Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
PFF vs QUAL: how they differ
PFF and QUAL hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and QUAL returned more over the year.
iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF and iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, PFF and QUAL hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in PFF | Only in QUAL |
|---|---|
| BOEING COMPANY (THE) 3.99% | NVIDIA CORPORATION 6.52% |
| STRATEGY INC 2.99% | APPLE INC. 6.28% |
| WELLS FARGO & COMPANY 2.37% | MICROSOFT CORPORATION 5.05% |
| ORACLE CORP 2.31% | META PLATFORMS, INC. 3.50% |
| HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE COMPANY 1.79% | LAM RESEARCH CORPORATION 3.23% |
| BANK OF AMERICA CORP 1.47% | THE TJX COMPANIES, INC. 3.19% |
| CITIGROUP CAPITAL XIII 1.33% | VISA INC. 3.09% |
| ALBEMARLE CORP 1.31% | ELI LILLY AND COMPANY 2.92% |
Weight overlap is an ETFIQ calculation: for every security both funds hold, the smaller of the two weights, summed. Above 50%, holding both is close to holding one of them twice. Holdings dated Apr 30, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026.
| PFF iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF | QUAL iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | iShares |
| What it is | Preferred and Income Securities | MSCI USA Quality Factor |
| Total return, 1 year | −0.8% | +16.0% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −18.3 pts | −1.5 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.45% | 0.15% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 21.6% | 98.9% |
| Holdings | 455 | 121 |
PFF in plain words
PFF is an index equity fund tracking the Preferred and Income Securities. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned −0.8% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.45% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 22% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 455 positions, with the top ten at 19.9%. It sat 3.2% below its high of May 8, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
QUAL in plain words
QUAL is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI USA Quality Factor. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +16.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 99% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 121 positions, with the top ten at 39.1%. It sat 3.1% below its high of Aug 13, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, PFF or QUAL?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PFF returned −0.8% and QUAL returned +16.0%, so QUAL returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, PFF or QUAL?
- PFF charges 0.45% a year and QUAL charges 0.15%, so QUAL is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do PFF and QUAL overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 22% of PFF and 99% of QUAL by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds. Between the two funds, 0% of their books are the same securities at the same weight.
Other comparisons
Where to next
Where these figures came from
ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement.
Cite this page. ETFIQ, PFF against QUAL, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/PFF-QUAL Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources