Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
PULS vs VGSH: Differences, Returns & Fees
PULS's duration was 0.7 years on May 29, 2026 and VGSH's 1.8 on May 31, 2026; VGSH charges 0.03% to PULS's 0.15%.
askIQ about this page
askIQ about PULS and VGSH
Net assets: $19.8bn on Oct 27, 2026 for PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF, and $35.1bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF.
Pair scorecard
VGSH costs 0.12 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.3 points.
| Measure | PULS | VGSH |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +4.0% | +1.7% |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, PULS as of Oct 27, 2026 and VGSH as of Sep 30, 2026 | $19.8bn | $35.1bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated May 29, 2026 and May 31, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Apr 20, 2018 to Oct 23, 2026 · 444 weekly returnsPULS returned more: +32.2% to +19.8%. VGSH swung less: 1.6% to 1.9%. VGSH fell slightly less at its worst: −5.5% to −5.9%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | PULS | VGSH | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +32.2% | +19.8% | PULS | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +3.3% | +2.1% | PULS | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −0.9% | −3.4% | PULS | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 1.9% | 1.6% | VGSH | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 1.6% | 1.1% | VGSH | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −5.9% | −5.5% | VGSH (slight) | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.27 | −0.41 | PULS | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.32 | −0.58 | PULS | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.57 | 0.39 | 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 VGSH hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated May 29, 2026 and May 31, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
PULS and VGSH on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
PULS and VGSH do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. PULS follows No index, actively managed and VGSH follows Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated May 29, 2026 and May 31, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 PULS returned +4.0% and VGSH +1.7% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 2.3 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
The two-page PDF for this pair is coming. Save the comparison to follow its changes. Free. It needs an email sign-in, once.
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.
VGSH
VGSH tracks an index of Short-Term Treasury. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +1.7% with distributions reinvested, against +1.8% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury 1-3 Year Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, PULS or VGSH?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PULS returned +4.0% and VGSH +1.7%.
- Which is cheaper, PULS or VGSH?
- VGSH is cheaper, by 0.12 percentage points a year. That is about $12 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 VGSH, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/puls-vs-vgsh
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). PULS against VGSH. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/puls-vs-vgsh
[PULS against VGSH (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/puls-vs-vgsh)
Free to use with attribution for data ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms.