Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
PULS vs VBR: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, PULS returned +4.0% to VBR's +17.6%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $19.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF, and $35.1bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Small-Cap Value ETF.
Pair scorecard
VBR costs 0.10 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 13.6 points.
| Measure | PULS | VBR |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +4.0% | +17.6% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 3.9%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | Morningstar US Small Cap Value Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.05% |
| Net assets, PULS as of Oct 27, 2026 and VBR as of Sep 30, 2026 | $19.8bn | $35.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 30% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 5.9% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 29, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Apr 20, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026 · 444 weekly returnsVBR returned more: +117.9% to +32.2%. PULS swung less: 1.9% to 23.1%. PULS fell less at its worst: −5.9% to −43.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | PULS | VBR | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +32.2% | +117.9% | VBR | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +3.3% | +9.6% | VBR | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −0.9% | +82.7% | VBR | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 1.9% | 23.1% | PULS | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 1.6% | 16.3% | PULS | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −5.9% | −43.3% | PULS | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.27 | 0.39 | VBR | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.32 | 0.55 | VBR | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.57 | 0.22 | PULS | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 444 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, PULS and VBR hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 29, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
PULS and VBR on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
No client brief for this pair: the two funds' holdings are dated 124 days apart.
PULS
PULS is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +4.0% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.15% a year.
VBR
VBR tracks an index of Small-Cap Value. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +17.6% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.05% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 30% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 822 positions, with the top ten at 5.9%. It sat 3.9% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, PULS or VBR?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PULS returned +4.0% and VBR +17.6%.
- Which is cheaper, PULS or VBR?
- VBR is cheaper, by 0.10 percentage points a year. That is about $10 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, PULS against VBR, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/puls-vs-vbr
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). PULS against VBR. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/puls-vs-vbr
[PULS against VBR (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/puls-vs-vbr)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.