DFIHX vs. PULS

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about DFA One Year Fixed Income Portfolio (DFIHX) and PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF (PULS).

DFIHX is managed by Dimensional. It was launched on Jul 25, 1983. PULS is an actively managed fund by PGIM. It was launched on Apr 5, 2018.

Performance

DFIHX vs. PULS - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in DFA One Year Fixed Income Portfolio (DFIHX) and PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF (PULS). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

DFIHX vs. PULS - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
DFIHX DFA One Year Fixed Income Portfolio	0.81%	3.41%	5.41%	4.98%	-1.19%	-0.19%	0.62%	2.44%	1.65%
PULS PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF	0.89%	4.97%	6.12%	6.26%	1.52%	0.48%	1.47%	2.97%	1.71%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, DFIHX achieves a 0.81% return, which is significantly lower than PULS's 0.89% return.

DFIHX

• 1D: -0.06%
• 1M: 0.23%
• YTD: 0.81%
• 6M: 1.89%
• 1Y: 3.69%
• 3Y*: 4.47%
• 5Y*: 2.61%
• 10Y*: 1.92%

PULS

• 1D: 0.04%
• 1M: 0.09%
• YTD: 0.89%
• 6M: 2.04%
• 1Y: 4.71%
• 3Y*: 5.67%
• 5Y*: 3.98%
• 10Y*: —

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

DFIHX vs. PULS - Expense Ratio Comparison

DFIHX has a 0.13% expense ratio, which is lower than PULS's 0.15% expense ratio. Despite the difference, both funds are considered low-cost compared to the broader market, where average expense ratios usually range from 0.3% to 0.9%.

PULS

PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF

DFIHX

DFA One Year Fixed Income Portfolio

Return for Risk

DFIHX vs. PULS — Risk / Return Rank

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

DFIHX

DFIHX Risk / Return Rank: 99
DFIHX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 100
DFIHX Sortino Ratio Rank: 99
DFIHX Omega Ratio Rank: 100
DFIHX Calmar Ratio Rank: 99
DFIHX Martin Ratio Rank: 99

PULS

PULS Risk / Return Rank: 99
PULS Sharpe Ratio Rank: 99
PULS Sortino Ratio Rank: 99
PULS Omega Ratio Rank: 99
PULS Calmar Ratio Rank: 99
PULS Martin Ratio Rank: 99

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.

DFIHX vs. PULS - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for DFA One Year Fixed Income Portfolio (DFIHX) and PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF (PULS). 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.

	DFIHX	PULS	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	5.38	9.19	-3.81
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	9.47	18.25	-8.78
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	8.43	5.27	+3.17
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	8.71	13.80	-5.09
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	37.74	95.35	-57.61
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

DFIHX vs. PULS - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current DFIHX Sharpe Ratio is 5.38, which is lower than the PULS Sharpe Ratio of 9.19. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of DFIHX and PULS, 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

	DFIHX	PULS	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	5.38	9.19	-3.81
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	2.65	5.72	-3.07
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	2.43	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	1.52	2.46	-0.94

Correlation

The correlation between DFIHX and PULS is 0.19, 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

DFIHX vs. PULS - Dividend Comparison

DFIHX's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 3.73%, less than PULS's 5.09% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
DFIHX DFA One Year Fixed Income Portfolio	3.73%	3.26%	4.99%	3.37%	1.07%	0.00%	0.62%	2.12%	1.85%	1.13%	0.66%	0.51%
PULS PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF	5.09%	4.78%	5.62%	5.48%	2.30%	1.19%	1.85%	2.69%	1.87%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

DFIHX vs. PULS - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum DFIHX drawdown since its inception was -2.53%, smaller than the maximum PULS drawdown of -5.85%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for DFIHX and PULS.

Drawdown Indicators

	DFIHX	PULS	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-2.53%	-5.85%	+3.32%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-0.39%	-0.34%	-0.05%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-2.26%	-0.79%	-1.47%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-2.26%	—	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-0.06%	0.00%	-0.06%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-0.15%	-0.09%	-0.06%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.09%	0.05%	+0.04%

Volatility

DFIHX vs. PULS - Volatility Comparison

DFA One Year Fixed Income Portfolio (DFIHX) has a higher volatility of 0.18% compared to PGIM Ultra Short Bond ETF (PULS) at 0.15%. This indicates that DFIHX's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than PULS based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	DFIHX	PULS	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	0.18%	0.15%	+0.03%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	0.41%	0.28%	+0.13%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.72%	0.51%	+0.21%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	0.99%	0.70%	+0.29%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	0.79%	1.34%	-0.55%