Which returned more over the last year, PFFA or PFXF?

In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PFFA returned −3.4% and PFXF +0.5%.

Which is cheaper, PFFA or PFXF?

PFXF is cheaper, by 1.71 percentage points a year. That is about $171 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

How much do PFFA and PFXF overlap with the S&P 500?

By their latest filed holdings, 1% of PFFA and 0% of PFXF by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

Across categories

PFFA vs PFXF: Differences, Returns & Fees

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Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, PFFA returned −3.4% to PFXF's +0.5%, and PFXF charges 0.40% to PFFA's 2.11%.

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Net assets: $2.5bn on Jul 31, 2026 for Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF, and $2.2bn on Oct 27, 2026 for VanEck Preferred Securities ex Financials ETF.

PFFA on its own →PFXF on its own →

At a glance

−3.4%

PFFA total return, 1 year

+0.5%

PFXF total return, 1 year

2.11%

PFFA expense ratio

0.40%

PFXF expense ratio

Pair scorecard

PFXF costs 1.71 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.9 points.

PFFA vs PFXF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	PFFA	PFXF
Return
Measure	PFFA	PFXF
Total return, 1 year	−3.4%	+0.5%
Drawdown
Measure	PFFA	PFXF
Below its high	9.2%, high on May 8, 2026	8.4%, high on Jun 2, 2026
Benchmark
Measure	PFFA	PFXF
What it tracks	No index, actively managed	ICE Exchange-Listed Fixed & Adjustable Rate Non-Financial Preferred Securities Index
Cost and size
Measure	PFFA	PFXF
Expense ratio	2.11%	0.40%
Net assets, PFFA as of Jul 31, 2026 and PFXF as of Oct 27, 2026	$2.5bn	$2.2bn
Holdings
Measure	PFFA	PFXF
Holdings in common	23%
Top ten holdings, share of the fund	22.9%	46.1%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026. Method

Risk and return

May 25, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026 · 439 weekly returns

PFFA PFXF

Return

Total return edge PFFA +64.9% +49.3%

Annualized edge PFFA +6.1% +4.9%

Price return edge PFXF −25.2% −11.6%

Risk

Volatility edge PFXF 27.3% 14.6%

Max drawdown edge PFXF −59.0% −29.2%

Risk-adjusted

Sharpe edge PFFA 0.25 0.21

Sortino edge PFFA 0.37 0.30

Calmar edge PFXF 0.10 0.17

Reading

PFFA returned more: +64.9% to +49.3%. PFXF swung less: 14.6% to 27.3%. PFXF fell less at its worst: −29.2% to −59.0%.

Full scorecard

9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓

Risk and return: PFFA vs PFXF: Differences, Returns & Fees
Measure	PFFA	PFXF	Edge	How it is measured
Return
Total return	+64.9%	+49.3%	PFFA	Price change plus distributions, reinvested.
Annualized	+6.1%	+4.9%	PFFA	Total return as a yearly rate.
Price return	−25.2%	−11.6%	PFXF	Price change alone, distributions left out.
Risk
Volatility	27.3%	14.6%	PFXF	Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier.
Downside deviation	18.6%	10.2%	PFXF	Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate.
Max drawdown	−59.0%	−29.2%	PFXF	Deepest fall from a high to the low after it.
Risk-adjusted
Sharpe	0.25	0.21	PFFA	Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility.
Sortino	0.37	0.30	PFFA	Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation.
Calmar	0.10	0.17	PFXF	Annualized return divided by the max drawdown.

Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 439 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.

What they share

23%

By the books each fund has filed, PFFA and PFXF hold 23% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jun 30, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.

50%

0 half 100%

half

23% in common

Positions both hold · largest shared weight first PFFA PFXF

STRATEGY INC VARIABLE RATE SERIES A PERPETUAL STRETCH PREFERRED STOCK 2.63% 6.27%

ORACLE CORP DEPOSITARY SHARES EACH REPRESENTING A 1/2,000TH INTEREST IN A SHARE OF 6.50% SERIES D MANDATORY CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK 2.05% 5.61%

HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE COMPANY 7.625% SERIES C MANDATORY CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK 1.99% 4.33%

BOEING COMPANY (THE) 6% SER A DEP SHS REPSTG 1/20TH INT MANDATORY CONV PFD 1.22% 9.67%

ALBEMARLE CORP DEPOSITARY SHARES EACH REPRESENTING A 1/20TH INTEREST IN A SHARE OF 7.25% SERIES A MANDATORY CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK 1.07% 3.18%

XCEL ENERGY INC 6.25% NOTES ISSUED DUE ON OCTOBER 15, 2085 1.84% 1.06%

NEXTERA ENERGY CAPITAL HOLDINGS INC PUBLIC OFFERING OF 60NC5 FIXED-FOR-LIFE JUNIOR SUBORDINATED DEBENTURES DUE 15-APR-2086 0.80% 0.75%

QWEST CORP 6.500% SENIOR NOTES DUE SEPTEMBER 1,2051 (DENOMINATIONS OF $25) 1.86% 0.73%

MICROCHIP TECHNOLOGY INC 7.50 % DEP SHS REPSTG 1/20TH PFD CONV SER A 0.72% 2.85%

DTE ENERGY COMPANY 6.250% JUNIOR SUBORDINATED DEBENTURES DUE ON OCTOBER 1, 2085 1.40% 0.71%

STRATEGY INC 10.00% SERIES A PERPETUAL STRIFE PREFERRED NON CUM STOCK 1.66% 0.68%

TELEPHONE & DATA SYSTEMS INC DEPOSITARY SHARES EACH REPRESENTING A 1/1,000 INTEREST IN A SHARE OF TELEPHONE AND DATA SYSTEMS, INC.S 6.000% SERIES VV C 2.38% 0.64%

Only in one fund ↓

Only in PFFA

FLAGSTAR BANK NA DEPOSITARY SHARES, EACH REPRESENTING A 1/40TH INTEREST IN A SHARE OF WFIXED-TO-FLOATING RATE SERIES A NONCUMULATIVE PERPETUAL PREFERR 2.56%

KKR & CO. INC 6.25% SERIES D MANDATORY CONVERTIBLE PREFERRED STOCK 2.54%

ENERGY TRANSFER LP 9.250% SERIES I FIXED RATE PERPETUAL PREFERRED UNITS 2.34%

BANC OF CALIFORNIA INC DEPOSITARY SHARES EACH REPRESENTING A 1/40TH INTEREST IN A SHARE OF 7.75% NON CUMULATIVE PERPETUAL PREFERRED STOCK SERIES F 2.16%

GLOBAL NET LEASE INC 7.50% CUM RED PFD SER D 2.07%

TWO HARBORS INVESTMENTS CORP SER C FIXED TO FLOATING RATE CUMULATIVE REDEEMABLE PREFERRED STOCK 2.04%

BABCOCK & WILCOX ENTERPRISES INC 7.75% SERIES A CUMULATIVE PERPETUAL PREFERRED 2.04%

MERCHANTS BANCORP (INDIANA) 7.625% DEPOSITARY SHS REPSTG 1/40TH INT FXD RATE NON CUM PERP PFD SER E 1.98%

Only in PFXF

NextEra Energy Inc 2.65%

Southern Co/The 2.49%

NextEra Energy Inc 1.86%

AT&T Inc 1.56%

Bruker Corp 1.54%

PPL Corp 1.41%

AT&T Inc 1.35%

Duke Energy Corp 1.23%

Check overlap with more funds →

Side by side

PFFA Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF PFXF VanEck Preferred Securities ex Financials ETF

Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF

Issuer Virtus VanEck

What it is Actively managed Tracks an index

Total return, 1 year −3.4% +0.5%

Expense ratio 2.11% 0.40%

Already in the S&P 500 0.8% 0.0%

Holdings 194 116

Net assets, PFFA as of Jul 31, 2026 and PFXF as of Oct 27, 2026 $2.5bn $2.2bn

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

Client brief · page 1 of 2 Report BR-7BD9722707

PFFA and PFXF are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?

What each follows. PFFA follows No index, actively managed and PFXF follows ICE Exchange-Listed Fixed & Adjustable Rate Non-Financial Preferred Securities Index.
Holdings in common. 23% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Jun 30, 2026).
One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 PFFA returned −3.4% and PFXF +0.5% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 3.9 points.

Data as of Oct 28, 2026.

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About each fund

PFFA

PFFA is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned −3.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 2.11% a year. By its holdings filed for Jul 31, 2026, 1% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 194 positions, with the top ten at 22.9%. It sat 9.2% below its high of May 8, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

PFXF

PFXF tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +0.5% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.40% 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 116 positions, with the top ten at 46.1%. It sat 8.4% below its high of Jun 2, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, PFFA or PFXF?: In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PFFA returned −3.4% and PFXF +0.5%.
Which is cheaper, PFFA or PFXF?: PFXF is cheaper, by 1.71 percentage points a year. That is about $171 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
How much do PFFA and PFXF overlap with the S&P 500?: By their latest filed holdings, 1% of PFFA and 0% of PFXF by weight is stocks the S&P 500 already holds.

Other comparisons

PFFA vs PFFD PFFA vs PREF PFFA vs PGX FPE vs PFFA PFXF vs PREF PFXF vs PGX PFXF vs VRP PFFD vs PFXF

Where to next

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

Sources and dates

PFFA filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

PFFA prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

Virtus website ↗

PFXF filings on SEC EDGAR ↗

PFXF prospectus with the expense ratio (SEC) ↗

VanEck website ↗

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, PFFA against PFXF, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/pffa-vs-pfxf

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