PFFA vs QDF: Performance, Holdings, Fees & Risk
PFFA and QDF are ETFs, but they can differ materially in exposure, yield, fees and risk. PFFA is Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF, while QDF is Northern Trust Quality Dividend ETF. PFFA is broader by holdings count, with 198 positions versus 144 for QDF. QDF has the lower expense ratio. Current AlgovestIQ evidence has QDF ahead on AIQ Score, 53 versus 43.
| Metric | PFFA | QDF |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | ||
| Expense ratio | 2.11% | 0.4% |
| Holdings | 198 | 144 |
| Distribution yieldTrailing 12 months | 10.81% | 1.5% |
| Average volume | 913,884 | 24,427 |
| Performance | ||
| 1Y return | -11.2% | +16.5% |
| YTD return | -10.8% | +12.8% |
| 5Y annualized returnTotal return, distributions reinvested | +4.2% | +11.5% |
| Risk | ||
| Annualized volatility | 8.8% | 11.9% |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -13.3% | -8.1% |
| Max drawdown (5Y)Total return, distributions reinvested | -22.7% | -22.1% |
| Beta | 0.41 | 0.87 |
| Sharpe ratio | -1.80 | 0.97 |
| Sortino ratio | -2.28 | 1.51 |
| AlgovestIQ | ||
| AIQ Score | 43/100 | 53/100 |
| AIQ Edge Score | 2/10 | 5/10 |
| Momentum | 25/100 | 57/100 |
| Risk Resilience | 84/100 | 87/100 |
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF vs Northern Trust Quality Dividend ETF
QDF leads
QDF leads by 10 AIQ points, primarily on Momentum and Value, and the lead has widened from 7 points over 30 sessions.
Competitive: 3 of 4 evidence groups support QDF, its lead is widening, and its current signal state is conflicted.
Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF
Northern Trust Quality Dividend ETF
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors QDF over PFFA, 53 versus 43 as of Oct 21, 2026. QDF's advantage is driven primarily by stronger momentum and value, while PFFA holds the stronger quality profile. QDF also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 3 of 4 covered evidence groups favor QDF today, and the comparison is rated Competitive on stability: the leader is throwing conflicting signals. QDF lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 7 to 10 points over 30 sessions.
Compare Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF and Northern Trust Quality Dividend ETF across performance, expense ratio, dividend yield, drawdown, volatility and the Algovestiq AIQ Score.
PFFA vs QDF: which fits what
Each row is settled by a single measure. Where the gap is too small to matter it reads Similar, and no row decides the comparison as a whole.
| If you want | PFFA | QDF | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower costExpense ratio | 2.11% | 0.4% | QDF |
| Broader diversificationNumber of holdings | 198 | 144 | PFFA |
| Higher incomeTrailing 12-month distribution yield | 10.81% | 1.5% | PFFA |
| Smaller drawdownsMax drawdown, 5 years | -22.7% | -22.1% | Similar |
| Lower volatilityAnnualized volatility, 1 year | 8.8% | 11.9% | PFFA |
Similar means the gap is within 0.01 percentage points of expense ratio, 25% more holdings, 3 points of top-10 weight, 0.2 points of yield, 2 points of drawdown or 1 point of volatility. Past drawdowns and volatility describe the funds’ history, not their future.
Performance over time
Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes for both ETFs.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested
Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.
Compare PFFA and QDF against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Momentum25 vs 57QDF +32
- Value27 vs 46QDF +19
- Quality53 vs 40PFFA +13
- Risk Resilience84 vs 87Even
3 of 4 evidence groups favor QDF. QDF’s edge is concentrated in momentum and value; PFFA keeps a meaningful quality edge.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.
No factor moved materially.
New signals
- RSI Oversold - Potential Bounce — bullish, momentum, short horizon
Largest factor move: Momentum +7
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 5 active signals are unchanged.
QDF's lead widened by 2 AIQ points in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — PFFA and QDF both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
QDF (Northern Trust Quality Dividend ETF): the stronger current systematic profile, led by momentum and value.
PFFA (Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF): the counter-case, on quality.
Fund facts, side by side
Two funds tracking overlapping universes are separated by cost and risk far more than by holdings. Those lead here.
| Measure | PFFA | QDF | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 2.11% | 0.4% | Lower is better — it compounds against you every year you hold. |
| Holdings | 198 | 144 | More holdings means broader diversification, not better returns. |
| Average volume | 913,884 | 24,427 | Liquidity — matters most if you trade size. |
| Annualized volatility | 8.8% | 11.9% | Lower is a steadier ride for the same exposure. |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -13.3% | -8.1% | The worst peak-to-trough loss over the past year. |
| Sharpe ratio | -1.80 | 0.97 | Return per unit of risk. Higher is better. |
| Beta | 0.41 | 0.87 | Sensitivity to the broad market. Neither direction is better — it depends on the role in your portfolio. |
Where the exposure actually sits
Sector exposure for each fund, ordered by the size of the difference.
PFFA vs QDF: five-year payout growth
QDF grew its split-adjusted payout faster over 2020-2025 — 2.46% a year against PFFA's 1.65%. PFFA never reduced its annual distribution in the window; QDF did in 2 years. PFFA: The 2020 payout was 28.8% below 2019, so the growth rate measures a recovery from a weak starting year. QDF: The 2020 payout was 20.3% below 2019, so the growth rate measures a recovery from a weak starting year.
| Dividend metric | PFFA | QDF |
|---|---|---|
| 5Y payout CAGR | 1.65% | 2.46% |
| 2020 annual payout | $1.880 | $1.178 |
| 2025 annual payout | $2.040 | $1.330 |
| Calendar-year declines | 0 | 2 |
| Peer rank | #122 of 138 | #26 of 33 |
Split-adjusted annual distributions, 2020–2025. Research as of Sep 19, 2026. Yield and expense ratio above are current values, not part of this window.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
3 of 4 covered evidence groups favor QDF. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | QDF | 43 vs 53 |
| Fundamentals | Not covered | Not covered |
| Valuation | QDF | Value 27 vs 46 |
| Technicals | QDF | Price vs 50-day -6.9% vs -0.1%; vs 200-day -8.9% vs 4.9% |
| Risk Resilience | Even | Risk Resilience 84 vs 87 |
| Analyst expectations | Not covered | Not covered |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of PFFA and QDF and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The two are close enough that your objective, not the score, should decide.
- The AIQ gap is moderate at 10 points.
- The leader's advantage has been widening. (supports the conclusion holding)
- The lead has been steady session to session. (supports the conclusion holding)
- The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on QDF.
How the comparison changed
41 daily snapshots · Sep 8 – Oct 20QDF lead: Strengthening — the AIQ differential moved from 7 to 10 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- QDF +10
- 43 vs 53
- 7 sessions ago
- QDF +9
- 43 vs 52
- 30 sessions ago
- QDF +7
- 43 vs 50
- 90 sessions ago
- Not covered
The lead has not changed hands in this window.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
1 bullish / 5 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted
Only PFFA
- Death Cross Active — bearish, trend, long horizon (3.38%)
- Keltner Channel Breakdown — bearish, volatility, short horizon
- RSI Oversold - Potential Bounce — bullish, momentum, short horizon
- 52-Week Low Proximity — bearish, risk, long horizon (0.0%)
- Downtrend Structure Active — bearish, trend, long horizon
2 bullish / 1 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted
Only QDF
- Golden Cross Active — bullish, trend, long horizon (5.33%)
- 52-Week High Proximity — bullish, risk, long horizon (2.7%)
Both carry 3 more signals that do not separate them: Bollinger Band Squeeze, ATR Contraction - Coiling, MACD Bearish Crossover.
QDF leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -0.79%, AIQ 0 points).
Price and the AIQ Score both moved up over the latest session (price +0.31%, AIQ +2 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1PFFA closes the Momentum gap — currently 32 points behind, the largest single contributor to QDF's edge.
- 2PFFA's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
- 3QDF's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 2 bullish and 1 bearish rules at once.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Performance
QDF leads 6 of 6 windows| Metric | PFFA | QDF |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | -1.6% | -0.4% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -6.6% | -0.3% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | -7.4% | 0.5% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | -10.4% | 8% |
| Year to date | -10.8% | 12.8% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | -11.2% | 16.5% |
Technicals
QDF has the stronger structure| Metric | PFFA | QDF |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 25.2 | 60.2 |
| ADX (14) | 41.6 | 7.4 |
| Price vs 50-day | -6.9% | -0.1% |
| Price vs 200-day | -8.9% | 4.9% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 9.6% | 7.9% |
Risk
Split| Metric | PFFA | QDF |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 0.41 | 0.87 |
| Sharpe ratio | -1.8 | 0.97 |
| Sortino ratio | -2.28 | 1.51 |
| Max drawdown | -13.3% | -8.1% |
| Current drawdown | -13.3% | -2.5% |
| Annualized volatility | 8.8% | 11.9% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -1.1% | -1.2% |
Straight answers
Short answers to the questions fund investors ask about this pair, from the figures above.
Which ETF is more diversified, PFFA or QDF?
PFFA holds more positions: 198 versus 144 for QDF.
Which has the lower expense ratio?
QDF has the lower expense ratio, 0.4% a year against 2.11% for PFFA.
Which ETF has the higher distribution yield?
PFFA, with a trailing 12-month distribution yield of 10.81% against 1.5% for QDF.
Which ETF has been more volatile?
QDF has been more volatile over the past year, at 11.9% annualized against 8.8% for PFFA.
Which ETF has had the smaller drawdown?
Their worst peak-to-trough falls over the past five years are similar: -22.7% for PFFA and -22.1% for QDF.
Compare PFFA and QDF with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.