VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF
$109.23−1.47 (−1.33%)
- 0.36%
- $1.0B
- +22.6%
- 1.93%
- 0.3M sh
- $110.70
- low $90.60high $118.00
The ETF.net PPH Grade
A
Score 73 out of 100
- 1 of 9
Score 73 of 100 falls in the A band. A is 70 or higher, B 55 to under 70, C 40 to under 55, D 25 to under 40, F under 25.
Cost
The fund’s net expense ratio, ranked against its category.A79 out of 100Rank 2 of 9Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A80 out of 100Rank 1 of 6Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.B57 out of 100Rank 4 of 9Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.A94 out of 100Rank 1 of 9Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.D39 out of 100Rank 7 of 9Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.A73 out of 100Rank 3 of 9
Our read on PPH
AAbout two dozen US-listed drugmakers in one ticker, tracking the MVIS US Listed Pharmaceutical 25 Index since 2011. VanEck charges well under the pharma-fund median to run it.
The fund seeks to track, before fees and expenses, the performance of the MVIS US Listed Pharmaceutical 25 Index, which covers companies involved in pharmaceutical research and development, production, marketing, and sales.
Why people hold it
- Costs 0.36% a year against a 0.57% median for pharma ETFs, undercutting peers like PJP and FTXH.
- Focused by design: the index tracks US-listed pharmaceutical companies (research, production, marketing, sales) rather than the whole health care aisle.vaneck.com
- Trading since 2011, one of the veterans of the pharma shelf, and it sits in the top quartile of its peer group on our review.
- Pays out quarterly, and it is a moderately traded fund, so getting in and out is usually straightforward.
Worth knowing
- Around 26 holdings. One company's trial result or patent cliff carries real weight in a basket this tight.
- Single-sector health care exposure: drug pricing politics and regulation land on the whole basket at once, with nothing else to cushion it.
- The fee edge over the category is real, but XPH sits at 0.35%, so cost alone is not what separates these two.
PPH Holdings
- Stocks
- 27
- 72%
- LLY
Sectors
- Health Care100.0%
Geography
- United States67.01%
- United Kingdom11.68%
- Denmark5.66%
- Israel4.72%
- Switzerland3.63%
- France3.27%
- Japan2.77%
- Ireland1.27%
Developed 86% · Emerging 14%
PPH Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
PPH$12,262
Returns run to the Oct 12, 2026 close, with cash distributions reinvested. Each period starts on the same date that many months or years earlier. Periods over one year show the average yearly return.
| Period | PPH |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +9.2% |
| 1 month | +1.5% |
| 3 months | +2.1% |
| 1 year | +22.6% |
| 3 years | +13.5% |
| 5 years | +11.1% |
| 10 years | +9.2% |
Calendar-year total return with cash distributions hypothetically reinvested at the ex-dividend date’s closing price. The current year shows year to date.
| Year | Return bar | PPH |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +9.2% | |
| 2025 | +22.0% | |
| 2024 | +8.1% | |
| 2023 | +7.0% | |
| 2022 | +2.6% | |
| 2021 | +17.8% | |
| 2020 | +5.5% |
PPH in the news
PPH Dividends
- 1.93%
- $2.14
- $0.36 per share
- Quarterly
Distribution history
PPH Risk
- 13.9%
How it’s calculated: standard deviation
The sample standard deviation of monthly total returns, multiplied by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Total returns include reinvested distributions.
- 0.65
How it’s calculated: Sharpe ratio
Subtract each month’s Treasury-bill return from the fund’s monthly total return.
Divide the average of those excess returns by their sample standard deviation, then multiply by the square root of 12.
Uses up to 36 complete months, with at least 12 required. Each month uses the Treasury yield quoted at the end of the previous month.
- −20.3%
How it’s calculated: maximum drawdown
The largest percentage decline from an earlier peak, using total returns with reinvested distributions.
Uses up to five years through the last close, with at least 12 months required.
- 0.45
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
PPH Cost
0.36%
PPH0.36%
- The middle half of Pharma & Therapeutics funds
- Median 0.58%
2 of the 9 Pharma & Therapeutics funds charge less.
Other funds in Pharma & Therapeutics
- BIHEiShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETFExpense ratio 0.37%1 year return +37.5%
- BXPHState Street SPDR S&P Pharmaceuticals ETFExpense ratio 0.35%1 year return +35.9%
- BPJPInvesco Pharmaceuticals ETFExpense ratio 0.58%1 year return +34.5%
- BPBPHPortfolio Building Block World Pharma and Biotech Index ETFExpense ratio 0.13%1 year return —
- BFTXHFirst Trust Nasdaq Pharmaceuticals ETFExpense ratio 0.60%1 year return +43.8%