FT vs ZTR: Correlation
Franklin Universal Trust (FT) and Virtus Total Return Fund Inc. (ZTR) show a strong relationship: their 3-year correlation of weekly returns is 0.74.
Data as of 2026-08-27 · refreshed every trading day · weekly returns · methodology
How correlated are FT and ZTR?
Across a 3-year window, the weekly returns of FT and ZTR correlate at 0.74, strong. The past 12 months show a weaker link (0.62) than the 3-year average (0.74). Stretching to 5 years gives 0.66, with an annualized covariance of 108.5 %².
Few assets follow FT as closely as ZTR, which ranks #3 of 12 tracked partners. On 12-month performance ZTR holds a 13.2-point edge, +4.8% against +18.0%.
How is this computed?
Pearson correlation on weekly returns: ρ(A,B) = cov(rA, rB) / (σA · σB), over windows of 52, 156 and 260 weeks. Covariance is annualized (×52) and expressed in %². Full definitions on the methodology page.
FT vs ZTR: side by side
| FT (Franklin Universal Trust) | ZTR (Virtus Total Return Fund Inc.) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year return | +4.8% | +18.0% |
| 5-year return | +31.6% | +27.0% |
| Volatility (ann.) | 10.5% | 14.0% |
| Beta vs S&P 500 | 0.32 | 0.40 |
| Max drawdown (3Y) | -10.6% | -18.3% |
| Market cap | – | $0.3B |
| P/E (trailing) | 6.0 | 5.7 |
| Dividend yield | 6.58% | 8.75% |
| Sector / category | US Listed | US Listed |
Year-by-year returns
| Year | FT | ZTR |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -14.0% | -21.3% |
| 2023 | +6.6% | -3.2% |
| 2024 | +18.4% | +18.3% |
| 2025 | +17.0% | +18.6% |
| 2026 | +1.1% | +15.6% |
Calendar-year price returns; the current year is year-to-date as of the data date above.
Are FT and ZTR good diversifiers for each other?
Only partially. A correlation of 0.74 means FT and ZTR share most of their swings. Pairing them dampens volatility somewhat, but it will not protect against a common drawdown.
FAQ
What is the correlation between FT and ZTR?
The FT/ZTR correlation stands at 0.74 on a 3-year window (1 year: 0.62, 5 years: 0.66), computed from weekly returns as of 2026-08-27.
Is ZTR a good diversifier for FT?
Only partially. A correlation of 0.74 means FT and ZTR share most of their swings. Pairing them dampens volatility somewhat, but it will not protect against a common drawdown.
What does a correlation of 0.74 mean?
On the −1 to +1 scale, 0.74 describes how much the two returns move together: +1 is lockstep, 0 is independence, negative values mean opposite directions. It says nothing about which performed better.
Use this data
$ curl https://www.pairbook.io/api/v1/pairs/ft-vs-ztr.json
Markdown for the live badge, attribution link included:
[](https://www.pairbook.io/pair/ft-vs-ztr/)
Free with attribution; caching and terms are described in the API documentation.
Related comparisons
Hubs: FT correlations · ZTR correlations
