PGIM Nasdaq-100 Buffer 12 ETF - January
$32.96−0.03 (−0.09%)
- 0.50%
- $34M
- +18.6%
- 0M sh
- $32.99
- low $27.66high $33.07
The ETF.net PQJA Grade
B
Score 55 out of 100
- 4 of 12
Score 55 of 100 falls in the B 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.A76 out of 100Rank 2 of 12Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.C53 out of 100Rank 4 of 12Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.F21 out of 100Rank 11 of 12Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.C46 out of 100Rank 6 of 12
Our read on PQJA
BA one-year seatbelt on the Nasdaq-100: PQJA absorbs the first 12% of price losses on the index's flagship ETF and gives up gains above a cap in exchange. A deeper cushion than most of its buffer peers, at 0.50% a year.
The Fund seeks to match QQQ’s price return up to a predetermined cap while buffering the first 12% of QQQ losses over a one-year target outcome period.
Why people hold it
- Cushions the first 12% of the tracked Nasdaq-100 ETF's price losses over each one-year outcome period, deeper than the 10-point buffer on Innovator's QBUF.pgim.com
- Charges 0.50% a year against a 0.79% median for its Nasdaq-100 buffer cohort, where QBUF sits at 0.79%.
- January is one of four PGIM Nasdaq-100 buffer funds on a quarterly calendar (PQAP, PQJL, PQOC), so outcome periods aren't tied to a single start month.
- Launched in 2024 and rated in the upper half of its shallow-buffer Nasdaq-100 group on our review.
Worth knowing
- Upside stops at a cap that resets with each new one-year period, and the mandate follows price return, so index dividends aren't part of the payoff.
- The 12% buffer and the cap are measured across a full outcome period. Buy partway through and your effective cushion and ceiling differ from the headline terms.pgim.com
- A small, thinly traded fund next to the largest buffer products, which can show up as wider bid-ask spreads.
PQJA Holdings
- Other
- 4
- 107%
- 4QQQ Us 12/31/26 C6.14
PQJA Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
Not enough history yet.Not enough history yet.Not enough history yet.
PQJA$11,855
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 | PQJA |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +13.1% |
| 1 month | +2.2% |
| 3 months | +4.0% |
| 1 year | +18.6% |
| 3 years | — |
| 5 years | — |
| 10 years | — |
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 | PQJA |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +13.1% | |
| 2025 | +16.9% |
PQJA in the news
PQJA Dividends
- $0.0015 per share
- Irregular
Distribution data unavailable.
Distribution history
PQJA Risk
- 9.9%
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.
- 1.20
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.
- −14.7%
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.
- 0.74
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
PQJA Cost
0.50%
PQJA0.50%
- The middle half of Nasdaq-100 Buffer 9-12% funds
- Median 0.79%
1 of the 12 Nasdaq-100 Buffer 9-12% funds charge less.
Other funds in Nasdaq-100 Buffer 9-12%
- BQTRGlobal X - Nasdaq 100 Tail Risk ETFExpense ratio 0.25%1 year return +18.2%
- BPQOCPGIM Nasdaq-100 Buffer 12 ETF - OctoberExpense ratio 0.50%1 year return +17.9%
- CPQJLPGIM Nasdaq-100 Buffer 12 ETF - JulyExpense ratio 0.50%1 year return +14.2%
- CQBUFInnovator Nasdaq-100 10 Buffer ETFExpense ratio 0.79%1 year return +8.9%
- CQMARFT Vest Nasdaq-100 Buffer ETF - MarchExpense ratio 0.90%1 year return +20.9%