Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
PULS vs VO: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, PULS returned +4.0% to VO's +12.8%; 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 $103.4bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Morningstar Mid-Cap ETF.
Pair scorecard
VO costs 0.12 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 8.8 points.
| Measure | PULS | VO |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +4.0% | +12.8% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 3.1%, high on Aug 14, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | Morningstar US Mid Cap Index (formerly CRSP US Mid Cap Index) |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.15% | 0.03% |
| Net assets, PULS as of Oct 27, 2026 and VO as of Sep 30, 2026 | $19.8bn | $103.4bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 91% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 9.7% | |
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 returnsVO returned more: +137.3% to +32.2%. PULS swung less: 1.9% to 19.9%. PULS fell less at its worst: −5.9% to −37.4%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | PULS | VO | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +32.2% | +137.3% | VO | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +3.3% | +10.6% | VO | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | −0.9% | +107.9% | VO | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 1.9% | 19.9% | PULS | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 1.6% | 14.0% | PULS | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −5.9% | −37.4% | PULS | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.27 | 0.47 | VO | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.32 | 0.67 | VO | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.57 | 0.29 | 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 VO 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 VO 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.
VO
VO tracks an index of Mid-Cap. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +12.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 91% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 273 positions, with the top ten at 9.7%. It sat 3.1% below its high of Aug 14, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, PULS or VO?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, PULS returned +4.0% and VO +12.8%.
- Which is cheaper, PULS or VO?
- VO 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 VO, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/puls-vs-vo
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). PULS against VO. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/puls-vs-vo
[PULS against VO (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/puls-vs-vo)
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