Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IXJ vs PPH: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IXJ returned +20.8% to PPH's +27.4%; 37% of their weight is in the same names.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about IXJ and PPH
Net assets on Oct 27, 2026: $4.5bn for iShares Global Healthcare ETF and $1.0bn for VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF.
Pair scorecard
PPH costs 0.02 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 6.6 points; IXJ is 4.5 times larger.
| Measure | IXJ | PPH |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +20.8% | +27.4% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | S&P Global 1200 Health Care Index | MVIS US Listed Pharmaceutical 25 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.38% | 0.36% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $4.5bn | $1.0bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 37% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 47.5% | 71.6% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Dec 7, 2001 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,298 weekly returnsIXJ returned more: +539.1% to +310.3%. IXJ swung slightly less: 16.2% to 17.3%. IXJ fell less at its worst: −39.7% to −44.5%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IXJ | PPH | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +539.1% | +310.3% | IXJ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +7.7% | +5.8% | IXJ | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +336.4% | +125.8% | IXJ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 16.2% | 17.3% | IXJ (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 11.5% | 12.2% | IXJ (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −39.7% | −44.5% | IXJ | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.43 | 0.31 | IXJ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.61 | 0.44 | IXJ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.19 | 0.13 | IXJ | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,298 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IXJ and PPH hold 37% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
37% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IXJ and PPH on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IXJ and PPH are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. IXJ follows S&P Global 1200 Health Care Index and PPH follows MVIS US Listed Pharmaceutical 25 Index.
- Holdings in common. 37% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 IXJ returned +20.8% and PPH +27.4% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 6.6 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
The two-page PDF for this pair is coming. Save the comparison to follow its changes. Free. It needs an email sign-in, once.
IXJ
IXJ tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +20.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.38% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 71% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 110 positions, with the top ten at 47.5%.
PPH
PPH tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +27.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.36% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 59% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 25 positions, with the top ten at 71.6%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IXJ or PPH?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IXJ returned +20.8% and PPH +27.4%.
- Which is cheaper, IXJ or PPH?
- PPH is cheaper, by 0.02 percentage points a year. That is about $2 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown
ETFIQ, IXJ against PPH, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ixj-vs-pph
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IXJ against PPH. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ixj-vs-pph
[IXJ against PPH (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/ixj-vs-pph)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.