PREF vs. NPFI

Last updated Apr 2, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Principal Spectrum Preferred Secs Active ETF (PREF) and Nuveen Preferred And Income ETF (NPFI).

PREF and NPFI are both exchange-traded funds (ETFs), meaning they are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day. PREF is an actively managed fund by Principal. It was launched on Jul 10, 2017. NPFI is an actively managed fund by Nuveen. It was launched on Mar 5, 2024.

Performance

PREF vs. NPFI - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Principal Spectrum Preferred Secs Active ETF (PREF) and Nuveen Preferred And Income ETF (NPFI). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

PREF vs. NPFI - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024
PREF Principal Spectrum Preferred Secs Active ETF	-0.15%	7.64%	8.22%
NPFI Nuveen Preferred And Income ETF	-0.50%	9.21%	6.56%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, PREF achieves a -0.15% return, which is significantly higher than NPFI's -0.50% return.

PREF

• 1D: 0.31%
• 1M: -1.10%
• YTD: -0.15%
• 6M: 1.33%
• 1Y: 6.10%
• 3Y*: 8.70%
• 5Y*: 3.13%
• 10Y*: —

NPFI

• 1D: 0.22%
• 1M: -1.30%
• YTD: -0.50%
• 6M: 0.77%
• 1Y: 7.04%
• 3Y*: —
• 5Y*: —
• 10Y*: —

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

PREF vs. NPFI - Expense Ratio Comparison

Both PREF and NPFI have an expense ratio of 0.55%.

PREF

Principal Spectrum Preferred Secs Active ETF

NPFI

Nuveen Preferred And Income ETF

Return for Risk

PREF vs. NPFI — Risk / Return Rank

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

PREF

PREF Risk / Return Rank: 82
PREF Sharpe Ratio Rank: 85
PREF Sortino Ratio Rank: 85
PREF Omega Ratio Rank: 86
PREF Calmar Ratio Rank: 76
PREF Martin Ratio Rank: 79

NPFI

NPFI Risk / Return Rank: 87
NPFI Sharpe Ratio Rank: 92
NPFI Sortino Ratio Rank: 94
NPFI Omega Ratio Rank: 96
NPFI Calmar Ratio Rank: 77
NPFI Martin Ratio Rank: 77

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.

PREF vs. NPFI - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Principal Spectrum Preferred Secs Active ETF (PREF) 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.

	PREF	NPFI	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.78	2.17	-0.39
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.34	2.97	-0.63
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.36	1.50	-0.14
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	2.12	2.20	-0.08
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	9.17	8.87	+0.29
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

PREF vs. NPFI - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current PREF Sharpe Ratio is 1.78, which is comparable to the NPFI Sharpe Ratio of 2.17. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of PREF 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

	PREF	NPFI	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.78	2.17	-0.39
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.65	—	—
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.64	2.58	-1.94

Correlation

The correlation between PREF and NPFI is 0.39, 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

PREF vs. NPFI - Dividend Comparison

PREF's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 5.09%, less than NPFI's 6.50% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
PREF Principal Spectrum Preferred Secs Active ETF	5.09%	4.87%	4.65%	4.67%	4.63%	4.07%	4.35%	4.67%	5.49%	2.35%
NPFI Nuveen Preferred And Income ETF	6.50%	6.33%	5.10%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%

Drawdowns

PREF vs. NPFI - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum PREF drawdown since its inception was -22.99%, which is greater than NPFI's maximum drawdown of -3.18%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for PREF and NPFI.

Drawdown Indicators

	PREF	NPFI	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-22.99%	-3.18%	-19.81%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-2.88%	-3.18%	+0.30%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-16.99%	—	—
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-1.65%	-2.04%	+0.39%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-3.73%	-0.33%	-3.40%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.67%	0.79%	-0.12%

Volatility

PREF vs. NPFI - Volatility Comparison

Principal Spectrum Preferred Secs Active ETF (PREF) has a higher volatility of 1.77% compared to Nuveen Preferred And Income ETF (NPFI) at 1.67%. This indicates that PREF'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

	PREF	NPFI	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	1.77%	1.67%	+0.10%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	2.51%	2.16%	+0.35%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	3.45%	3.26%	+0.19%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	4.84%	2.86%	+1.98%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	6.35%	2.86%	+3.49%