Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.
PFF vs VPU: how they differ
PFF and VPU hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and VPU returned more over the year.
iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF and Vanguard Utilities Index Fund.
What they hold in common
By the books each fund has filed, PFF and VPU hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.
| Only in PFF | Only in VPU |
|---|---|
| BOEING CO 3.54% | NextEra Energy Inc 11.84% |
| ORACLE CORPORATION 2.31% | Southern Co/The 6.70% |
| SUPER MICRO COMPUTER INC 2.30% | Duke Energy Corp 6.31% |
| ALPHABET INC 2.24% | Constellation Energy Corp 5.86% |
| HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE CONV PR 2.06% | American Electric Power Co Inc 4.47% |
| ALBEMARLE CORP 1.12% | Sempra 3.85% |
| MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED 0.89% | Dominion Energy Inc 3.78% |
| BRIGHTSPRING HEALTH SERVICES UNITS 0.74% | Vistra Corp 3.59% |
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 May 31, 2026 and Sep 10, 2026.
| PFF iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF | VPU Vanguard Utilities Index Fund | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | Core index fund | Core index fund |
| Issuer | iShares | Vanguard |
| What it is | Preferred and Income Securities | Utilities |
| Total return, 1 year | −0.8% | +2.1% |
| S&P 500 over the same days | +17.5% | +17.5% |
| Gap to the S&P 500 | −18.3 pts | −15.4 pts |
| Expense ratio | 0.45% | 0.09% |
| Already in the S&P 500 | 21.6% | 90.1% |
| Holdings | 461 | 66 |
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 Sep 10, 2026, 22% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 461 positions, with the top ten at 23.1%. It sat 3.2% below its high of May 8, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
VPU in plain words
VPU is an index equity fund tracking the Utilities. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +2.1% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.09% a year. By its holdings filed for May 31, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 66 positions, with the top ten at 52.7%. It sat 9.8% below its high of Feb 27, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, PFF or VPU?
- In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PFF returned −0.8% and VPU returned +2.1%, so VPU returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
- Which is cheaper, PFF or VPU?
- PFF charges 0.45% a year and VPU charges 0.09%, so VPU is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
- How much do PFF and VPU overlap with the S&P 500?
- By their latest filed holdings, 22% of PFF and 90% of VPU 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.
Other comparisons
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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 VPU, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/pff-vs-vpu Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.
A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources