Which returned more over the last year, PULS or QUAL?

In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PULS returned +4.2% and QUAL returned +16.0%, so QUAL returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.

Which is cheaper, PULS or QUAL?

PULS charges 0.15% a year and QUAL charges 0.15%, so PULS is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Data as of Sep 13, 2026. Both funds on the fields they both publish, from the same sources.

ETFIQetfiq.com · independent ETF data

PULS vs QUAL: how they differ

PULS and QUAL hold 0% of their weight in the same names, and QUAL returned more over the year.

PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF and iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF.

What they hold in common

By the books each fund has filed, PULS and QUAL hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight.

Largest positions each one holds and the other does not
Only in PULS	Only in QUAL
PGIM ETF Trust 2.38%	MICROSOFT 7.67%
GLENCORE FUNDING LLC 0.98%	APPLE 7.10%
Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. 0.87%	NVIDIA 6.44%
ABN AMRO BANK NV 0.75%	META PLATFORMS CLASS A 4.32%
BX TRUST 2022-LBA6 0.68%	ELI LILLY 3.62%
FEDERATION DES CAISSES DESJARDINS DU QUE 0.67%	LAM RESEARCH 3.59%
BX TRUST 2018-BILT 0.56%	TJX 3.23%
BROADCOM INC 0.56%	VISA CLASS A 3.21%

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 29, 2026 and Sep 10, 2026.

PULS and QUAL on the fields both publish, as of Sep 13, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
	PULS PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF	QUAL iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF
Where it sits	Core index fund	Core index fund
Issuer	PGIM	iShares
What it is	PGIM Ultra Short Bond	MSCI USA Quality Factor
Total return, 1 year	+4.2%	+16.0%
S&P 500 over the same days	+17.5%	+17.5%
Gap to the S&P 500	−13.3 pts	−1.5 pts
Expense ratio	0.15%	0.15%
Holdings	553	121

PULS in plain words

PULS is a cash and treasury bills tracking the PGIM Ultra Short Bond. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +4.2% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year.

QUAL in plain words

QUAL is an index equity fund tracking the MSCI USA Quality Factor. Over the year to Sep 11, 2026 it returned +16.0% with distributions reinvested, against +17.5% for the S&P 500 and +23.0% for the Nasdaq-100. By its holdings filed for Sep 10, 2026, 99% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 121 positions, with the top ten at 44.4%. It sat 3.1% below its high of Aug 13, 2026 on Sep 11, 2026.

Questions people ask

Which returned more over the last year, PULS or QUAL?: In the year to Sep 13, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PULS returned +4.2% and QUAL returned +16.0%, so QUAL returned more. One year is one year; the longer windows are in the table.
Which is cheaper, PULS or QUAL?: PULS charges 0.15% a year and QUAL charges 0.15%, so PULS is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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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.

PULS against QUAL, ETFIQ, data as of Sep 13, 2026. Every figure is arithmetic on a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page. ETFIQ, PULS against QUAL, data as of Sep 13, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/puls-vs-qual Free to use with attribution; the underlying files are at Open data.

A comparison is not a recommendation. Standards and sources