PFFA vs QQQ: Performance, Holdings, Fees & Risk
PFFA and QQQ are ETFs, but they can differ materially in exposure, yield, fees and risk. PFFA is Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF, while QQQ is Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1. PFFA is broader by holdings count, with 198 positions versus 107 for QQQ. QQQ has the lower expense ratio. Current AlgovestIQ evidence has QQQ ahead on AIQ Score, 51 versus 43.
| Metric | PFFA | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | ||
| Expense ratio | 2.11% | 0.18% |
| Holdings | 198 | 107 |
| Distribution yieldTrailing 12 months | 10.81% | 0.43% |
| Average volume | 913,884 | 37,968,274 |
| Performance | ||
| 1Y return | -11.2% | +19.6% |
| YTD return | -10.8% | +16.8% |
| 5Y annualized returnTotal return, distributions reinvested | +4.2% | +14.4% |
| Risk | ||
| Annualized volatility | 8.8% | 19.9% |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -13.3% | -12.2% |
| Max drawdown (5Y)Total return, distributions reinvested | -22.7% | -35.1% |
| Beta | 0.41 | 1.45 |
| Sharpe ratio | -1.80 | 0.77 |
| Sortino ratio | -2.28 | 1.20 |
| AlgovestIQ | ||
| AIQ Score | 43/100 | 51/100 |
| AIQ Edge Score | 2/10 | 4/10 |
| Momentum | 25/100 | 21/100 |
| Risk Resilience | 84/100 | 72/100 |
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF vs Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1
QQQ leads
QQQ leads by 8 AIQ points, primarily on Quality and Value, but the lead has narrowed from 22 points over 30 sessions.
Fragile: 3 of 4 evidence groups support QQQ, its lead is narrowing, and its current signal state is conflicted.
Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF
Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors QQQ over PFFA, 51 versus 43 as of Oct 21, 2026. QQQ's advantage is driven primarily by stronger quality and value, while PFFA holds the stronger risk resilience profile. QQQ also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 3 of 4 covered evidence groups favor QQQ today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the leader's advantage has been narrowing. QQQ lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 22 to 8 points over 30 sessions.
Compare Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF and Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 across performance, expense ratio, dividend yield, drawdown, volatility and the Algovestiq AIQ Score.
PFFA vs QQQ: 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 | QQQ | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower costExpense ratio | 2.11% | 0.18% | QQQ |
| Broader diversificationNumber of holdings | 198 | 107 | PFFA |
| Higher incomeTrailing 12-month distribution yield | 10.81% | 0.43% | PFFA |
| Smaller drawdownsMax drawdown, 5 years | -22.7% | -35.1% | PFFA |
| Lower volatilityAnnualized volatility, 1 year | 8.8% | 19.9% | 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 QQQ 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.
- Quality53 vs 82QQQ +29
- Risk Resilience84 vs 72PFFA +12
- Value27 vs 35QQQ +8
- Momentum25 vs 21PFFA +4
3 of 4 evidence groups favor QQQ. QQQ’s edge is concentrated in quality and value; PFFA keeps a meaningful risk resilience 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 -2
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 3 active signals are unchanged.
QQQ's lead narrowed by 1 AIQ point in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — PFFA and QQQ both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
QQQ (Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1): the stronger current systematic profile, led by quality and value.
PFFA (Virtus InfraCap U.S. Preferred Stock ETF): the counter-case, on risk resilience, momentum.
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 | QQQ | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 2.11% | 0.18% | Lower is better — it compounds against you every year you hold. |
| Holdings | 198 | 107 | More holdings means broader diversification, not better returns. |
| Average volume | 913,884 | 37,968,274 | Liquidity — matters most if you trade size. |
| Annualized volatility | 8.8% | 19.9% | Lower is a steadier ride for the same exposure. |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -13.3% | -12.2% | The worst peak-to-trough loss over the past year. |
| Sharpe ratio | -1.80 | 0.77 | Return per unit of risk. Higher is better. |
| Beta | 0.41 | 1.45 | 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 QQQ: five-year payout growth
QQQ grew its split-adjusted payout faster over 2020-2025 — 9.99% a year against PFFA's 1.65%. PFFA never reduced its annual distribution in the window; QQQ 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.
| Dividend metric | PFFA | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| 5Y payout CAGR | 1.65% | 9.99% |
| 2020 annual payout | $1.880 | $1.737 |
| 2025 annual payout | $2.040 | $2.795 |
| Calendar-year declines | 0 | 2 |
| Peer rank | #122 of 138 | #56 of 138 |
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 QQQ. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | QQQ | 43 vs 51 |
| Fundamentals | Not covered | Not covered |
| Valuation | QQQ | Value 27 vs 35 |
| Technicals | QQQ | Price vs 50-day -6.9% vs -0.2%; vs 200-day -8.9% vs 6.2% |
| Risk Resilience | PFFA | Risk Resilience 84 vs 72 |
| 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 QQQ and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is moderate at 8 points.
- The leader's advantage has been narrowing. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- 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 QQQ.
How the comparison changed
45 daily snapshots · Sep 6 – Oct 20QQQ lead: Weakening — the AIQ differential moved from 22 to 8 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- QQQ +8
- 43 vs 51
- 7 sessions ago
- QQQ +14
- 43 vs 57
- 30 sessions ago
- QQQ +22
- 43 vs 65
- 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
- Bollinger Band Squeeze — neutral, volatility, short horizon
- Death Cross Active — bearish, trend, long horizon (3.38%)
- ATR Contraction - Coiling — neutral, volatility, short horizon (1.06%)
- 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
1 bullish / 2 bearish, conflicted
Only QQQ
- Golden Cross Active — bullish, trend, long horizon (7.50%)
Both carry 2 more signals that do not separate them: Keltner Channel Breakdown, MACD Bearish Crossover.
QQQ 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 is up while the AIQ Score moved down 1 points over the same session — price and model disagree (price +1.05%, AIQ -1 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 Quality gap — currently 29 points behind, the largest single contributor to QQQ's edge.
- 2PFFA's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
- 3QQQ's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 1 bullish and 2 bearish rules at once.
- 4The narrowing continues — the lead has already given back 14 points over 30 sessions, and a further 8-point move would eliminate QQQ's advantage entirely.
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
QQQ leads 5 of 6 windows| Metric | PFFA | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | -1.6% | -3.5% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -6.6% | -4% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | -7.4% | 1.7% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | -10.4% | 11.4% |
| Year to date | -10.8% | 16.8% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | -11.2% | 19.6% |
Technicals
QQQ has the stronger structure| Metric | PFFA | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 25.2 | 37.2 |
| ADX (14) | 41.6 | 20.3 |
| Price vs 50-day | -6.9% | -0.2% |
| Price vs 200-day | -8.9% | 6.2% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 9.6% | 15.4% |
Risk
PFFA is the more resilient| Metric | PFFA | QQQ |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 0.41 | 1.45 |
| Sharpe ratio | -1.8 | 0.77 |
| Sortino ratio | -2.28 | 1.2 |
| Max drawdown | -13.3% | -12.2% |
| Current drawdown | -13.3% | -5.5% |
| Annualized volatility | 8.8% | 19.9% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -1.1% | -1.9% |
Straight answers
Short answers to the questions fund investors ask about this pair, from the figures above.
Which ETF is more diversified, PFFA or QQQ?
PFFA holds more positions: 198 versus 107 for QQQ.
Which has the lower expense ratio?
QQQ has the lower expense ratio, 0.18% 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 0.43% for QQQ.
Which ETF has been more volatile?
QQQ has been more volatile over the past year, at 19.9% annualized against 8.8% for PFFA.
Which ETF has had the smaller drawdown?
PFFA fell less from peak to trough over the past five years: -22.7% against -35.1% for QQQ.
Compare PFFA and QQQ 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.