Data as of Sep 12, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
PFF vs VNQ: how they differ
PFF and VNQ hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and VNQ returned more over the year.
iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF and Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, PFF and VNQ hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in PFF | Only in VNQ |
|---|---|
| BOEING COMPANY (THE) 3.99% | Vanguard Real Estate II Index Fund 14.67% |
| STRATEGY INC 2.99% | Welltower Inc 7.86% |
| WELLS FARGO & COMPANY 2.37% | Prologis Inc 7.02% |
| ORACLE CORP 2.31% | Equinix Inc 5.66% |
| HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE COMPANY 1.79% | American Tower Corp 4.55% |
| BANK OF AMERICA CORP 1.47% | Digital Realty Trust Inc 3.67% |
| CITIGROUP CAPITAL XIII 1.33% | Simon Property Group Inc 3.54% |
| ALBEMARLE CORP 1.31% | Realty Income Corp 3.12% |
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 | VNQ Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | Preferred and Income Securities | US real estate |
| Total return, 1 year | −0.8% | +5.6% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −18.3 pts | −11.9 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.45% | 0.13% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 21.6% | 63.3% |
| Holdings | 455 | 146 |
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.
VNQ in plain words
VNQ is an index equity fund tracking the US real estate. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +5.6% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.13% a year. By its holdings filed for Apr 30, 2026, 63% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 146 positions, with the top ten at 54.9%. It sat 6.1% below its high of Jul 28, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, PFF or VNQ?
- In the year to Sep 12, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PFF returned −0.8% and VNQ returned +5.6%, so VNQ returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, PFF or VNQ?
- PFF charges 0.45% a year and VNQ charges 0.13%, so VNQ is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do PFF and VNQ overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 22% of PFF and 63% of VNQ 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.
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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 VNQ, data as of Sep 12, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/PFF-VNQ Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources