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BUFG vs PBFR

FT Vest Buffered Allocation Growth ETF

BUFGDCboe

PGIM Laddered S&P 500 Buffer 20 ETF

PBFRBCboe

Overlap

0.0%by weight

Expense ratio

PBFR −0.63pt a year

BUFG1.13%PBFR0.50%

Avg volume · 30D

PBFR 1.6×the volume

BUFG30.5KPBFR48.7K

BUFG vs PBFR Performance

Oct 31, 2025 – Oct 30, 2026

+9.6%BUFG+8.4%PBFR

Oct 31, 2025 to Oct 30, 2026. BUFG +9.6%. PBFR +8.4%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−2.5%0%2.5%5%Oct 2025Apr 2026Oct 2026
Expense ratio
BUFG 1.13%
PBFR 0.50%, better
Fund size
BUFG $330M
PBFR $244M
1Y total return
BUFG +9.6%, better
PBFR +8.4%
Yield (12M)
BUFG No data
PBFR 0.01%
Holdings
BUFG 8
PBFR 14
Avg volume (30D)
BUFG 30.5K sh
PBFR 48.7K sh, better
NAV per share
BUFG $29.76
PBFR $31.47
52W range

ETF.net Grade

BUFG: Cost 6, Risk 27, Mission not scored, Tradability 48, Holdings 44, Durability 70. PBFR: Cost 85, Risk 69, Mission not scored, Tradability 41, Holdings 71, Durability 53.
Pillar letters and Scores for BUFG, PBFR, with each pillar’s weight
PillarBUFGPBFR
Cost30% weightF6A85Higher
Mission25% weightNot scoredNot scored
Risk15% weightD27B69Higher
Tradability15% weightC48HigherC41
Holdings10% weightC44A71Higher
Durability5% weightA70HigherC53

Rank among S&P 500 Laddered Buffer funds

How we build Categories ›
Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

Same Category. BUFG and PBFR are both graded against the same 18 S&P 500 Laddered Buffer funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

S&P 500 Laddered Buffer⁠

Category · 18 funds
See all 18 ›

PBFR ranks 2nd and BUFG 18th of 18 funds in the S&P 500 Laddered Buffer Category.

  1. Rank 1BBUFPPGIM Laddered S&P 500 Buffer 12 ETFScore 69
  2. Rank 2BPBFRPGIM Laddered S&P 500 Buffer 20 ETFScore 68
  3. Rank 3BALDBAptus Laddered Deep Buffer ETFScore 65
  4. Rank 17DONEZTrueShares Seasonality Laddered Buffered ETFScore 32
  5. Rank 18DBUFGFT Vest Buffered Allocation Growth ETFScore 27

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

BUFGDFT Vest Buffered Allocation Growth ETF

PBFRBPGIM Laddered S&P 500 Buffer 20 ETF

In short

BUFG One ticket instead of a calendar. BUFG holds a basket of buffered ETFs, each tied to the price return of a big S&P 500 fund up to a cap with a defined cushion against losses, so you skip picking an outcome month yourself.

PBFR Most buffer ETFs make you pick a start month. PBFR skips that: one ticker holding twelve monthly vintages of PGIM's 20% S&P 500 buffer funds, so caps and buffers are staggered across the calendar.

Stated mandate

BUFG The Fund seeks capital appreciation by investing in ETFs designed to provide returns based on SPY’s price return up to a predetermined cap, with a defined buffer against SPY losses over a one-year period.

PBFR The Fund seeks capital appreciation through U.S. large-cap equity exposure obtained through a laddered portfolio of twelve PGIM S&P 500 Buffer 20 ETFs, each intended to limit downside risk.

Why people hold it

  • BUFG A fund of buffer funds: one holding spreads you across several defined-outcome ETFs at once, instead of betting everything on a single start date.ftportfolios.com
  • The mechanism is the point: equity exposure to a large S&P 500 fund's price move, with a stated buffer against its losses over a one-year period.
  • Cheaper than the other fund built on the same reference: 1.13% a year versus BUFT's 1.21%.
  • Running since 2021, with a few hundred million dollars behind it, from an issuer with one of the deepest buffered-ETF lineups.
  • PBFR At 0.50%, it prices below the typical 20%-buffer fund in its group, and ranks among the stronger implementations in that group.
  • One ticker does the ladder work: twelve underlying PGIM Buffer 20 ETFs, rebalanced back to equal weight (8 1/3% each) quarterly as caps reset.pgim.com
  • Each underlying fund aims to absorb the first 20% of SPY's price decline over a one-year outcome period, in exchange for an upside cap.pgim.com
  • Launched in 2024 and stocked entirely with PGIM's own monthly Buffer 20 funds, so one manager runs the whole chain.pgim.com

Worth knowing

  • BUFG You pay for the packaging: 1.13% a year, above the roughly 0.79% median in its buffer-fund peer group and above laddered sibling BUFR at 0.95%.
  • Buffers come with caps. Upside is limited by design, and the buffer and cap apply across a full outcome period, so mid-period buyers get different terms.ftportfolios.com
  • Thinly traded next to the largest buffer ETFs, so bid-ask spreads can be wider. The mandate targets capital appreciation, not income, and it has not been paying distributions.
  • PBFR You hold a blend, not one vintage, so no single stated buffer or cap applies to your position at any given moment.pgim.com
  • The 20% buffer is measured before fees and expenses and covers only the first 20% of SPY's drop; deeper declines come through.pgim.com
  • A fund of funds in a niche corner: the underlying ETFs' fees flow through pro rata, and it trades less actively than the category's biggest names.pgim.com

Full BUFG profile⁠

Full PBFR profile⁠

BUFG vs PBFR Holdings

How BUFG and PBFR differ

Overlap by weight

0.0%

Shared holdings make up 0.0% of BUFG and 0.0% of PBFR.

Level by level

  • Holdings0 in both0.0%
  • Countryby domicile100%
  • Sector11 Sectors100%

Sector

Sector weights in BUFG and PBFR, widest gap first
SectorMore in BUFGMore in PBFR
TechnologySame weight
FinancialsSame weight
CommunicationSame weight
Health CareSame weight
Consumer DiscretionarySame weight
IndustrialsSame weight
Consumer StaplesSame weight
EnergySame weight
UtilitiesSame weight
Real EstateSame weight
MaterialsSame weight

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in BUFG and PBFR, widest gap first
CountryMore in BUFGMore in PBFR
United StatesSame weight

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

  • BUFG100.0%
  • PBFR83.3%

Securities held

  • BUFG7
  • PBFR13

Asset class

BUFG
Multi-Asset
PBFR
Alternatives

Holdings

  • Only in BUFG7
  • In both0
  • Only in PBFR13

Only in BUFG

7 securities, 99.9% of BUFG by weight

  • FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - August15.07%
  • FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - May14.97%
  • FT Vest U.S. Equity Buffer ETF - September14.69%

Only in PBFR

13 securities, 100% of PBFR by weight

  • Pgim S&P 500 Buffer 20 Etf - July8.35%
  • Pgim S&P 500 Buffer 20 Etf - November8.34%
  • Pgim S&P 500 Buffer 20 Etf - January8.33%

Weight gaps

BUFG and PBFR share no securities.

All 7 BUFG holdings⁠All PBFR holdings⁠

How we measure overlap

Each holding counts at its smaller weight in the two funds, summed over the full Holdings. Sector, country and asset class use the same rule on each fund’s split. Cash, FX and derivative lines stay out of the counts. Two bond funds get no overlap figure.

BUFG vs PBFR Cost

Overpaying BUFG vs PBFR

$10,785

On $10,000 over 30 years. 7% growth a year before fees, expense ratio only.

  • BUFG 1.13%

    $20,764

  • PBFR 0.50%

    $9,979

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • BUFG 1.13%
  • PBFR 0.50%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K$20K$25K051015202530BUFG $20,764PBFR $9,979

Year by year

YearBUFGPBFROverpaying
10$1,981$900$1,081
20$7,403$3,460$3,943
30$20,764$9,979$10,785

Expense ratio

  • 1.13%BUFG
  • 0.50%PBFR, cheaper
  • Middle half of S&P 500 Laddered Buffer funds
  • Median 0.89%

PBFR 2nd cheapest of 18 funds

BUFG 17th cheapest of 18 funds

BUFG vs PBFR Dividends

Last 12 months to Oct 30, 2026
Yield (12M)
BUFG No data
PBFR 0.01%
Payout (12M)
BUFG None
PBFR $0.0025
Last payment
BUFG No data
PBFR $0.0025
Ex-dividend
BUFG No data
PBFR Dec 30, 2025
Paid on
BUFG No data
PBFR Jan 2, 2026
Frequency
BUFG No data
PBFR Irregular

Distribution history

Per share, 2024 to 2026, same scale for both

BUFGAll BUFG payments⁠

No distribution history available.

PBFRIrregular · 2 paymentsAll PBFR payments⁠
One bar per payment. 2 payments from 2024 to 2026 YTD. Dec 27, 2024 $0.0036; Dec 30, 2025 $0.0025. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$0.00252026YTD

BUFG vs PBFR Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

This chart needs five years of history for both funds.

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
BUFG 7.8%PBFR 4.2%since Jul 2024
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
BUFG 1.32PBFR 1.22since Jul 2024
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
BUFG −17.6%PBFR −8.5%since Jun 2024
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
BUFG 0.67PBFR 0.34

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