BILZ vs. VGUS

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about PIMCO Ultra Short Government Active Exchange-Traded Fund (BILZ) and Vanguard Ultra-Short Treasury ETF (VGUS).

BILZ and VGUS are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. BILZ is an actively managed fund by PIMCO. It was launched on Jun 21, 2023. VGUS is a passively managed fund by Vanguard that tracks the performance of the Bloomberg Short Treasury Index. It was launched on Feb 7, 2025.

Performance

BILZ vs. VGUS - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in PIMCO Ultra Short Government Active Exchange-Traded Fund (BILZ) and Vanguard Ultra-Short Treasury ETF (VGUS). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

BILZ vs. VGUS - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025
BILZ PIMCO Ultra Short Government Active Exchange-Traded Fund	0.83%	3.72%
VGUS Vanguard Ultra-Short Treasury ETF	0.81%	3.77%

Returns By Period

The year-to-date returns for both stocks are quite close, with BILZ having a 0.83% return and VGUS slightly lower at 0.81%.

BILZ

• 1D: 0.00%
• 1M: 0.28%
• YTD: 0.83%
• 6M: 1.85%
• 1Y: 4.03%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

VGUS

• 1D: 0.01%
• 1M: 0.25%
• YTD: 0.81%
• 6M: 1.82%
• 1Y: 4.00%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

BILZ vs. VGUS - Expense Ratio Comparison

BILZ has a 0.14% expense ratio, which is higher than VGUS's 0.07% expense ratio. However, both funds are considered low-cost compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios usually range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

BILZ

PIMCO Ultra Short Government Active Exchange-Traded Fund

VGUS

Vanguard Ultra-Short Treasury ETF

Return for Risk

BILZ vs. VGUS — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

BILZ

BILZ Risk / Return Rank: 100
BILZ Sharpe Ratio Rank: 100
BILZ Sortino Ratio Rank: 100
BILZ Omega Ratio Rank: 100
BILZ Calmar Ratio Rank: 100
BILZ Martin Ratio Rank: 100

VGUS

VGUS Risk / Return Rank: 100
VGUS Sharpe Ratio Rank: 100
VGUS Sortino Ratio Rank: 100
VGUS Omega Ratio Rank: 100
VGUS Calmar Ratio Rank: 100
VGUS Martin Ratio Rank: 100

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

BILZ vs. VGUS - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for PIMCO Ultra Short Government Active Exchange-Traded Fund (BILZ) and Vanguard Ultra-Short Treasury ETF (VGUS). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	BILZ	VGUS	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	19.30	11.39	+7.91
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	117.88	31.34	+86.54
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	44.85	8.64	+36.21
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	203.30	55.20	+148.11
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	1,804.32	367.74	+1,436.58
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

BILZ vs. VGUS - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current BILZ Sharpe Ratio is 19.30, which is higher than the VGUS Sharpe Ratio of 11.39. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of BILZ and VGUS, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	BILZ	VGUS	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	19.30	11.39	+7.91
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	10.37	11.78	-1.40

Correlation

The correlation between BILZ and VGUS is 0.38, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Dividends

BILZ vs. VGUS - Dividend Comparison

BILZ's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 4.18%, more than VGUS's 3.66% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023
BILZ PIMCO Ultra Short Government Active Exchange-Traded Fund	4.18%	4.19%	4.95%	2.23%
VGUS Vanguard Ultra-Short Treasury ETF	3.66%	3.12%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

BILZ vs. VGUS - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum BILZ drawdown since its inception was -0.52%, which is greater than VGUS's maximum drawdown of -0.07%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for BILZ and VGUS.

Drawdown Indicators

	BILZ	VGUS	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-0.52%	-0.07%	-0.45%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-0.02%	-0.07%	+0.05%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-0.01%	0.00%	-0.01%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.00%	0.01%	-0.01%

Volatility

BILZ vs. VGUS - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for PIMCO Ultra Short Government Active Exchange-Traded Fund (BILZ) is 0.05%, while Vanguard Ultra-Short Treasury ETF (VGUS) has a volatility of 0.07%. This indicates that BILZ experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than VGUS based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	BILZ	VGUS	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	0.05%	0.07%	-0.02%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	0.14%	0.16%	-0.02%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.21%	0.35%	-0.14%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	0.44%	0.35%	+0.09%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	0.44%	0.35%	+0.09%