At a glance
EQIN charges 0.35% a year, above the 0.17% average of the 8 funds most like it (the 8th cheapest of 9). It has $304.1M in assets, the 7th largest of that group; it paid 1.9% of its price in distributions over the past 12 months, quarterly. Over the past year it returned +18.1% with distributions reinvested (S&P 500: +11.5%), 7th of those 9 funds. Its ten largest positions make up 37.9% of the fund, out of 101 in all.
The short version
Columbia U.S. Equity Income ETF (EQIN) is an actively managed fund from Columbia Management, part of Ameriprise Financial. It holds about 100 dividend-paying U.S. large- and mid-cap stocks, chosen with a rules-based screen. It leans heavily toward banks and energy, with financials at 28.9% of the portfolio as of July 31, 2026. Its 0.35% expense ratio is roughly double the 0.17% average of similar funds.
Price history
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EQIN +18.1% over the year to Oct 27, 2026, total return with distributions reinvested.
How it has behaved
| YTD | 1 yr | 3 yr | 5 yr | 10 yr | Since start | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EQIN official prospectus, to Dec 31, 2025 | — | +9.22% | — | +12.87% | — | +11.82% |
| Russell3000Index index, same period | — | +17.15% | — | +13.15% | — | +14.58% |
| MSCIUSA Value Index index, same period | — | +13.71% | — | +11.11% | — | +10.30% |
| EQIN price data to Oct 27, 2026 | +16.7% | +18.1% | — | — | — | +13.3% |
- Over the year to Oct 27, 2026, EQIN returned +18.1%, 7th of 9 among similar funds.
- Its worst full calendar year was 2025 (+9.4%); its best was 2025 (+9.4%).
- The deepest fall in its price history was 24.7% (Dec 5, 2024 to Feb 26, 2025), recovered by Feb 3, 2026.
Show as a table
| Year | Price data | Prospectus (official) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +16.7% | — |
| 2025 | +9.4% | +9.22% |
| 2024 | — | +13.89% |
| 2023 | — | +11.86% |
| 2022 | — | +0.59% |
| 2021 | — | +30.91% |
| 2020 | — | +0.67% |
| 2019 | — | +30.52% |
| 2018 | — | -11.41% |
| 2017 | — | +19.67% |
| 2008 financial crisis stocks fell Oct 9, 2007 – Mar 9, 2009 | Before this security existed |
|---|---|
| 2020 COVID crash stocks fell Feb 19, 2020 – Mar 23, 2020 | Not in the price data, which starts Jun 3, 2024 |
| 2022 bear market stocks fell Jan 3, 2022 – Oct 12, 2022 | Not in the price data, which starts Jun 3, 2024 |
Dividends and income
Show as a table
| Year | Per share | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | $0.7700 | |
| 2025 | $0.9800 |
What's inside
As of Jul 31, 2026, the fund held 101 securities; the ten largest made up 37.92% of assets.
| Holding | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| JPMorgan Chase & Co | 4.95% | |
| Bank of America Corp | 4.63% | |
| ExxonMobil Holdings Corp | 4.13% | |
| Chevron Corp | 4.12% | |
| UnitedHealth Group Inc | 3.97% | |
| Procter & Gamble Co | 3.55% | |
| Home Depot Inc | 3.49% | |
| Goldman Sachs Group Inc | 3.16% | |
| Philip Morris International Inc | 3.14% | |
| Wells Fargo & Co | 2.79% | |
| American Express Co | 2.42% | |
| Citigroup Inc | 2.39% | |
| International Business Machines Corp | 2.22% | |
| Verizon Communications Inc | 2.06% | |
| Walt Disney Co | 1.76% |
By country
United States 96.82%Liberia 0.84%United Kingdom 0.68%Ireland 0.67%Bermuda 0.37%By asset type
Stocks 99.44%By sector
Sectors of the companies held, for the 88.1% of the fund in companies that have a stock page here; other holdings and cash aren't classified. Source: N-PORT holdings report as of Jul 31, 2026. Cash, money-market funds and derivatives are shown separately from the securities list.What changed recently
- Over the three months to Jul 31, 2026, investors added a net $15.4M (creations minus redemptions, per the N-PORT report).
- Monthly total returns reported for that quarter: +0.26%, +1.37%, +3.14%.
How it works
EQIN is actively managed by Columbia Management Investment Advisers, but it picks stocks with a set of rules rather than case-by-case judgment. At least 80% of net assets go into dividend-paying U.S. companies, mostly large and mid-sized firms worth more than $2 billion. The rules score each company on dividend yield, dividend growth and cash-based dividend coverage, which measures how comfortably a company's cash pays its dividend. Each stock is compared with others in its own sector, so the fund aims to hold strong dividend payers across many sectors instead of only the highest yielders.
The portfolio usually holds about 100 stocks, weighted by company market value, so bigger companies get bigger positions. As of July 31, 2026, it held 101 stocks, and the 10 largest made up 37.9% of assets. The largest were JPMorgan Chase (5.0%), Bank of America (4.6%), ExxonMobil (4.1%) and Chevron (4.1%).
The rules are re-run every quarter. Between those updates, a stock can be sold if the company goes bankrupt or its forward dividend yield falls below 1%. Columbia decides whether to replace it and with what. The prospectus lists portfolio turnover of 53%, and that much trading can add costs and taxable gains. As of July 31, 2026, the fund held no derivatives and does not use leverage or options.
What it really costs
- EQIN charges 0.35% a year, versus an average of 0.17% for the similar funds below (8th of 9, cheapest first).
- Using the prospectus's standard example, $10,000 invested would cost about $36 in the first year and $443 over 10 years (assuming a 5% annual return).
| Cost of $10,000 (SEC example) | 1 yr | 3 yrs | 5 yrs | 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EQIN | $36 | $113 | $197 | $443 |
In a retirement portfolio
The fund targets dividend-paying U.S. stocks for total return, but its 1.9% yield is modest and its holdings lean heavily toward banks.
EQIN launched in 2016, so it has no record from the 2008 financial crisis. Its prospectus shows a 31.73% loss in the first quarter of 2020, though it ended 2020 up 0.67%. It gained 0.59% in 2022. Its worst calendar year was 2018, at -11.41%. Price data starts in June 2024, and the deepest drop since then was 24.7%, from December 5, 2024 to February 26, 2025. It took about 11 months to recover, on February 3, 2026. A retiree who had to sell during a stretch like that would lock in losses.
Income is moderate: the trailing yield was 1.9% as of October 27, 2026, and the fund pays quarterly. The 0.35% expense ratio is about double the 0.17% average of similar funds. Past results don't predict future ones, and a retirement plan should look at the whole portfolio, not one fund.
Who it may suit — and who should look elsewhere
May suit
- Investors who want dividend-paying U.S. companies screened for yield, dividend growth and coverage, rather than a plain market-value index.
- Those comfortable with a heavy tilt to banks and energy: as of July 31, 2026, financials were 28.9% of assets and energy 10.3%.
- People seeking less market sensitivity: its one-year beta was 0.45 as of October 27, 2026, so it moved less than the broad market.
Look elsewhere if
- Cost-focused investors: the 0.35% expense ratio compares with 0.06% for Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) and 0.05% for iShares Core Dividend ETF.
- Those needing higher or monthly income: the trailing yield was 1.9% as of October 27, 2026, and the fund pays quarterly.
- Investors who want broad-market returns: through December 31, 2025, it trailed the Russell 3000 Index over one year, five years and since inception.
Close alternatives
Matched by holdings overlap from the latest N-PORT reports.
| Fund | Overlap | Cost | Net assets | 1 yr | 3 yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EQIN this fund | — | 0.35% | $304.1M | +18.1% | — |
| DIVB iShares Core Dividend ETF · different strategy | 34% | 0.05% | $1.71B | +35.8% | +28.8% |
| XOEX Xtrackers S&P 100 Ex Top 20 ETF · different strategy | 33% | 0.15% | $274.6M | +14.1% | +21.1% |
| DFUV Dimensional US Marketwide Value ETF · different strategy | 31% | 0.21% | $15.43B | +28.9% | +21.4% |
| DJD Invesco Dow Jones Industrial Average Divide… · different strategy | 30% | 0.07% | $486.5M | +22.3% | +22.2% |
| HDV iShares Core High Dividend ETF · different strategy | 29% | 0.08% | $14.90B | +38.0% | +21.7% |
| SCHD Schwab US Dividend Equity ETF · different strategy | 27% | 0.06% | $112.34B | +38.9% | +19.9% |
| AVIE Avantis Inflation Focused Equity ETF · different strategy | 27% | 0.25% | $12.9M | +32.4% | +16.8% |
Questions investors ask
Does EQIN pay monthly dividends?
No. EQIN pays dividends quarterly. Over the 12 months to October 27, 2026, it paid $1.04 per share, a trailing yield of 1.9%. Payments are not fixed. They depend on the dividends the fund's roughly 100 stocks pay, minus expenses, so a cut by large holdings such as JPMorgan Chase or ExxonMobil could lower what the fund pays out.
Is EQIN an index fund?
No. EQIN is actively managed by Columbia Management Investment Advisers, but its managers apply a fixed set of rules instead of picking stocks one by one. The rules rank dividend payers within each sector on yield, dividend growth and cash coverage, then weight the chosen stocks by market value. The rules are re-run every quarter. The prospectus measures the fund against the Russell 3000 Index and the MSCI USA Value Index.
What is EQIN's expense ratio?
EQIN's expense ratio is 0.35%, according to its prospectus filed February 26, 2026. Under the SEC's standard example, $10,000 earning 5% a year would pay about $36 in costs after one year, $113 after three, $197 after five and $443 after ten. That ranks 8th of 9 on cost against similar funds, whose average expense ratio is 0.17%.
EQIN vs DIVB: what's the difference?
iShares Core Dividend ETF (DIVB) shares more holdings with EQIN than any other similar fund, at 34%, but it follows a different strategy. DIVB charges 0.05% compared with EQIN's 0.35%. It is also much larger, with about $1.7 billion in net assets against EQIN's $304 million as of July 31, 2026. Over the year to October 27, 2026, DIVB returned 35.8% and EQIN 18.1%.
How has EQIN performed since it launched?
As of December 31, 2025, EQIN returned 9.22% over one year, 12.87% a year over five years and 11.82% a year since its 2016 launch. It beat the MSCI USA Value Index over five years and since inception. It trailed the Russell 3000 Index over all three periods. In 2026 it was up 16.7% year to date through October 27, which is not a full calendar year.