CSEN vs VDE

CSENDCohen & Steers Future of Energy Active ETF

VDEAVanguard Energy ETF

In short

CSEN Cohen & Steers took its 2013-vintage energy mutual fund and rewrapped it as an active ETF in 2026. Roughly 40 names spanning oil and gas, renewables and the infrastructure in between, run by a real assets specialist.

VDE Energy without the mega-cap tunnel vision. VDE tracks an index of roughly 110 US energy stocks, large down to small cap, for 0.09% a year, and it has been running since 2004.

Stated mandate

CSEN The Fund seeks attractive total return through a combination of current income and price appreciation.

VDE The fund seeks to track the MSCI US Investable Market Energy 25/50 Index, which represents large-, mid-, and small-cap U.S. energy-sector stocks.

Why people hold it

• CSEN Refuses to pick a side: the mandate covers hydrocarbon producers, renewables and the companies enabling both, rather than a traditional-only or clean-only sleeve.cohenandsteers.comcohenandsteers.com 2
• Actively managed and concentrated at roughly 40 holdings, so position sizes reflect the manager's conviction instead of whichever energy giant happens to be biggest.
• The stated objective is total return from current income plus price appreciation, and the fund distributes once or twice a year rather than monthly.
• Not a startup strategy in a new suit: the portfolio ran as a Cohen & Steers mutual fund from 2013 before the 2026 ETF conversion.cohenandsteers.com

• VDE Costs 0.09% a year, a fraction of what the typical energy sector fund charges.
• Casts a wider net than mega-cap-only energy funds: about 110 large-, mid- and small-cap US names, from the integrated majors to shale drillers and refiners.vanguard.com
• Hugs its benchmark closely and trades actively, which tends to keep spreads slim for everyday buys and sells.
• Live since 2004 and one of the strongest builds in the broad energy group, with a Vanguard fee structure that has only ratcheted downward.

Worth knowing

• CSEN Active management carries an active price tag: 0.80% a year, against a 0.46% typical energy ETF and 0.08% for index staples like XLE and FENY.
• Trades lightly next to the category's index heavyweights, so bid-ask spreads matter more and limit orders earn their keep.
• With about 40 stock-picked names, returns can diverge meaningfully from a broad energy benchmark in either direction.cohenandsteers.com

• VDE One sector, one storyline: this rides crude and natural gas prices, and it swings harder in both directions than a total-market fund.
• Cap-weighted, so a handful of US oil majors carry outsized weight despite the long holdings list; the index's 25/50 rules limit that concentration rather than erase it.vanguard.com
• Income arrives quarterly, not monthly, and moves with what energy companies choose to pay out.

Full CSEN profile⁠

Full VDE profile⁠