FPE vs. NPFI

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about First Trust Preferred Securities & Income ETF (FPE) and Nuveen Preferred And Income ETF (NPFI).

FPE and NPFI are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. FPE is an actively managed fund by First Trust. It was launched on Feb 12, 2013. NPFI is an actively managed fund by Nuveen. It was launched on Mar 5, 2024.

Performance

FPE vs. NPFI - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in First Trust Preferred Securities & Income ETF (FPE) and Nuveen Preferred And Income ETF (NPFI). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

FPE vs. NPFI - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024
FPE First Trust Preferred Securities & Income ETF	-1.22%	9.21%	8.34%
NPFI Nuveen Preferred And Income ETF	-0.72%	9.21%	6.56%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, FPE achieves a -1.22% return, which is significantly lower than NPFI's -0.72% return.

FPE

• 1D: 0.74%
• 1M: -2.57%
• YTD: -1.22%
• 6M: 0.25%
• 1Y: 7.01%
• 3Y*: 9.91%
• 5Y*: 3.03%
• 10Y*: 5.23%

NPFI

• 1D: 0.95%
• 1M: -1.84%
• YTD: -0.72%
• 6M: 0.56%
• 1Y: 6.76%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

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

FPE vs. NPFI - Expense Ratio Comparison

FPE has a 0.85% expense ratio, which is higher than NPFI's 0.55% expense ratio.

FPE

First Trust Preferred Securities & Income ETF

NPFI

Nuveen Preferred And Income ETF

Return for Risk

FPE vs. NPFI — Risk / Return Rank

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

FPE

FPE Risk / Return Rank: 75
FPE Sharpe Ratio Rank: 75
FPE Sortino Ratio Rank: 75
FPE Omega Ratio Rank: 81
FPE Calmar Ratio Rank: 70
FPE Martin Ratio Rank: 71

NPFI

NPFI Risk / Return Rank: 88
NPFI Sharpe Ratio Rank: 92
NPFI Sortino Ratio Rank: 93
NPFI Omega Ratio Rank: 96
NPFI Calmar Ratio Rank: 79
NPFI Martin Ratio Rank: 81

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.

FPE vs. NPFI - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for First Trust Preferred Securities & Income ETF (FPE) and Nuveen Preferred And Income ETF (NPFI). 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.

	FPE	NPFI	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.32	2.08	-0.76
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.82	2.86	-1.03
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.31	1.48	-0.17
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.72	2.13	-0.42
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	6.99	8.72	-1.73
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

FPE vs. NPFI - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current FPE Sharpe Ratio is 1.32, which is lower than the NPFI Sharpe Ratio of 2.08. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of FPE and NPFI, 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

	FPE	NPFI	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.32	2.08	-0.76
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.46	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.52	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.51	2.54	-2.03

Correlation

The correlation between FPE and NPFI is 0.63, which is considered to be moderate. This suggests that the two assets have some degree of positive relationship in their price movements. Moderate correlation can be acceptable for portfolio diversification, offering a balance between risk and potential returns.

Dividends

FPE vs. NPFI - Dividend Comparison

FPE's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 5.95%, less than NPFI's 6.52% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
FPE First Trust Preferred Securities & Income ETF	5.95%	5.81%	5.68%	6.03%	5.67%	4.48%	4.88%	5.32%	6.14%	5.39%	5.97%	5.49%
NPFI Nuveen Preferred And Income ETF	6.52%	6.33%	5.10%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

FPE vs. NPFI - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum FPE drawdown since its inception was -33.35%, which is greater than NPFI's maximum drawdown of -3.18%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for FPE and NPFI.

Drawdown Indicators

	FPE	NPFI	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-33.35%	-3.18%	-30.17%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-4.08%	-3.18%	-0.90%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-19.65%	—	—
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-33.35%	—	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-2.99%	-2.26%	-0.73%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-3.36%	-0.32%	-3.04%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	1.00%	0.78%	+0.22%

Volatility

FPE vs. NPFI - Volatility Comparison

First Trust Preferred Securities & Income ETF (FPE) has a higher volatility of 2.24% compared to Nuveen Preferred And Income ETF (NPFI) at 1.67%. This indicates that FPE's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than NPFI based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	FPE	NPFI	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	2.24%	1.67%	+0.57%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	3.13%	2.15%	+0.98%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	5.33%	3.26%	+2.07%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	6.59%	2.86%	+3.73%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	10.16%	2.86%	+7.30%