Get the weekly note

Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

PFF vs VEA: how they differ

PFF and VEA hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and VEA returned more over the year.

iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF and Vanguard Developed Markets Index Fund.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, PFF and VEA hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Largest positions each one holds and the other does not
Only in PFFOnly in VEA
BOEING COMPANY (THE) 3.99%ASML Holding NV 2.37%
STRATEGY INC 2.99%Samsung Electronics Co Ltd 1.56%
WELLS FARGO & COMPANY 2.37%SK hynix Inc 1.40%
ORACLE CORP 2.31%HSBC Holdings PLC 1.01%
HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE COMPANY 1.79%Novartis AG 0.91%
BANK OF AMERICA CORP 1.47%Royal Bank of Canada 0.90%
CITIGROUP CAPITAL XIII 1.33%AstraZeneca PLC 0.87%
ALBEMARLE CORP 1.31%Nestle SA 0.82%

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 Jun 30, 2026.

PFF and VEA on the fields both publish, as of Sep 12, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
PFF
iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF
VEA
Vanguard Developed Markets Index Fund
Where it sitsCore index fundCore index fund
IssueriSharesVanguard
What it isPreferred and Income SecuritiesDeveloped markets ex US
Total return, 1 year−0.8%+24.5%
S&P 500 over the same days+17.5%+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500−18.3 pts+7.0 pts
Expense ratio0.45%0.03%
Already in the S&P 50021.6%0.0%
Holdings4553870

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.

VEA in plain words

VEA is an index equity fund tracking the Developed markets ex US. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +24.5% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings filed for Jun 30, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 3870 positions, with the top ten at 13.2%.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, PFF or VEA?
In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PFF returned −0.8% and VEA returned +24.5%, so VEA returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, PFF or VEA?
PFF charges 0.45% a year and VEA charges 0.03%, so VEA is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do PFF and VEA overlap with the S&P 500?
By their latest filed holdings, 22% of PFF and 0% of VEA 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.

PFF against VEA, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 12, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, PFF against VEA, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/PFF-VEA Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources