PREF vs. PFFA

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Principal Spectrum Preferred Secs Active ETF (PREF) and Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF (PFFA).

PREF and PFFA 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. PFFA is an actively managed fund by Virtus Investment Partners. It was launched on May 15, 2018.

Performance

PREF vs. PFFA - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Principal Spectrum Preferred Secs Active ETF (PREF) and Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF (PFFA). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

PREF vs. PFFA - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018
PREF Principal Spectrum Preferred Secs Active ETF	-0.46%	7.64%	11.43%	7.36%	-11.80%	2.08%	7.52%	17.32%	-3.04%
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%

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, PREF achieves a -0.46% return, which is significantly higher than PFFA's -3.22% return.

PREF

• 1D: 0.48%
• 1M: -1.76%
• YTD: -0.46%
• 6M: 0.91%
• 1Y: 5.77%
• 3Y*: 8.59%
• 5Y*: 3.06%
• 10Y*: —

PFFA

• 1D: 0.10%
• 1M: -4.25%
• YTD: -3.22%
• 6M: -1.63%
• 1Y: 5.66%
• 3Y*: 12.09%
• 5Y*: 5.84%
• 10Y*: —

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

PREF vs. PFFA - Expense Ratio Comparison

PREF has a 0.55% expense ratio, which is lower than PFFA's 1.47% expense ratio.

PFFA

Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF

PREF

Principal Spectrum Preferred Secs Active ETF

Return for Risk

PREF vs. PFFA — 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: 81

PFFA

PFFA Risk / Return Rank: 30
PFFA Sharpe Ratio Rank: 33
PFFA Sortino Ratio Rank: 28
PFFA Omega Ratio Rank: 32
PFFA Calmar Ratio Rank: 27
PFFA Martin Ratio Rank: 28

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. PFFA - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Principal Spectrum Preferred Secs Active ETF (PREF) and Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF (PFFA). 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	PFFA	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	1.69	0.57	+1.12
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	2.22	0.78	+1.44
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.34	1.12	+0.21
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	1.95	0.58	+1.38
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	8.56	2.04	+6.52
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. PFFA - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current PREF Sharpe Ratio is 1.69, which is higher than the PFFA Sharpe Ratio of 0.57. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of PREF and PFFA, 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	PFFA	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	1.69	0.57	+1.12
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.64	0.51	+0.12
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.63	0.22	+0.41

Correlation

The correlation between PREF and PFFA 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. PFFA - Dividend Comparison

PREF's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 5.01%, less than PFFA's 10.06% yield.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
PREF Principal Spectrum Preferred Secs Active ETF	5.01%	4.87%	4.65%	4.67%	4.63%	4.07%	4.35%	4.67%	5.49%	2.35%
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%

Drawdowns

PREF vs. PFFA - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum PREF drawdown since its inception was -22.99%, smaller than the maximum PFFA drawdown of -70.52%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for PREF and PFFA.

Drawdown Indicators

	PREF	PFFA	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-22.99%	-70.52%	+47.53%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-2.88%	-8.54%	+5.66%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-16.99%	-22.70%	+5.71%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-1.96%	-6.07%	+4.11%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-3.73%	-6.77%	+3.04%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	0.66%	2.41%	-1.75%

Volatility

PREF vs. PFFA - Volatility Comparison

The current volatility for Principal Spectrum Preferred Secs Active ETF (PREF) is 1.73%, while Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF (PFFA) has a volatility of 3.26%. This indicates that PREF experiences smaller price fluctuations and is considered to be less risky than PFFA based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	PREF	PFFA	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	1.73%	3.26%	-1.53%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	2.49%	5.25%	-2.76%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	3.44%	9.98%	-6.54%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	4.84%	11.49%	-6.65%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	6.35%	32.17%	-25.82%