PFXF vs. PFF

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about VanEck Vectors Preferred Securities ex Financials ETF (PFXF) and iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF (PFF).

PFXF and PFF are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. PFXF is a passively managed fund by VanEck that tracks the performance of the Wells Fargo Hybrid and Preferred Securities ex Financials Index. It was launched on Jul 16, 2012. 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. Both PFXF and PFF are passive ETFs, meaning that they are not actively managed but aim to replicate the performance of the underlying index as closely as possible.

Performance

PFXF vs. PFF - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in VanEck Vectors Preferred Securities ex Financials ETF (PFXF) and iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF (PFF). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

PFXF vs. PFF - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
PFXF VanEck Vectors Preferred Securities ex Financials ETF	0.10%	9.64%	8.42%	11.20%	-18.83%	11.61%	7.61%	20.52%	-4.17%	7.93%
PFF iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF	-1.42%	4.87%	7.24%	9.22%	-18.19%	7.15%	7.89%	15.93%	-4.64%	8.10%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, PFXF achieves a 0.10% return, which is significantly higher than PFF's -1.42% return. Over the past 10 years, PFXF has outperformed PFF with an annualized return of 4.96%, while PFF has yielded a comparatively lower 3.24% annualized return.

PFXF

• 1D: 1.15%
• 1M: -3.86%
• YTD: 0.10%
• 6M: 2.11%
• 1Y: 12.25%
• 3Y*: 7.58%
• 5Y*: 3.30%
• 10Y*: 4.96%

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%

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

PFXF vs. PFF - Expense Ratio Comparison

PFXF has a 0.41% expense ratio, which is lower than PFF's 0.46% expense ratio.

PFF

iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF

PFXF

VanEck Vectors Preferred Securities ex Financials ETF

Return for Risk

PFXF vs. PFF — Risk / Return Rank

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

PFXF

PFXF Risk / Return Rank: 66
PFXF Sharpe Ratio Rank: 67
PFXF Sortino Ratio Rank: 67
PFXF Omega Ratio Rank: 62
PFXF Calmar Ratio Rank: 68
PFXF Martin Ratio Rank: 63

PFF

PFF Risk / Return Rank: 31
PFF Sharpe Ratio Rank: 32
PFF Sortino Ratio Rank: 30
PFF Omega Ratio Rank: 28
PFF Calmar Ratio Rank: 35
PFF Martin Ratio Rank: 29

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.

PFXF vs. PFF - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for VanEck Vectors Preferred Securities ex Financials ETF (PFXF) 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.

	PFXF	PFF	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.14	0.56	+0.58
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	1.63	0.82	+0.81
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.22	1.11	+0.11
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.66	0.80	+0.87
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	5.98	2.28	+3.70
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

PFXF vs. PFF - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current PFXF Sharpe Ratio is 1.14, which is higher than the PFF Sharpe Ratio of 0.56. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of PFXF and PFF, 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

	PFXF	PFF	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.14	0.56	+0.58
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.31	0.10	+0.21
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.38	0.26	+0.12
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.44	0.20	+0.24

Correlation

The correlation between PFXF and PFF is 0.80, 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

PFXF vs. PFF - Dividend Comparison

PFXF's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 6.96%, more than PFF's 5.97% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
PFXF VanEck Vectors Preferred Securities ex Financials ETF	6.96%	6.72%	7.82%	7.88%	6.74%	4.66%	5.19%	5.35%	6.56%	5.93%	5.81%	5.99%
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

PFXF vs. PFF - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum PFXF drawdown since its inception was -35.49%, smaller than the maximum PFF drawdown of -65.55%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for PFXF and PFF.

Drawdown Indicators

	PFXF	PFF	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-35.49%	-65.55%	+30.06%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-6.84%	-5.28%	-1.56%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-21.80%	-21.05%	-0.75%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-35.49%	-34.10%	-1.39%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-4.75%	-4.65%	-0.10%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-3.94%	-5.81%	+1.87%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	1.90%	1.84%	+0.06%

Volatility

PFXF vs. PFF - Volatility Comparison

VanEck Vectors Preferred Securities ex Financials ETF (PFXF) has a higher volatility of 3.58% compared to iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF (PFF) at 2.59%. This indicates that PFXF'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.

Volatility by Period

	PFXF	PFF	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	3.58%	2.59%	+0.99%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	6.82%	5.10%	+1.72%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	10.83%	8.32%	+2.51%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	10.81%	10.26%	+0.55%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	13.16%	12.63%	+0.53%