Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
PFF vs VYM: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, PFF returned −4.2% to VYM's +18.0%; 15% 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 $78.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF.
Pair scorecard
VYM costs 0.41 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 22.2 points; VYM is 6.4 times larger.
| Measure | PFF | VYM |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −4.2% | +18.0% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 7.1%, high on May 8, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | ICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities Index | FTSE High Dividend Yield Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.45% | 0.04% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $12.3bn | $78.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 15% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 22.7% | 26.2% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Apr 5, 2007 to Oct 23, 2026 · 1,020 weekly returnsVYM returned more: +462.1% to +94.0%. VYM swung less: 16.8% to 20.9%. VYM fell less at its worst: −56.7% to −65.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | PFF | VYM | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +94.0% | +462.1% | VYM | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +3.4% | +9.2% | VYM | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −42.8% | +209.3% | VYM | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 20.9% | 16.8% | VYM | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 14.0% | 11.9% | VYM | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −65.4% | −56.7% | VYM | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.19 | 0.52 | VYM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.28 | 0.73 | VYM | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.05 | 0.16 | VYM | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 1,020 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, PFF and VYM hold 15% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026 and Oct 27, 2026.
half
15% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
PFF and VYM on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
PFF and VYM do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. PFF follows ICE Exchange-Listed Preferred & Hybrid Securities Index and VYM follows FTSE High Dividend Yield Index.
- Holdings in common. 15% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 PFF returned −4.2% and VYM +18.0% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 22.2 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.
VYM
VYM tracks an index of US high dividend. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +18.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.04% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 90% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 595 positions, with the top ten at 26.2%.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, PFF or VYM?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PFF returned −4.2% and VYM +18.0%.
- Which is cheaper, PFF or VYM?
- VYM is cheaper, by 0.41 percentage points a year. That is about $41 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, PFF against VYM, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/pff-vs-vym
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). PFF against VYM. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/pff-vs-vym
[PFF against VYM (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/pff-vs-vym)
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