- ISIN
- US74255Y1029
- CUSIP
- 74255Y102
- Issuer
- Principal
- Inception Date
- Jul 9, 2015
- Region
- North America (U.S.)
- Category
- High Yield Bonds
- Leveraged
- 1x (No leverage)
- Index Tracked
- No Index (Active)
- Distribution Policy
- Distributing
- Asset Class
- Multi-Asset
- Asset Class Size
- Multi-Cap
- Asset Class Style
- Blend
- Assets Under Management
- $566M
Share Price Chart
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Performance
YLD Performance Chart
Principal Active High Yield ETF (YLD) is up 3.3% since the beginning of the year. YLD is currently trading at $19 per share. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of YLD shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,271.
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Returns By Period
Principal Active High Yield ETF (YLD) has returned 3.27% so far this year and 7.14% over the past 12 months. Over the last ten years, YLD has returned 5.76% per year, falling short of the S&P 500 Index benchmark, which averaged 13.88% annually.
Principal Active High Yield ETF
- 1D
- -0.05%
- 1M
- 0.84%
- YTD
- 3.27%
- 6M
- 3.45%
- 1Y
- 7.14%
- 3Y*
- 9.07%
- 5Y*
- 4.91%
- 10Y*
- 5.76%
Benchmark (S&P 500 Index)
- 1D
- -0.37%
- 1M
- -0.01%
- YTD
- 9.16%
- 6M
- 8.64%
- 1Y
- 25.22%
- 3Y*
- 19.78%
- 5Y*
- 11.99%
- 10Y*
- 13.88%
YLD Monthly Returns History
Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Jul 9, 2015, YLD's average daily return is +0.02%, while the average monthly return is +0.47%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 12.3 years.
Historically, 64% of months were positive and 36% were negative. The best month was Apr 2020 with a return of +8.8%, while the worst month was Mar 2020 at -15.9%. The longest winning streak lasted 8 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 6 months.
On a daily basis, YLD closed higher 51% of trading days. The best single day was Mar 24, 2020 with a return of +4.7%, while the worst single day was Mar 16, 2020 at -6.0%.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0.89% | 0.37% | -0.31% | 1.15% | 0.92% | 0.21% | 3.27% | ||||||
| 2025 | 1.46% | 0.67% | -1.57% | -0.13% | 1.33% | 2.31% | 0.14% | 0.83% | 1.16% | -0.54% | -0.01% | 0.78% | 6.55% |
| 2024 | 0.80% | 0.36% | 1.59% | -0.73% | 1.33% | 0.59% | 2.03% | 1.35% | 0.88% | 0.29% | 1.34% | -0.95% | 9.19% |
| 2023 | 3.50% | -1.28% | 1.52% | 1.22% | -1.06% | 1.64% | 1.03% | 0.53% | -1.54% | -0.32% | 4.28% | 2.89% | 12.93% |
| 2022 | -2.28% | -0.52% | -0.67% | -3.11% | -0.28% | -6.52% | 5.70% | -2.77% | -3.45% | 3.28% | 3.13% | -1.04% | -8.78% |
| 2021 | -0.10% | 1.42% | 2.12% | 1.78% | 0.56% | 0.98% | 0.69% | 0.48% | -0.04% | 0.51% | -1.01% | 1.45% | 9.17% |
Benchmark Metrics
Principal Active High Yield ETF has an annualized alpha of 1.86%, beta of 0.28, and R2 of 0.37 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since July 09, 2015.
- This ETF participated in 47.18% of S&P 500 Index downside but only 37.83% of its upside - more exposed to losses than it benefited from rallies.
- Beta of 0.28 may look defensive, but with R2 of 0.37 this ETF is largely uncorrelated with S&P 500 Index - low beta reflects independence, not downside protection. See the Volatility section for a true picture of this ETF's risk.
- R2 of 0.37 means the benchmark explains less than half of this ETF's behavior - treat beta with caution or consider switching to a more representative benchmark.
- Alpha
- 1.86%
- Beta
- 0.28
- R²
- 0.37
- Upside Capture
- 37.83%
- Downside Capture
- 47.18%
Expense Ratio
YLD has an expense ratio of 0.39%, placing it in the medium range.
Return for Risk
Risk / Return Rank
YLD ranks 59 for risk / return — on par with similar ETFs. You're getting a typical balance of risk and reward. Not a standout, but not a red flag either — a reasonable choice if other factors align with your goals.
Return / Risk — by metrics
The table below present risk-adjusted performance metrics for Principal Active High Yield ETF (YLD) and compare them to S&P 500 Index.
Values are calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. Risk-adjusted metrics are more stable over longer periods — use the period switch above to explore them.
| YLD | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | -0.39 | ||
| Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | -0.28 | ||
| Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.30 | 1.37 | -0.06 |
| Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 3.63 | 2.78 | +0.84 |
| Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 12.43 | 12.44 | 0.00 |
Dividends
Dividend History
Principal Active High Yield ETF provided a 7.24% dividend yield over the last twelve months, with an annual payout of $1.38 per share. The fund has been increasing its distributions for 4 consecutive years.
| Period | TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend | $1.38 | $1.39 | $1.37 | $1.22 | $1.16 | $0.82 | $0.87 | $0.99 | $1.03 | $1.30 | $0.90 | $0.47 |
Dividend yield | 7.24% | 7.33% | 7.12% | 6.46% | 6.51% | 3.92% | 4.40% | 4.81% | 5.42% | 6.28% | 4.47% | 2.56% |
Monthly Dividends
The table displays the monthly dividend distributions for Principal Active High Yield ETF. The dividends shown in the table have been adjusted to account for any splits that may have occurred.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $0.00 | $0.12 | $0.11 | $0.12 | $0.11 | $0.11 | $0.57 | ||||||
| 2025 | $0.00 | $0.12 | $0.12 | $0.11 | $0.12 | $0.12 | $0.12 | $0.11 | $0.10 | $0.11 | $0.12 | $0.26 | $1.39 |
| 2024 | $0.00 | $0.11 | $0.11 | $0.11 | $0.11 | $0.11 | $0.11 | $0.11 | $0.11 | $0.12 | $0.12 | $0.25 | $1.37 |
| 2023 | $0.00 | $0.11 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.10 | $0.10 | $0.10 | $0.10 | $0.10 | $0.11 | $0.22 | $1.22 |
| 2022 | $0.00 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.10 | $0.10 | $0.10 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.10 | $0.23 | $1.16 |
| 2021 | $0.00 | $0.07 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.07 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.06 | $0.07 | $0.09 | $0.09 | $0.12 | $0.82 |
Drawdowns
Drawdowns Chart
The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.
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Worst Drawdowns
The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the Principal Active High Yield ETF. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.
The maximum drawdown for the Principal Active High Yield ETF was 28.34%, occurring on Mar 23, 2020. Recovery took 179 trading sessions.
The current Principal Active High Yield ETF drawdown is 0.08%.
Related event | Drawdown | Fall | Recovery | Underwater |
|---|---|---|---|---|
COVID crash2020 | -28.34%Mar 2020 | 2mo 8d | 8mo 16d | 10mo 24dJan 2020 - Dec 2020 |
Bear market2022 | -13.89%Sep 2022 | 10mo 21d | 1y 2mo | 2y 21dNov 2021 - Dec 2023 |
2016 correction2016 | -13.73%Feb 2016 | 6mo 27d | 3mo 20d | 10mo 17dJul 2015 - Jun 2016 |
2019 pullback2019 | -7.79%Jan 2019 | 4mo 15d | 3mo 8d | 7mo 23dAug 2018 - Apr 2019 |
2025 selloff2025 | -5.62%Apr 2025 | 1mo 5d | 1mo 28d | 3mo 3dMar 2025 - Jun 2025 |
Drawdown Indicators
| YLD | Benchmark | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -28.34% | -56.78% | +28.44% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -1.98% | -9.10% | +7.12% |
Max Drawdown (3Y)Largest decline over 3 years | -5.62% | -18.90% | +13.28% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -13.89% | -25.43% | +11.54% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | -28.34% | -33.92% | +5.58% |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -0.08% | -1.80% | +1.72% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -2.69% | -10.71% | +8.02% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 0.58% | 2.03% | -1.45% |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
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