ETF Evaluator: Global X MLP ETF (MLPA) Follow This ETF

Global X MLP ETF Overview

Global X MLP ETF (MLPA) is a passively managed Sector Equity Energy Limited Partnership exchange-traded fund (ETF). Global X Funds launched the ETF in 2012.

The investment seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive MLP Infrastructure Index ("underlying index"). The fund invests at least 80% of its total assets in the securities of the underlying index. Moreover, at least 80% of the fund's total assets will be invested in securities that have economic characteristics of the Master Limited Partnership ("MLP") asset class. The underlying index is intended to give investors a means of tracking the performance of the energy infrastructure MLP asset class in the United States. The fund is non-diversified.

About Global X MLP ETF (MLPA)

There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 6.42 years: Wayne Xie (2019) and Vanessa Yang (2020). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.

The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: S&P 500 (TR) (1970) index with a weighting of 100% and Solactive MLP Infrastructure TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Global X MLP ETF has 21 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 91.2% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.

Global X MLP ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Sector Equity ETF group. Global X MLP ETF has 0.0% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 100.0% There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Global X MLP ETF has 0.0% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $2 billion in total assets, which is above the $1 billion average for the Energy Limited Partnership category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.

MLPA Performance and Fees

The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Global X MLP ETF expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Energy Limited Partnership category. Global X MLP ETF has an expense ratio of 0.77%, which is 1% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a C. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.

High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Global X MLP ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 18%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 21% for the Energy Limited Partnership category.

Recently, in the month of June 2026, Global X MLP ETF returned 0.1%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Energy Limited Partnership category had an average return of 1.4%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.

Global X MLP ETF has a trailing yield of 7.42%, which is above the 5.28% category average. The fund normally distributes its income quarterly and its capital gains annually.

It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.

Global X MLP ETF Grades

Year to date, the ETF has returned 13.9%, 5.8 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 14.1% over the past year (grade of F), 15.8% over the past three years (grade of F) and 15.0% per year over the past five years (grade of F) and 5.8% per year over the past 10 years (grade of F).

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