PHYL vs SHYG: Differences, Returns & Fees

PHYL's duration was 3.0 years on May 29, 2026 and SHYG's 2.1 on Jul 31, 2026; SHYG charges 0.30% to PHYL's 0.39%. Net assets: $1.5bn on Oct 19, 2026 for PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF, and $7.6bn on Oct 20, 2026 for iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF.

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Answers cite the figures on this page.

SHYG costs 0.09 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 1.3 points; SHYG is 5.1 times larger.

PHYL vs SHYG: Differences, Returns & Fees
PHYLSHYG
Expense ratio0.39%0.30%
Net assets, as of Oct 19, 2026$1.5bn$7.6bn
Total return, 1 year+0.8%+2.1%
What it tracksNo index, actively managedMarkit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield 0-5 Index
Holdings in common30%

Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 29, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.

+0.8%
PHYL total return, 1 year
+2.1%
SHYG total return, 1 year
0.39%
PHYL expense ratio
0.30%
SHYG expense ratio

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Client brief · page 1 of 2Report BR-323615597A

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

  1. What each follows. PHYL follows No index, actively managed and SHYG follows Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield 0-5 Index.
  2. Holdings in common. 30% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated May 29, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026).
  3. Size. PHYL has $1.5bn in net assets and SHYG $7.6bn (net assets, as of Oct 19, 2026); SHYG is 5.1 times larger.

Data as of Oct 20, 2026. The differences are picked by a fixed rule, in a fixed order; the PDF prints it. Page 2 has the returns, overlap, risks and sources.

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What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, PHYL and SHYG hold 30% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 29, 2026 and Jul 31, 2026.

half

30% in common

Positions both hold, largest shared weight first
Holding PHYL SHYG
MERIDI 6.25 04/30/31 144A, due Apr 30, 2031 0.57% 0.58%
SATS 10.75 11/30/29 ., due Nov 30, 2029 0.41% 0.53%
WULF 7.75 10/15/30 144A, due Oct 15, 2030 0.40% 0.37%
VENLNG 9.5 02/01/29 144A, due Feb 1, 2029 0.44% 0.36%
TRACTD 6.5 05/01/31 144A, due May 1, 2031 0.36% 0.46%
DVA 4.625 06/01/30 144A, due Jun 1, 2030 0.61% 0.29%
NLSN 9.29 04/15/29 144A, due Apr 15, 2029 0.35% 0.29%
BWY 7.875 04/15/30 144A, due Apr 15, 2030 0.29% 0.30%
TRACTC 5.875 03/01/31 144A, due Mar 1, 2031 0.53% 0.29%
DISH 7.75 07/01/26, due Jul 1, 2026 0.26% 0.24%
TDG 6.75 08/15/28 144A, due Aug 15, 2028 0.97% 0.23%
CZR 7 02/15/30 144A, due Feb 15, 2030 0.36% 0.23%
Only in PHYL
PGIM AAA CLO ETF 1.08%
RADIATE HOLDCO LLC, due Sep 25, 2029 0.90%
T 3.75 04/30/28, due Apr 30, 2028 0.50%
BIGBRS 6.625 01/31/29 144A, due Jan 31, 2029 0.47%
ASUCOR 8 12/31/32 144A, due Dec 31, 2032 0.46%
ELDCN 6.25 09/01/29 144A, due Sep 1, 2029 0.45%
LVLT 8.5 01/15/36 144A, due Jan 15, 2036 0.45%
VST 7.75 10/15/31 144A, due Oct 15, 2031 0.45%
Only in SHYG
Cloud Software Group LLC, due Mar 31, 2029 0.43%
Cloud Software Group LLC, due Sep 30, 2029 0.42%
HUB International Ltd, due Jun 15, 2030 0.37%
DISH DBS Corp, due Dec 1, 2026 0.33%
CCO Holdings LLC / CCO Holdings Capital Corp, due Mar 1, 2030 0.31%
DISH DBS Corp, due Dec 1, 2028 0.30%
CCO Holdings LLC / CCO Holdings Capital Corp, due Aug 15, 2030 0.28%
Medline Borrower LP, due Oct 1, 2029 0.27%

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On the same fields

PHYL
PGIM Active High Yield Bond ETF
SHYG
iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF
Where it sits Bond ETF Bond ETF
Issuer PGIM iShares
What it is Actively managed Tracks an index
Total return, 1 year +0.8% +2.1%
Its benchmark over the same days −1.9% (AGG) −1.6% (IUSB)
Gap to its benchmark +2.7 pts vs AGG +3.7 pts vs IUSB
Expense ratio 0.39% 0.30%
Holdings 783 1146
Net assets, PHYL as of Oct 19, 2026 and SHYG as of Oct 20, 2026 $1.5bn $7.6bn

PHYL and SHYG on the fields both publish, as of Oct 20, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

About PHYL

PHYL is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned +0.8% with distributions reinvested, against −1.9% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.39% a year.

About SHYG

SHYG tracks an index. Over the year to Oct 20, 2026 it returned +2.1% with distributions reinvested, against −1.6% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Universal Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.30% a year.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, PHYL or SHYG?
In the year to Oct 20, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PHYL returned +0.8% and SHYG +2.1%.
Which is cheaper, PHYL or SHYG?
SHYG is cheaper, by 0.09 percentage points a year. That is about $9 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Cite this pageCitation, APA and Markdown

ETFIQ, PHYL against SHYG, data as of Oct 20, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/phyl-vs-shyg

Open data

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