Principal Active High Yield ETF
$18.24−0.03 (−0.16%)
- 0.39%
- $611M
- +3.1%
- 7.67%
- 0.2M sh
- $18.29
- low $18.22high $19.35
The ETF.net YLD Grade
B
Score 59 out of 100
- 41 of 85
Score 59 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.B58 out of 100Rank 31 of 85Mission
Whether the fund did what it promised, tested against its stated mandate.A79 out of 100Rank 53 of 74Risk
How the fund held up when markets fell: downside volatility, drawdowns and tail loss.C44 out of 100Rank 62 of 85Tradability
How easy the fund is to trade: daily volume, and how far its price strays from net asset value.C50 out of 100Rank 37 of 85Holdings
How concentrated the fund is, and how complete and current its disclosed holdings are.C43 out of 100Rank 60 of 85Durability
Whether the fund is likely to stay open, judged by its age, its assets and its issuer’s assets.B68 out of 100Rank 25 of 85
Our read on YLD
BMost high yield ETFs just clone an index. YLD is the hand-built version: Principal's credit team blends junk bonds with senior floating-rate bank loans, at roughly what the average high yield ETF charges.
The Fund seeks long-term growth of capital through investments that include high-yield bonds and bank loans.
Why people hold it
- At 0.39% it costs about the category median (0.40%), unusual pricing for a fund where humans pick the credit instead of copying an index.
- Bank loans are in the toolkit. Managers can mix junk bonds with senior floating-rate loans, Treasuries and preferreds, levers a plain index tracker doesn't pull.principalam.com
- Live since 2015 and pays monthly, so it has traded through real credit cycles rather than arriving with a backtest.
- Moderately traded, and it lands in the upper half of its high yield peer group on our review.
Worth knowing
- Index rivals are far cheaper: SCYB at 0.03%, SPHY and HYLB at 0.05%, USHY at 0.08%. The active call is what you're paying up for.
- Junk credit is the whole point here. Below-investment-grade bonds and bank loans can move hard when credit spreads widen.principalam.com
- No index to check the manager against, and a book of roughly 150 positions, so results ride on the credit team's calls.principalam.com
YLD Holdings
- Bonds
- 146
- 19%
- GVMXX
Sectors
- Real Estate100.0%
Geography
- United States99.54%
- Norway0.46%
YLD Performance
Shows how $10,000 changes over the selected period, with cash distributions reinvested at the closing price on each ex-dividend date.
YLD$10,315
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 | YLD |
|---|---|
| Year to date | +1.5% |
| 1 month | −2.3% |
| 3 months | −1.7% |
| 1 year | +3.1% |
| 3 years | +8.2% |
| 5 years | +4.3% |
| 10 years | +4.9% |
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 | YLD |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 YTD | +1.5% | |
| 2025 | +6.6% | |
| 2024 | +9.2% | |
| 2023 | +12.9% | |
| 2022 | −8.8% | |
| 2021 | +9.5% | |
| 2020 | +1.5% |
YLD in the news
YLD Dividends
- 7.67%
- $1.40
- $0.11 per share
- Monthly
Distribution history
YLD Risk
- 4.2%
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.
- 0.85
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.
- −13.8%
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.
- 0.55
How it’s calculated: beta
The beta figure is supplied by FMP. The comparison index depends on the fund’s broad asset class.
YLD Cost
0.39%
YLD0.39%
- The middle half of US High Yield funds
- Median 0.43%
30 of the 85 US High Yield funds charge less.
Other funds in US High Yield
- BEUHYiShares, Inc. - iShares Euro High Yield Corporate Bond USD Hedged ETFExpense ratio 0.35%1 year return +2.1%
- BJPHYJPMorgan Active High Yield ETFExpense ratio 0.45%1 year return +3.4%
- BJHHYJohn Hancock Investments - High Yield ETFExpense ratio 0.52%1 year return +2.8%
- BHYSDColumbia Short Duration High Yield ETFExpense ratio 0.44%1 year return +3.2%
- BSIHYHarbor Ares Systematic High Yield ETF (SIHY)Expense ratio 0.48%1 year return +4.0%