Which returned more over the last year, PFF or VBR?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PFF returned −4.2% and VBR +17.6%.

Which is cheaper, PFF or VBR?

VBR is cheaper, by 0.40 percentage points a year. That is about $40 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

How much do PFF and VBR overlap with the S&P 500?

By their latest filed holdings, 0% of PFF and 30% of VBR by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

PFF vs VBR: Differences, Returns & Fees

Share on X Download as PDF

Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, PFF returned −4.2% to VBR's +17.6%; 8% of their weight is in the same names.

askIQ about this page

askIQ about PFF and VBR

Net assets: $11.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF, and $35.1bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap Value ETF.

PFF on its own →VBR on its own →

At a glance

−4.2%

PFF total return, 1 year

+17.6%

VBR total return, 1 year

0.45%

PFF expense ratio

0.05%

VBR expense ratio

Pair scorecard

VBR costs 0.40 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 21.8 points; VBR is 2.9 times larger.

PFF vs VBR: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	PFF	VBR
Return
Measure	PFF	VBR
Total return, 1 year	−4.2%	+17.6%
Drawdown
Measure	PFF	VBR
Below its high	7.1%, high on May 8, 2026	3.9%, high on Aug 14, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	PFF	VBR
What it tracks	ICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities Index	Morningstar US Small Cap Value Index
Cost and size
Measure	PFF	VBR
Expense ratio	0.45%	0.05%
Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026	$12.3bn	$35.1bn
Holdings
Measure	PFF	VBR
Holdings in common	8%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	22.7%	5.9%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method

What they share

By the books each fund has filed, PFF and VBR hold 8% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

8% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first PFF VBR

REINSURANCE GROUP OF AMERICA INCOR 0.36% 0.37%

ANNALY CAPITAL MANAGEMENT INC 0.37% 0.32%

EQUITABLE HLDNGS DRC REPRESENTING 0.29% 0.32%

AGNC INVESTMENT CORP 0.28% 0.24%

WINTRUST FINANCIAL CORPORATION 0.22% 0.22%

JACKSON FINANCIAL INC 0.28% 0.20%

AFFILIATED MANAGERS GROUP INC. 0.19% 0.20%

COREBRIDGE FINANCIAL INC 0.25% 0.18%

FIRST CITIZENS BANCSHARES INC (DEL 0.18% 0.34%

FIRST HORIZON CORP 0.18% 0.25%

LINCOLN NATIONAL CORPORATION 0.18% 0.17%

BITMINE IMMERSION TECHNOLOGIES INC 0.17% 0.36%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in PFF

STRATEGY INC 3.53%

BOEING CO 3.11%

HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE CONV PR 2.36%

ALPHABET INC 2.31%

SUPER MICRO COMPUTER INC 2.27%

ALPHABET INC 2.26%

WELLS FARGO & COMPANY SERIES L 2.14%

ORACLE CORPORATION 2.06%

Only in VBR

Moderna Inc 0.79%

Jabil Inc 0.68%

SLCMT1142 0.62%

Williams-Sonoma Inc 0.61%

Atmos Energy Corp 0.60%

F5 Inc 0.57%

Smurfit Westrock PLC 0.53%

Tapestry Inc 0.52%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

PFF iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF VBR Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap Value ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Stock ETF

Issuer iShares Vanguard

What it is Tracks an index of Preferred and Income Securities Tracks an index of Small-Cap Value

Total return, 1 year −4.2% +17.6%

Its benchmark over the same days +13.6% (MLRG) not measured

Gap to its benchmark −17.8 pts vs MLRG not measured

Expense ratio 0.45% 0.05%

Already in the S&P 500 0.0% 30.4%

Holdings 453 822

Net assets, PFF as of Oct 27, 2026 and VBR as of Sep 30, 2026 $11.8bn $35.1bn

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

Alert

About each fund

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.

VBR

VBR tracks an index of Small-Cap Value. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 30% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 822 positions, with the top ten at 5.9%. It sat 3.9% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, PFF or VBR?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PFF returned −4.2% and VBR +17.6%.
Which is cheaper, PFF or VBR?: VBR is cheaper, by 0.40 percentage points a year. That is about $40 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do PFF and VBR overlap with the S&P 500?: By their latest filed holdings, 0% of PFF and 30% of VBR by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Other comparisons

AVUV vs PFF IJS vs PFF PFF vs VBK PFF vs VB SPSB vs VBR EMB vs VBR VBR vs VGLT VBR vs VUSB

Where to next

PFF on its own →VBR on its own →Hold both: look the portfolio through →Rankings →PFF dividend history →PFF holdings →VBR dividend history →VBR holdings →Standards and sources →

Sources and dates

PFF filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

PFF prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

iShares page for PFF ↗

VBR filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

VBR prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Vanguard page for VBR ↗

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, PFF against VBR, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/pff-vs-vbr

Open data →

Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.