Are IVV and PBJN in the same category?

IVV is a stock ETF and PBJN is a buffer ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.

Which returned more over the last year, IVV or PBJN?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IVV returned +13.7% and PBJN +6.8%.

Which is cheaper, IVV or PBJN?

IVV is cheaper, by 0.47 percentage points a year. That is about $47 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

IVV vs PBJN: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IVV returned +13.7% to PBJN's +6.8%, and IVV charges 0.03% to PBJN's 0.50%.

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Net assets: $885.1bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Core S&P 500 ETF, and $60m on Oct 28, 2026 for PGIM S&P 500 Buffer 20 ETF - June .

IVV on its own →PBJN on its own →

At a glance

+13.7%

IVV total return, 1 year

+6.8%

PBJN total return, 1 year

0.03%

IVV expense ratio

0.50%

PBJN expense ratio

Pair scorecard

IVV costs 0.47 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 6.9 points; IVV is far larger, $885.1bn against $59m.

IVV vs PBJN: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IVV	PBJN
Return
Measure	IVV	PBJN
Total return, 1 year	+13.7%	+6.8%
Drawdown
Measure	IVV	PBJN
Index fall to the buffer		2.0%
Fund price fall to the buffer		2.8%
Benchmark
Measure	IVV	PBJN
What it tracks	S&P 500	SPY
The outcome period
Measure	IVV	PBJN
Room to the cap		9.0%
Buffer left, in index points		20.0% of 20.0%
Days left in the period		215
Period ends		May 31, 2027
Cost and size
Measure	IVV	PBJN
Expense ratio	0.03%	0.50%
Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026	$885.1bn	$59m
Holdings
Measure	IVV	PBJN
Holdings in common	not published
In the S&P 500, by weight	100%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	38.1%

Method

Risk and return

Jun 14, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026 · 123 weekly returns · each against SPY

IVV PBJN

Return

Total return edge IVV +44.4% +23.9%

Annualized edge IVV +16.8% +9.5%

Price return edge IVV +40.3% +23.9%

Risk

Volatility edge PBJN 14.9% 6.7%

Max drawdown edge PBJN −16.9% −7.6%

Downside capture 100.3% 43.2%

Beta 1.00 0.42

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge IVV (slight) 0.84 0.76

Sortino edge IVV (slight) 1.28 1.17

Treynor 0.124 0.120

Calmar edge PBJN 0.99 1.24

Against the benchmark

Alpha 0.0% a year −0.1% a year

Alpha t-stat 0.10 −0.09

Information ratio 0.22 −0.82

Tracking error 0.4% 8.9%

Reading

IVV returned more: +44.4% to +23.9%. PBJN swung less: 6.7% to 14.9%. PBJN fell less at its worst: −7.6% to −16.9%.

Full scorecard

19 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: IVV vs PBJN: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	IVV	PBJN	SPY	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+44.4%	+23.9%		IVV	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+16.8%	+9.5%		IVV	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	+40.3%	+23.9%		IVV	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	14.9%	6.7%		PBJN	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	9.8%	4.3%		PBJN	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−16.9%	−7.6%		PBJN	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Upside capture	100.7%	32.3%	100.0%	IVV	Share of its benchmark's rise caught in the weeks it rose.
Downside capture	100.3%	43.2%	100.0%	PBJN	Share of its benchmark's fall taken in the weeks it fell. Lower is better.
Beta	1.00	0.42	1.00	PBJN lower	How far it moves for each 1% its benchmark moves.
R squared	1.00	0.87	1.00	Not an edge	Share of its weekly moves its benchmark explains.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.84	0.76		IVV (slight)	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	1.28	1.17		IVV (slight)	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Treynor	0.124	0.120	0.124	IVV (slight)	Return above Treasury bills per unit of beta.
Calmar	0.99	1.24		PBJN	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.
Against the benchmark
Benchmark	SPY	SPY	SPY		The ETF each fund is measured against.
Alpha	0.0% a year	−0.1% a year	0.0%	Not significant	Yearly return beyond what its beta to the benchmark predicts.
Alpha t-stat	0.10	−0.09		Not an edge	How sure the alpha is. Below 2, it could be chance.
Alpha range	−0.4% to +0.5%	−3.2% to +2.9%		Both include zero	The 95% range for the yearly alpha.
Information ratio	0.22	−0.82		IVV	Return against its benchmark per unit of tracking error.
Tracking error	0.4%	8.9%	0.0%	Not an edge	How far weekly returns stray from the benchmark, annualized.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 123 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

Side by side

IVV iShares Core S&P 500 ETF PBJN PGIM S&P 500 Buffer 20 ETF - June

Where it sits Stock ETF Buffer ETF

Issuer iShares PGIM

What it is Tracks the S&P 500 Defined outcome, 20% on SPY

Total return, 1 year +13.7% +6.8%

Its benchmark over the same days +13.6% (SPY) +12.4% (SPY)

Gap to its benchmark +0.1 pts vs SPY −5.6 pts vs SPY

Expense ratio 0.03% 0.50%

Holdings 505 not read by ETFIQ

Net assets, IVV as of Oct 27, 2026 and PBJN as of Oct 28, 2026 $885.1bn $60m

IVV and PBJN on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-4E9E67857A

IVV and PBJN do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?

What each follows. IVV follows S&P 500 and PBJN follows SPY.
One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 IVV returned +13.7% and PBJN +6.8% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 6.9 points.
Cost. IVV charges 0.03% of assets a year and PBJN 0.50%, a gap of 0.47 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund

IVV

IVV tracks the S&P 500. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +13.7% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the S&P 500. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 505 positions, with the top ten at 38.1%.

PBJN

From its price on Oct 28, 2026, the fund can gain about 9.0% more before it reaches its cap. The fund's price can fall 2.8% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's number. In index terms, SPY can fall 2.0% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 20.0% of the 20.0% buffer still sits below today's SPY level. 215 days remained on Oct 28, 2026. On May 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Are IVV and PBJN in the same category?: IVV is a stock ETF and PBJN is a buffer ETF, so they do different jobs. The table compares what both publish: return, cost and holdings.
Which returned more over the last year, IVV or PBJN?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IVV returned +13.7% and PBJN +6.8%.
Which is cheaper, IVV or PBJN?: IVV is cheaper, by 0.47 percentage points a year. That is about $47 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

IVV vs OCTT IVV vs SIXZ IVV vs PBJL IVV vs UMAY PBJN vs SPY PBJN vs VOO PBJN vs SPYM IVV vs MARW

Where to next

SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust →IVV on its own →PBJN on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →IVV dividend history →IVV holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

IVV filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

IVV prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for IVV ↗

PBJN filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

PGIM website ↗

Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, IVV against PBJN, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ivv-vs-pbjn

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