Pacer US Cash Cows Growth ETF (BUL) Performance
BUL total return
Distributions reinvested · as of Oct 23, 2026- YTD
- +10.0% since Dec 31, 2025
- 1 year
- +13.9% total return
- 5 years
- +9.4% a year
- Since first price
- +13.4% a year since 2019
BUL trailing returns vs SPY, QQQ, AGG
| Period | BUL total return | Price only | S&P 500 (SPY) | Nasdaq-100 (QQQ) | U.S. bonds (AGG) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | −1.3% | −1.3% | −1.0% | −5.0% | +0.9% |
| 3 months | +3.9% | +3.9% | +3.2% | +1.9% | −0.4% |
| 6 months | +6.3% | +6.3% | +7.8% | +8.4% | −1.5% |
| YTD | +10.0% | +10.0% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 1 year | +13.9% | +13.7% | +14.4% | +15.9% | −1.1% |
| 3 years | +74.1%+20.3%/yr | +72.1% | +87.4%+23.3%/yr | +101.4%+26.3%/yr | +16.6%+5.2%/yr |
| 5 years | +56.9%+9.4%/yr | +51.5% | +79.3%+12.4%/yr | +94.0%+14.2%/yr | −0.8%−0.2%/yr |
| Since inceptionMay 3, 2019 | +156.4%+13.4%/yr | +143.0% | — | — | — |
Total return from adjusted closes (distributions reinvested, before tax). Periods of 3 years or more are also shown annualized. Price only excludes distributions.
Growth of $10,000: BUL vs SPY
From May 3, 2019: BUL grew to $25,644, SPY to $28,837.
Year-end values with distributions reinvested, no taxes or trading costs. Start: first common trading day of both funds.
BUL returns by calendar year
5 of 6 full years positive. Best 2021 (+32.5%), worst 2022 (−16.2%). 2026 is year to date.
BUL annual returns table
| Year | BUL | Largest drop | SPY | QQQ | AGG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026YTD | +10.0% | −8.9% | +12.3% | +15.1% | −1.0% |
| 2025 | +19.2% | −21.7% | +17.7% | +20.8% | +7.2% |
| 2024 | +27.4% | −9.3% | +24.9% | +25.6% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | +3.7% | −13.6% | +26.2% | +54.9% | +5.7% |
| 2022 | −16.2% | −27.1% | −18.2% | −32.6% | −13.0% |
| 2021 | +32.5% | −8.5% | +28.7% | +27.4% | −1.8% |
| 2020 | +27.3% | −37.1% | +18.3% | +48.6% | +7.5% |
Largest drop = deepest fall from a high within that calendar year.
Calendar-year return vs largest drop within the year
Most years include a sizable fall at some point even when the year ends higher.
BUL largest drawdowns
Now 7.8% below the high| Peak | Decline | Bottom | Recovered | Fall | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 17, 2020 | −37.1% | Mar 23, 2020 | Jun 5, 2020 | 2 months | 5 months |
| Dec 8, 2021 | −27.9% | Sep 30, 2022 | Mar 21, 2024 | 10 months | 2.3 years |
| Dec 4, 2024 | −23.5% | Apr 8, 2025 | Jul 10, 2025 | 4 months | 7 months |
Declines from a closing high (distributions reinvested) of 10% or more. Underwater = time from the peak until the old high was regained.
BUL risk statistics
| Statistic | 3 years | 5 years | Since 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annualized return | +19.9% | +10.8% | +15.0% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 14.3% | 18.6% | 19.4% |
| Sharpe ratio | 1.05 | 0.45 | 0.68 |
| Sortino ratio | 1.76 | 0.67 | 1.07 |
| Best month | +9.7% | +11.8% | +15.7% |
| Worst month | −6.5% | −11.5% | −13.7% |
| Best 12 months | +42.0% | +42.0% | +80.0% |
| Worst 12 months | +3.7% | −17.1% | −17.1% |
| Positive months | 67% | 62% | 66% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.85 | 1.01 | — |
| Correlation with S&P 500 | 0.74 | 0.85 | — |
From monthly total returns. Sharpe and Sortino use 1–3 month T-bills (BIL) as the risk-free rate, so they need history from 2007 on.
BUL rolling returns
| Holding period | Periods | Worst | Median | Best | Positive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year | 78 | −17.1% | +16.6% | +80.0% | 83% |
| 3-year (a year) | 54 | +3.4% | +11.8% | +23.1% | 100% |
| 5-year (a year) | 30 | +9.0% | +13.5% | +18.1% | 100% |
Every holding period starting at a month-end since 2019. Returns for 3 years and longer are annualized.
BUL performance overview
Pacer US Cash Cows Growth ETF (BUL) returned +13.9% over the past year and +9.4% a year over five years, with distributions reinvested. Since its first recorded price in 2019 it has returned +13.4% a year, turning $10,000 into about $25,644. Over the same year S&P 500 (SPY) returned +14.4%.
The deepest decline was −37.1%, from Jan 17, 2020 to Mar 23, 2020, and it took 2 months to get back to the old high. BUL finished 5 of its 6 full calendar years with a gain; the best year was 2021 (+32.5%) and the worst 2022 (−16.2%). Volatility has been 19.4% a year.
Related: BUL chart, BUL holdings, BUL dividends, BUL valuation. See the BUL overview for the latest quote and fund facts.
BUL performance FAQ
What is the BUL return over the past year?
BUL returned +13.9% over the 12 months to October 23, 2026, including reinvested distributions. On price alone it rose 13.7%.
What is the average annual return of BUL?
BUL has returned +9.4% a year over 5 years, +13.4% a year since May 3, 2019 (total return, distributions reinvested).
How much would $10,000 invested in BUL be worth?
$10,000 invested in BUL at its first recorded close on May 3, 2019 would be worth about $25,644 on October 23, 2026 with distributions reinvested.
What was the worst year for BUL?
The worst calendar year was 2022, with a total return of −16.2%. The best was 2021 at +32.5%.
What is the biggest drawdown of BUL?
The largest peak-to-trough decline was −37.1% between January 17, 2020 and March 23, 2020. It recovered to the old high on June 5, 2020, 2 months after the bottom.
How volatile is BUL?
Over the past 3 years BUL had an annualized volatility of 14.3% and a Sharpe ratio of 1.05 (excess return over 1–3 month T-bills per unit of risk).