PFD vs VOO
Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred Income Fund Inc vs Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
Which is better, PFD or VOO?
Preferred Stock against Large Cap Blend.
VOO led over 1Y, 3Y, 5Y and the full window.
MarketXLS is not an investment adviser. This comparison is generated automatically from market data and is for information only. A Best mark means the better reading on that one measure, not a recommendation to buy.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Metric | PFD | VOO |
|---|---|---|
| Expense Ratio | - | 0.03% |
| AUM | $159M | $997.4B |
| Dividend Yield | 6.58% | 1.08% |
| Holdings | 245 | 509 |
| YTD Return | -0.39% | +13.37%Best |
| 1Y Return | +4.63% | +20.08%Best |
| 3Y Return (annualized) | +12.85% | +21.29%Best |
| 5Y Return (annualized) | -0.14% | +12.89%Best |
| Volatility (annualized) | 17.2% | 14.1%Best |
| Max Drawdown | -53.4% | -34.3%Best |
| $10,000 over 5 years | $9,930 | $18,335Best |
| Fund Family | Flaherty & Crumrine | Vanguard (US) |
| Category | Allocation/Balanced | Equity |
| Style | Preferred Stock | Large Cap Blend |
| Inception | Jan 31, 1991 | Sep 7, 2010 |
Not shown on this pair: Top 10 Weight.
Volatility and max drawdown are measured over the window both funds cover: Sep 9, 2010 to Sep 4, 2026 (16 years).
PFD vs VOO growth
Month-end closes. Both lines start at 0% in the first month shown, so the gap between them is the difference in growth across that window. The full view is available from the range buttons; it is not the opening view here because over the whole period one of these two funds moves so much further than the other that its line would sit flat on the axis.
PFD vs VOO Performance
Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred Income Fund Inc (PFD) is an ETF from Flaherty & Crumrine and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) is an ETF from Vanguard (US). Over the past year PFD returned +4.63% while VOO returned +20.08%. Year to date, PFD is down 0.39% versus a gain of 13.37% for VOO.
Over three years, PFD compounded at +12.85% per year against +21.29% for VOO; over five years the annualized figures are -0.14% and +12.89% respectively. Across the full 16-year window we track, VOO has the edge at +13.48% annualized vs +1.48%.
Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Risk: Volatility and Drawdowns
PFD has been the more volatile fund, with annualized monthly volatility of 17.2% compared with 14.1% for VOO. Lower volatility generally means a smoother ride, though it often comes with lower long-run returns.
The deepest peak-to-trough decline in our data was -53.4% for PFD and -34.3% for VOO. Drawdown depth is what each fund did in the worst stretch of the window measured above.
The two funds' monthly returns correlate at 0.48. They move together some of the time, and apart the rest.
Holdings Overlap
At least 0.5% of VOO's money is in holdings PFD also owns.
Only one direction is shown: for PFD, our book for it lists positions totalling 123.9% of the fund, which is what a leveraged book looks like and is not a denominator we can divide by.
We cannot see either book well enough to say how much of this pair is duplicated.
The two holdings books were reported 214 days apart, PFD as of Nov 28, 2025 and VOO as of Jun 30, 2026, so some of the difference between them is the time between the two reports rather than the funds.
7 positions in common, counted across the 180 positions we hold weights for in PFD and 504 in VOO, against full books of 245 and 509.
Top Shared Holdings
| Stock | Weight in PFD | Weight in VOO | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| SYFSynchrony Financial | 1.31% | 0.04% | 1.27% |
| CFGCitizens Financial Group Inc | 0.89% | 0.05% | 0.84% |
| HBANHuntington Bancshares Inc./Oh | 0.75% | 0.06% | 0.69% |
| APOApollo Global Management Inc | 0.48% | 0.08% | 0.40% |
| XELXcel Energy Inc. | 0.39% | 0.08% | 0.31% |
| DTEDte Energy Co. | 0.39% | 0.05% | 0.34% |
| BKBank Of New York Mellon Corp/The Bk Us Equity | 0.22% | 0.15% | 0.07% |
You are not choosing between two funds in isolation.
Whichever of PFD and VOO you pick has to sit alongside everything else you own. Add the rest and see what the combination actually holds.
Free for up to 10 holdings. No account needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which performed better, PFD or VOO?
Over the past year PFD returned +4.63% vs +20.08% for VOO, so VOO leads on 1-year performance. Over the longest common window we track (16 years), PFD annualized +1.48% vs +13.48% for VOO. Past performance does not guarantee future results. This is information, not a recommendation.
Which is riskier, PFD or VOO?
PFD has been the more volatile fund at 17.2% annualized versus 14.1% for VOO. Worst drawdown: PFD -53.4% vs VOO -34.3%.
Should I hold both PFD and VOO?
PFD and VOO have a monthly-return correlation of 0.48, so their returns are far enough apart for the mix to behave differently from either one alone. This is information, not a recommendation.
Which pays a higher dividend, PFD or VOO?
PFD yields 6.58% while VOO yields 1.08%, so PFD currently pays the higher dividend yield.
Is VOO better than PFD?
VOO led over 1Y, 3Y, 5Y and the full window. Which one suits a particular account depends on what it is for. This is information, not a recommendation.