Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
PFF vs SCHD: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, PFF returned −4.2% to SCHD's +34.5%; 1% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $11.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF, and $112.3bn on Aug 31, 2026 for Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF.
Pair scorecard
SCHD costs 0.39 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 38.7 points.
| Measure | PFF | SCHD |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −4.2% | +34.5% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 7.1%, high on May 8, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | ICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities Index | Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.45% | 0.06% |
| Net assets, PFF as of Oct 27, 2026 and SCHD as of Aug 31, 2026 | $11.8bn | $112.3bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 1% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 22.7% | 41.7% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Oct 28, 2011 to Oct 23, 2026 · 782 weekly returnsSCHD returned more: +554.4% to +81.9%. PFF swung less: 10.7% to 14.8%. PFF fell less at its worst: −27.2% to −31.5%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | PFF | SCHD | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +81.9% | +554.4% | SCHD | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +4.1% | +13.3% | SCHD | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −23.6% | +306.8% | SCHD | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 10.7% | 14.8% | PFF | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 7.5% | 10.4% | PFF | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −27.2% | −31.5% | PFF | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.27 | 0.80 | SCHD | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.38 | 1.15 | SCHD | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.15 | 0.42 | SCHD | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 782 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, PFF and SCHD hold 1% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Aug 31, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
1% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
PFF and SCHD on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
PFF and SCHD do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. PFF follows ICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities Index and SCHD follows Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index.
- Holdings in common. 1% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 PFF returned −4.2% and SCHD +34.5% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 38.7 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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PFF
PFF tracks an index of Preferred and Income Securities. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −4.2% with distributions reinvested, against +13.6% for its benchmark, the MSCI USA Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.45% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 0% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 453 positions, with the top ten at 22.7%. It sat 7.1% below its high of May 8, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
SCHD
SCHD tracks an index of US dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +34.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.06% a year. By its holdings filed for Aug 31, 2026, 95% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 99 positions, with the top ten at 41.7%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, PFF or SCHD?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PFF returned −4.2% and SCHD +34.5%.
- Which is cheaper, PFF or SCHD?
- SCHD is cheaper, by 0.39 percentage points a year. That is about $39 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.
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ETFIQ, PFF against SCHD, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/pff-vs-schd
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). PFF against SCHD. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/pff-vs-schd
[PFF against SCHD (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/pff-vs-schd)
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