MDST vs. MLPR

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF (MDST) and ETRACS Quarterly Pay 1.5x Leveraged Alerian MLP Index ETN (MLPR).

MDST and MLPR are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. MDST is an actively managed fund by Westwood. It was launched on Apr 8, 2024. MLPR is a passively managed fund by UBS that tracks the performance of the Alerian MLP Index (150%). It was launched on Jun 2, 2020.

Performance

MDST vs. MLPR - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF (MDST) and ETRACS Quarterly Pay 1.5x Leveraged Alerian MLP Index ETN (MLPR). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

MDST vs. MLPR - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024
MDST Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF	11.06%	7.09%	17.29%
MLPR ETRACS Quarterly Pay 1.5x Leveraged Alerian MLP Index ETN	22.63%	9.83%	10.34%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, MDST achieves a 11.06% return, which is significantly lower than MLPR's 22.63% return.

MDST

• 1D: -0.66%
• 1M: -0.59%
• YTD: 11.06%
• 6M: 11.92%
• 1Y: 12.46%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

MLPR

• 1D: -1.34%
• 1M: -2.29%
• YTD: 22.63%
• 6M: 28.78%
• 1Y: 12.80%
• 3Y*: 31.69%
• 5Y*: 31.78%
• 10Y*: —

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

MDST vs. MLPR - Expense Ratio Comparison

MDST has a 0.80% expense ratio, which is lower than MLPR's 0.95% expense ratio.

MLPR

ETRACS Quarterly Pay 1.5x Leveraged Alerian MLP Index ETN

MDST

Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF

Return for Risk

MDST vs. MLPR — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

MDST

MDST Risk / Return Rank: 35
MDST Sharpe Ratio Rank: 36
MDST Sortino Ratio Rank: 32
MDST Omega Ratio Rank: 41
MDST Calmar Ratio Rank: 33
MDST Martin Ratio Rank: 36

MLPR

MLPR Risk / Return Rank: 24
MLPR Sharpe Ratio Rank: 24
MLPR Sortino Ratio Rank: 24
MLPR Omega Ratio Rank: 27
MLPR Calmar Ratio Rank: 25
MLPR Martin Ratio Rank: 21

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

MDST vs. MLPR - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF (MDST) and ETRACS Quarterly Pay 1.5x Leveraged Alerian MLP Index ETN (MLPR). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	MDST	MLPR	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.72	0.46	+0.26
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.99	0.74	+0.24
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.17	1.12	+0.06
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.91	0.58	+0.33
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	3.50	1.35	+2.15
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

MDST vs. MLPR - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current MDST Sharpe Ratio is 0.72, which is higher than the MLPR Sharpe Ratio of 0.46. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of MDST and MLPR, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	MDST	MLPR	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.72	0.46	+0.26
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	—	1.08	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.14	0.92	+0.22

Correlation

The correlation between MDST and MLPR is 0.76, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

MDST vs. MLPR - Dividend Comparison

MDST's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 9.50%, more than MLPR's 9.27% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020
MDST Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF	9.50%	10.22%	6.60%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
MLPR ETRACS Quarterly Pay 1.5x Leveraged Alerian MLP Index ETN	9.27%	10.85%	9.57%	10.08%	7.49%	10.69%	4.21%

Drawdowns

MDST vs. MLPR - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum MDST drawdown since its inception was -14.19%, smaller than the maximum MLPR drawdown of -48.98%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for MDST and MLPR.

Drawdown Indicators

	MDST	MLPR	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-14.19%	-48.98%	+34.79%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-14.19%	-24.45%	+10.26%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	—	-28.66%	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-2.49%	-5.45%	+2.96%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-2.18%	-9.09%	+6.91%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	3.68%	10.54%	-6.86%

Volatility

MDST vs. MLPR - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for Westwood Salient Enhanced Midstream Income ETF (MDST) is 2.22%, while ETRACS Quarterly Pay 1.5x Leveraged Alerian MLP Index ETN (MLPR) has a volatility of 5.06%. This indicates that MDST experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than MLPR based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	MDST	MLPR	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	2.22%	5.06%	-2.84%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	7.66%	14.14%	-6.48%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	17.40%	28.07%	-10.67%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	16.23%	29.60%	-13.37%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	16.23%	34.00%	-17.77%