-month yield	2.45%	37.36%
30-day SEC yield	—	2.85%
Distribution Safety Score™	100	74
Safety-Adjusted Yield	2.45%	22.34%
Expense ratio	—	1.17%
AUM	—	$38.6M
Distribution frequency	Quarterly	Weekly
Underlying index	—	ExxonMobil (XOM)
Objective	Explores, produces, and sells crude oil, natural gas, and petroleum products, and manufactures commodity petrochemicals worldwide.	YieldMax XOM Option Income Strategy ETF seeks current income while providing indirect exposure to the share price returns of Exxon Mobil Corporation common stock, subject to a limit on potential investment gains. The fund does not invest directly in Exxon Mobil Corporation; it uses a synthetic covered call strategy built from standardized exchange-traded options.
Asset class	Equity	Equity
Inception date	N/A	08/29/2023
Beta	0.209	-0.26
Last dividend	$1.03	$0.0641 declared, pays 10/09/2026
Ex-dividend date	08/17/2026	10/08/2026

Bottom lineChoose XOM if you want direct ownership of the underlying business, with no fund wrapper or management fee. Choose XOMO if you want to maximize current income — roughly 30.19%, generated by selling options premium. There's no free lunch: XOMO's payout comes from selling options, which caps upside and can erode the share price over time, while XOM keeps full price exposure.

How the risk works

Read this before the income numbers below: the strategy mechanics on this page shape what those payouts can cost you.

Capped upside and premium dependence. XOMO generates income by selling options, which trades away part of a strong rally in exchange for premium. Distributions can include return of capital, and a payout the underlying assets cannot sustain shows up as NAV erosion over time — the big yield number is not free.

Learn the mechanics: Return of capital, explained · NAV erosion, explained

Model this comparison:

Compare in my portfolio Forecast income Save to watchlist

Income calculator

See how much monthly income a hypothetical investment would generate in each security at current yields.

YieldMax

ETFs62

Total AUM$10.2B

ETFs and AUM reflect what Dividend Vision tracks — the issuer's full lineup may be larger.

YieldMax is known for specializing in options-based and income-focused ETFs that emphasize yield generation through covered call strategies and other income-producing methodologies. The firm operates a diverse lineup of 63 funds organized across multiple families including covered call strategies, 0DTE (zero days to expiration) options, double distribution approaches, and various target-date and performance-based portfolios designed to generate regular distributions. Notable offerings span popular underlying assets like major technology stocks and broad market indices, with a particular emphasis on providing enhanced income solutions for investors seeking regular cash flows through options strategies and other tactical approaches.

See our curated list of related YouTube videos on XOMO.

See all YieldMax ETFs

Want to go deeper?

Add these securities to a sample portfolio and forecast your dividend income over 5+ years — free to start, no credit card.

Compare in my portfolio Forecast income Save to watchlist

Quick verdict

XOM (Exxon Mobil Corporation) is a stock, while XOMO (YieldMax XOM Option Income Strategy ETF) is an ETF — their trading structures differ.

XOMO offers the higher yield at 30.19% vs 2.45% for XOM. A higher yield means more current income per dollar invested, though it may come with different risk characteristics.

Still deciding? Track XOM & XOMO for free

Create a free Dividend Vision account to keep them on a watchlist, get notified when they declare dividends, and see how much income they would add to your portfolio.

Add to my watchlist See what a free account includes

Deep dive

Yield & income

On a $10,000 investment, XOM would generate roughly $61.25 cash per distribution, while XOMO would produce $58.06 cash per distribution, at current distribution rates.

XOM yield2.45%

XOMO yield30.19%

Cash diff on $10K$3.19

Cost & efficiency

XOMO charges a 1.17% expense ratio — roughly $1,170 over 10 years on $10,000 (simplified, not compounded). XOM is a stock, not a fund, so it charges no expense ratio.

XOMO ER1.17%

Strategy & risk

XOM is a stock built around integrated oil & gas exposure, while XOMO tracks ExxonMobil (XOM) with a covered call approach. Beta is 0.209 for XOM and -0.26 for XOMO, making XOMO the less volatile of the two by this measure.

XOM beta0.209

XOMO beta-0.26

Security details

XOM (Exxon Mobil Corporation) is a stock. XOMO is managed by YieldMax (launched 08/29/2023) with $38.6M in assets.

XOMO AUM$38.6M

Ready to act?

Open in Comparator Model in portfolio See pricing

Frequently asked questions

What is the current distribution rate for XOM and XOMO?

XOM currently distributes 2.45% and XOMO 30.19%, based on fund data updated October 2026. Distribution rate moves with both the payout and the share price, so check the as-of date before relying on either figure.

Is XOM or XOMO better for dividend income?

It depends on your goals. XOMO currently offers the higher distribution yield, which means more income per dollar invested. However, a lower-yield fund may offer better total return or lower volatility. Consider your time horizon and risk tolerance.

What is the difference between XOM and XOMO?

XOM (Exxon Mobil Corporation) is a stock built around integrated oil & gas exposure, while XOMO (YieldMax XOM Option Income Strategy ETF) tracks ExxonMobil (XOM) with a covered call approach. They are issued by — and YieldMax respectively.

Can I hold both XOM and XOMO?

Yes — nothing prevents holding both. Whether the combination actually diversifies depends on how much the underlying exposures overlap, which isn't fully measurable from the data on this page; review each security's holdings, sector, and strategy before treating them as complementary.

Is XOM or XOMO safer?

By Dividend Vision's Distribution Safety Score — a rules-based 0–100 estimate of how resilient a distribution looks, where higher is safer — XOM scores 100, XOMO scores 74, so XOM's payout currently looks the more resilient of the two. No score makes an investment risk-free — treat this as a screening signal, not a guarantee, and the leverage, options-income, or crypto caveats flagged on this page apply regardless of score.

Which has lower fees, XOM or XOMO?

XOMO charges a 1.17% expense ratio. XOM is a stock, not a fund, so it has no expense ratio — owning it directly costs nothing in ongoing fund fees.

How much income does $10,000 in XOM vs XOMO generate?

At current rates, $10,000 in XOM would generate roughly $61.25 cash per distribution ($245.00 annually). The same in XOMO would produce about $58.06 cash per distribution ($3,019.00 annually).

Which has performed better historically, XOM or XOMO?

More comparisons to explore

Popular comparisons

XOM vs XOMO — at a glance

Generated October 3, 2026.

Figures quoted in this analysis are from its generation date and may lag the live snapshot table above, which always shows the latest data.

Overview

XOM is Exxon Mobil Corporation, a large-cap integrated oil and gas stock that trades at $168.50 per share and pays a 2.45% quarterly dividend. The critical difference: XOMO caps your upside on XOM's gains in exchange for far higher cash yield, while XOM offers direct equity exposure with capital appreciation potential. This generates 27.74% more in annualized distribution yield than owning XOM outright, but any price appreciation in XOM above the strike level is capped and flows to the call buyer. XOM, by contrast, keeps all upside and has delivered a beta of 0.209 — nearly flat to broad market moves — while XOMO reports a beta of -0.26, which reflects its negative correlation to equity swings due to the options hedge. XOMO is much newer, having launched 3 years, and holds just $38.6M in assets; XOM has been public since 01/02/1962.

Who each is best for

XOM: Fits investors seeking stable dividend income with meaningful capital appreciation potential, who can tolerate oil-sector cyclicality and are comfortable holding a single mega-cap integrated energy producer with minimal portfolio friction.

Key risks to know

Options strike risk and capped upside. XOMO's income depends on selling calls at strikes above the current synthetic share price. If XOM rallies sharply, gains above those strikes are forfeited, and reinvestment at lower yields may follow if call strikes reset lower.

NAV erosion at >20% annualized yield. XOMO's 30.19% distribution rate is substantially higher than XOM's underlying dividend. Sustained payouts from option premium rather than underlying capital gains and dividends suggest long-term NAV compression unless call premiums remain elevated.

Volatility of premium income and earnings risk. Both securities are exposed to oil price swings and global demand, but XOMO's weekly distributions are sensitive to implied volatility. During market calm, option premiums contract, potentially reducing future payouts. XOM is one of the world's most liquid stocks.

Negative reported beta for XOMO. XOMO's -0.26 beta is an unusual feature of its hedged structure; it does not mean XOMO is a hedge or portfolio stabilizer in traditional risk terms. It reflects the options overlay and may not be reliable under stressed market conditions.

Bottom line

If you want direct ownership of a large-cap energy dividend stock with capital upside, XOM is the straightforward choice. If you prioritize maximum weekly cash income and are comfortable forgoing equity appreciation above a predetermined level, XOMO's synthetic covered call structure offers that tradeoff—though at the cost of options complexity, higher fees, and the risk that premium income cannot sustain its quoted yield indefinitely. Past performance does not predict future results.

AI-generated analysis for educational purposes only. Verify important details independently; past performance does not guarantee future results.

Learn the method

The metrics behind this comparison, explained in the Academy.

Still deciding? Compare them against your own portfolio

See how each security fits alongside your real holdings — forecast future income, analyze overlap, and gauge risk. Start a free 7-day Dividend Vision trial and make the call with your full portfolio in view.

Start Free Open in Comparator Browse Screener

These comparisons follow the Dividend Vision methodology.