# United States Oil Fund, LP (USO): ETF Facts & Distributions

> Markdown mirror of https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/uso for AI agents. Same live data as the HTML page, regenerated on the same refresh cycle. Not investment advice.

- Issuer: USCF · Asset class: Commodities
- Strategy: Thematic · Inception: 2006-04-10

USO delivers its exposure to oil using near-term futures. USO gets exposure to oil using derivatives, like several oil ETPs. The fund predominately holds near-month-futures contracts on WTI, rolling into future contracts every month. This method is particularly sensitive to short-term changes in spot prices. USO held front month contracts until April 17, 2020, at which time following leeway in the prospectus, USO changed the exposure from holding specifically front-month contracts to holding predominantly front-month contracts, 30% next month and 15% contracts with further expiry. USO is st...

## Key Facts

| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Price | $169.53 |
| Expense Ratio | 0.86% |
| Assets Under Management | $1.81B |
| NAV | $162.66 |
| Holdings Count | 1 |
| Distribution Yield (TTM) | — |
| Annual Distribution (TTM) | — /share |
| Distribution Frequency | — |
| 52-Week Range | $65.99 – $169.96 |
| Beta | 2.22 |

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What does USO invest in?

USO delivers its exposure to oil using near-term futures. USO gets exposure to oil using derivatives, like several oil ETPs. The fund predominately holds near-month-futures contracts on WTI, rolling into future contracts every month. This method is particularly sensitive to short-term changes in spot prices. USO held front month contracts until April 17, 2020, at which time following leeway in the prospectus, USO changed the exposure from holding specifically front-month contracts to holding predominantly front-month contracts, 30% next month and 15% contracts with further expiry. USO is structured as a commodities pool, so expect a K-1 at tax time. Long-term holders will be taxed on any gains even if they didn't sell shares.

### What is the expense ratio of USO?

United States Oil Fund, LP (USO) charges an expense ratio of 0.86%. This is the annual fee deducted from fund assets to cover management and operations.

### How big is USO?

United States Oil Fund, LP (USO) manages $1.81B in total assets. AUM determines bid-ask liquidity and the fund's vulnerability to closure. Funds below ~$50M are at higher risk of liquidation.

### Is USO actively managed or an index fund?

USO's management style is described in the fund's prospectus. See the description on the Summary tab for the published strategy.

### When was USO launched?

United States Oil Fund, LP (USO) launched in April 2006 and is managed by USCF.

### How has USO performed?

USO's total return (price change plus reinvested distributions) is charted at the top of this page. Switch the price chart to Total Return and pick a 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, or 10-year window to read the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over each horizon.

### Does USO pay a dividend?

United States Oil Fund, LP (USO) currently distributes little or no income. Trailing-twelve-month yield is —. Investors looking for income should consider income-focused alternatives. See the Peers tab.

### How often does USO pay dividends?

United States Oil Fund, LP pays dividends on its published schedule. Each ex-dividend date, record date, and payment date is listed in the dividend history table on this page.

### What is USO's dividend yield?

USO's trailing-twelve-month yield is —, calculated from the sum of dividends over the past year divided by the current price.

### When is USO's next ex-dividend date?

USO hasn't announced its next ex-date yet. Once declared it'll appear at the top of the dividend history table on this page.

### How much will USO's expense ratio cost me over 30 years?

On a $10,000 investment compounding at 7% gross return, a 0.86% expense ratio quietly compounds against your balance every year. The Fee Compounding Forecast card above projects the dollar drag for any holding period and assumption you pick. The typical result for a 1.0% expense ratio on a 30-year hold is roughly 25% of the final balance lost to fees.

### How does USO charge its expense ratio?

The expense ratio is deducted in tiny daily slices from USO's net asset value (NAV). You never see a bill. The price quoted on every exchange is already net of fees. There's no "fee day" to avoid; the cost is continuous and built into the trading price.

### Why does USO cost more than a fund like VOO?

USO's strategy (current expense ratio 0.86%) is different from a broad-market index tracker like VOO, so its fee belongs to a different cohort. The Cost Verdict card above shows you where USO sits within its own category, which is the comparison that actually matters.

### Are there cheaper alternatives to USO?

The Lower-Fee Alternatives card above lists ETFs following the same investment strategy as USO (0.86%) but at a lower expense ratio. Each row shows the fee gap, the peer's AUM as a liquidity sanity-check, and a direct link to that fund's analysis page. Cheaper price doesn't automatically mean better. Verify the peer holds what you actually want.

## More on Dividend Data

- Overview (HTML): https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/uso
- Distribution history: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/uso/dividend
- Holdings & diversification: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/uso/diversification
- Fees & cheaper alternatives: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/uso/expenses
- Peer comparison: https://www.dividenddata.com/funds/uso/peers

Data sourced from primary filings and market data providers; see https://www.dividenddata.com/methodology.