PFFA vs. PFF
Compare and contrast key facts about Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF (PFFA) and iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF (PFF).
PFFA and PFF are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. PFFA is an actively managed fund by Virtus Investment Partners. It was launched on May 15, 2018. PFF is a passively managed fund by iShares that tracks the performance of the S&P U.S. Preferred Stock Index. It was launched on Mar 30, 2007.
Performance
PFFA vs. PFF - Performance Comparison
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PFFA vs. PFF - Yearly Performance Comparison
| 2026 (YTD) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PFFA Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF | -3.22% | 8.22% | 16.11% | 26.45% | -20.91% | 23.53% | -7.87% | 31.99% | -7.10% |
PFF iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF | -1.42% | 4.87% | 7.24% | 9.22% | -18.19% | 7.15% | 7.89% | 15.93% | -3.56% |
Returns By Period
In the year-to-date period, PFFA achieves a -3.22% return, which is significantly lower than PFF's -1.42% return.
PFFA
- 1D
- 0.10%
- 1M
- -4.25%
- YTD
- -3.22%
- 6M
- -1.63%
- 1Y
- 5.66%
- 3Y*
- 12.09%
- 5Y*
- 5.84%
- 10Y*
- —
PFF
- 1D
- 0.66%
- 1M
- -3.37%
- YTD
- -1.42%
- 6M
- -1.65%
- 1Y
- 4.61%
- 3Y*
- 5.39%
- 5Y*
- 1.02%
- 10Y*
- 3.24%
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PFFA vs. PFF - Expense Ratio Comparison
PFFA has a 1.47% expense ratio, which is higher than PFF's 0.46% expense ratio.
Return for Risk
PFFA vs. PFF — Risk / Return Rank
PFFA
PFF
PFFA vs. PFF - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison
This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF (PFFA) and iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF (PFF). 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.
| PFFA | PFF | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Sharpe ratioReturn per unit of total volatility | 0.57 | 0.56 | +0.01 |
Sortino ratioReturn per unit of downside risk | 0.78 | 0.82 | -0.04 |
Omega ratioGain probability vs. loss probability | 1.12 | 1.11 | +0.02 |
Calmar ratioReturn relative to maximum drawdown | 0.58 | 0.80 | -0.22 |
Martin ratioReturn relative to average drawdown | 2.04 | 2.28 | -0.24 |
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month. | |||
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Sharpe Ratios by Period
| PFFA | PFF | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)Calculated over the trailing 1-year period | 0.57 | 0.56 | +0.01 |
Sharpe Ratio (5Y)Calculated over the trailing 5-year period | 0.51 | 0.10 | +0.41 |
Sharpe Ratio (10Y)Calculated over the trailing 10-year period | — | 0.26 | — |
Sharpe Ratio (All Time)Calculated using the full available price history | 0.22 | 0.20 | +0.02 |
Correlation
The correlation between PFFA and PFF is 0.76, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.
Dividends
PFFA vs. PFF - Dividend Comparison
PFFA's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 10.06%, more than PFF's 5.97% yield.
| TTM | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PFFA Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF | 10.06% | 9.47% | 9.18% | 9.56% | 10.75% | 7.64% | 8.54% | 10.02% | 5.15% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
PFF iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF | 5.97% | 6.30% | 6.32% | 6.63% | 6.01% | 4.45% | 4.79% | 5.31% | 6.32% | 5.59% | 5.85% | 5.76% |
Drawdowns
PFFA vs. PFF - Drawdown Comparison
The maximum PFFA drawdown since its inception was -70.52%, which is greater than PFF's maximum drawdown of -65.55%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for PFFA and PFF.
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Drawdown Indicators
| PFFA | PFF | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Max DrawdownLargest peak-to-trough decline | -70.52% | -65.55% | -4.97% |
Max Drawdown (1Y)Largest decline over 1 year | -8.54% | -5.28% | -3.26% |
Max Drawdown (5Y)Largest decline over 5 years | -22.70% | -21.05% | -1.65% |
Max Drawdown (10Y)Largest decline over 10 years | — | -34.10% | — |
Current DrawdownCurrent decline from peak | -6.07% | -4.65% | -1.42% |
Average DrawdownAverage peak-to-trough decline | -6.77% | -5.81% | -0.96% |
Ulcer IndexDepth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks | 2.41% | 1.84% | +0.57% |
Volatility
PFFA vs. PFF - Volatility Comparison
Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF (PFFA) has a higher volatility of 3.26% compared to iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF (PFF) at 2.59%. This indicates that PFFA's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than PFF based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.
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Volatility by Period
| PFFA | PFF | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
Volatility (1M)Calculated over the trailing 1-month period | 3.26% | 2.59% | +0.67% |
Volatility (6M)Calculated over the trailing 6-month period | 5.25% | 5.10% | +0.15% |
Volatility (1Y)Calculated over the trailing 1-year period | 9.98% | 8.32% | +1.66% |
Volatility (5Y)Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized | 11.49% | 10.26% | +1.23% |
Volatility (10Y)Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized | 32.17% | 12.63% | +19.54% |