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MLPA vs NFRA

Global X MLP ETF

MLPA—NYSE Arca

Northern Trust STOXX Global Broad Infrastructure ETF

NFRAANYSE Arca

Overlap

0.1%by weight

Expense ratio

NFRA −0.30pt a year

MLPA0.77%NFRA0.47%

Avg volume · 30D

MLPA 2.7×the volume

MLPA209KNFRA78.3K

10Y return · a year

NFRA +0.7pt

MLPA+6.7%NFRA+7.4%

MLPA vs NFRA Performance

Nov 2, 2021 – Nov 2, 2026

+110.9%MLPA+31.5%NFRA

Nov 2, 2021 to Nov 2, 2026. MLPA +110.9%. NFRA +31.5%. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−25%0%50%75%Nov 2021May 2024Nov 2026
Expense ratio
MLPA 0.77%
NFRA 0.47%, better
Fund size
MLPA $2.44B
NFRA $3.06B
1Y total return
MLPA +22.1%, better
NFRA +9.3%
Yield (12M)
MLPA 7.40%, better
NFRA 5.73%
Holdings
MLPA 20
NFRA 202
Avg volume (30D)
MLPA 209K sh, better
NFRA 78.3K sh
NAV per share
MLPA $55.42
NFRA $64.63
52W range

ETF.net Grade

  • —MLPAUnder classification review
NFRA: Cost 74, Risk 72, Mission not scored, Tradability 65, Holdings 88, Durability 81.
Pillar letters and Scores for MLPA, NFRA, with each pillar’s weight
PillarMLPANFRA
Cost30% weightNot scoredA74
Mission25% weightNot scoredNot scored
Risk15% weightNot scoredA72
Tradability15% weightNot scoredB65
Holdings10% weightNot scoredA88
Durability5% weightNot scoredA81

Rank among Infrastructure funds

How we build Categories ›

Infrastructure⁠

Category · 33 funds
See all 33 ›

NFRA ranks 4th of 33 funds in the Infrastructure Category.

  1. Rank 1AIFRAiShares U.S. Infrastructure ETFScore 86
  2. Rank 2AIGFiShares Global Infrastructure ETFScore 83
  3. Rank 3AGIIState Street SPDR S&P Global Infrastructure ETFScore 78
  4. Rank 4ANFRANorthern Trust STOXX Global Broad Infrastructure ETFScore 74
  5. Rank 5APAVEGlobal X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETFScore 71
  6. MLPANot yet graded

Our read on each fund

ETF.net Research

MLPA—Global X MLP ETF

NFRAANorthern Trust STOXX Global Broad Infrastructure ETF

In short

MLPA No data

NFRA Most global infrastructure funds stop at utilities and toll roads. NFRA's index goes wider, adding cell towers, data centers, hospitals, prisons and postal routes to the pipelines and railroads, across developed and emerging markets.

Stated mandate

MLPA No data

NFRA The fund seeks to match, before fees and expenses, the performance of the STOXX Global Broad Infrastructure Index.

Why people hold it

MLPA No data

  • NFRA Five supersectors in one wrapper: communications, energy, utilities, transportation and government outsourcing (hospitals, postal, correctional), across roughly 220 holdings.flexshares.com
  • Charges 0.47% net (0.48% gross), net of a waiver through March 1, 2027, below the infrastructure category median.
  • The index does real work: half of revenue must come from infrastructure, names must clear a $1 million daily-volume screen, and sector caps limit crowding. Rebalanced quarterly.flexshares.com
  • Listed in 2013 and now a multi-billion-dollar fund that pays quarterly, it sits among the stronger builds in its peer group.

Worth knowing

MLPA No data

  • NFRA Cheaper options sit on the same shelf: IFRA at 0.30%, IGF at 0.37%, GII at 0.40%. Each tracks a different index with a different definition of infrastructure.
  • Broad cuts both ways: telecoms, railroads and postal operators share the portfolio with utilities, so this is not a pure regulated-utility sleeve.flexshares.comflexshares.com 2
  • Volume is moderate rather than heavy for the category, which can mean wider spreads on larger orders.

Full MLPA profile⁠

Full NFRA profile⁠

MLPA vs NFRA Holdings

How MLPA and NFRA differ

Overlap by weight

0.1%

Shared holdings make up 7.7% of MLPA and 1.7% of NFRA.

Level by level

  • Holdings2 in both0.1%
  • Sector7 Sectors12.1%
  • Countryby domicile41.1%
  • Asset classEquity100%

Sector

Sector weights in MLPA and NFRA, widest gap first
SectorMore in MLPAMore in NFRA
EnergyMLPA +88.0 points
IndustrialsNFRA +32.8 points
CommunicationNFRA +23.5 points
UtilitiesNFRA +21.0 points
Health CareNFRA +4.9 points
Real EstateNFRA +4.6 points
TechnologyNFRA +1.1 points

Country, concentration and asset class

Country by domicile

Country weights in MLPA and NFRA, widest gap first
CountryMore in MLPAMore in NFRA
United StatesMLPA +58.9 points
CanadaNFRA +14.0 points
JapanNFRA +9.8 points
GermanyNFRA +8.3 points
United KingdomNFRA +4.2 points
SpainNFRA +4.1 points
IndiaNFRA +3.7 points
AustraliaNFRA +3.0 points
Other countries (19)NFRA +11.8 points

Outside the US: NFRA 85% developed, 15% emerging.

Concentration

Weight in the 10 largest Holdings

  • MLPA98.4%
  • NFRA27.6%

Securities held

  • MLPA19
  • NFRA175

Asset class

MLPA
Equity
NFRA
Equity

Holdings

  • Only in MLPA17
  • In both2
  • Only in NFRA173

Only in MLPA

17 securities, 100% of MLPA by weight

  • Energy Transfer Lp15.40%
  • Enterprise Products Partners13.59%
  • Mplx Lp12.88%

Only in NFRA

173 securities, 97.2% of NFRA by weight

  • Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd Common Stock Cad3.67%
  • Canadian National Railway Co Common Stock Cad 03.19%
  • Softbank Group Corp Common Stock Jpy2.91%

Weight gaps

All 2 Holdings in both funds, largest gap first.

Holding weights in MLPA and NFRA, widest gap first
HoldingMore in MLPAMore in NFRA
Hess Midstream Lp - Class AHESMMLPA +7.53 points
Oneok IncOKENFRA +0.84 points

All 20 MLPA holdings⁠All 220 NFRA 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.

MLPA vs NFRA Cost

Overpaying MLPA vs NFRA

$5,411

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

  • MLPA 0.77%

    $14,829

  • NFRA 0.47%

    $9,418

$10,000
30 years

Cost over time

  • MLPA 0.77%
  • NFRA 0.47%
  • Overpaying
One line per fund, from year 0 to year 30. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$5K$10K$15K051015202530MLPA $14,829NFRA $9,418

Year by year

YearMLPANFRAOverpaying
10$1,371$847$524
20$5,205$3,261$1,944
30$14,829$9,418$5,411

Expense ratio

  • 0.77%MLPA
  • 0.47%NFRA, cheaper
  • Middle half of Infrastructure funds
  • Median 0.55%

NFRA 10th cheapest of 33 funds

MLPA 26th cheapest of 33 funds

MLPA vs NFRA Dividends

Last 12 months to Nov 2, 2026
Yield (12M)
MLPA 7.40%, better
NFRA 5.73%
Payout (12M)
MLPA $4.02
NFRA $3.70
Last payment
MLPA $1.02
NFRA $0.33
Ex-dividend
MLPA Aug 10, 2026
NFRA Sep 18, 2026
Paid on
MLPA Aug 13, 2026
NFRA Sep 24, 2026
Frequency
MLPA Quarterly
NFRA Quarterly

Distribution history

Per share, 2017 to 2026, same scale for both

MLPAQuarterly · 39 paymentsAll MLPA payments⁠
One bar per payment. 39 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Feb 7, 2017 $1.19; May 5, 2017 $1.19; Aug 7, 2017 $1.19; Nov 7, 2017 $1.19; Feb 8, 2018 $1.19; May 10, 2018 $1.16; Aug 9, 2018 $1.14; Nov 8, 2018 $1.12; Feb 7, 2019 $1.09; May 7, 2019 $1.09; Aug 7, 2019 $1.06; Nov 7, 2019 $1.06; Feb 7, 2020 $1.10; May 7, 2020 $0.90; Aug 7, 2020 $0.90; Nov 6, 2020 $0.90; Feb 5, 2021 $0.83; May 7, 2021 $0.78; Aug 6, 2021 $0.73; Nov 5, 2021 $0.73; Feb 7, 2022 $0.73; May 6, 2022 $0.75; Aug 5, 2022 $0.77; Nov 7, 2022 $0.77; Feb 7, 2023 $0.77; May 5, 2023 $0.84; Aug 7, 2023 $0.84; Nov 7, 2023 $0.87; Feb 7, 2024 $0.87; May 7, 2024 $0.90; Aug 7, 2024 $0.90; Nov 7, 2024 $0.91; Feb 7, 2025 $0.94; May 7, 2025 $0.94; Aug 7, 2025 $0.94; Nov 7, 2025 $0.98; Feb 9, 2026 $1.00; May 11, 2026 $1.02; Aug 10, 2026 $1.02. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.502017202020232026YTD
NFRAQuarterly · 40 paymentsAll NFRA payments⁠
One bar per payment. 40 payments from 2017 to 2026 YTD. Mar 20, 2017 $0.14; Jun 19, 2017 $0.49; Sep 18, 2017 $0.35; Dec 21, 2017 $0.39; Mar 19, 2018 $0.19; Jun 18, 2018 $0.44; Sep 24, 2018 $0.39; Dec 21, 2018 $0.32; Mar 15, 2019 $0.19; Jun 21, 2019 $0.40; Sep 20, 2019 $0.31; Dec 20, 2019 $0.32; Mar 20, 2020 $0.22; Jun 19, 2020 $0.26; Sep 18, 2020 $0.38; Dec 18, 2020 $0.33; Mar 19, 2021 $0.18; Jun 18, 2021 $0.39; Sep 17, 2021 $0.41; Dec 17, 2021 $0.52; Dec 30, 2021 $0.06; Mar 18, 2022 $0.17; Jun 17, 2022 $0.46; Sep 16, 2022 $0.29; Dec 16, 2022 $0.23; Mar 17, 2023 $0.13; Jun 16, 2023 $0.55; Sep 15, 2023 $0.32; Dec 15, 2023 $0.37; Mar 15, 2024 $0.13; Jun 21, 2024 $0.55; Sep 20, 2024 $0.35; Dec 20, 2024 $0.78; Mar 21, 2025 $0.14; Jun 20, 2025 $0.54; Sep 19, 2025 $0.33; Dec 19, 2025 $2.62; Mar 20, 2026 $0.16; Jun 18, 2026 $0.60; Sep 18, 2026 $0.33. Use the arrow keys to read each point.$0$2.502017202020232026YTD

MLPA vs NFRA Risk

Fall from peak · 5 years

  • MLPA
  • NFRA
Nov 2, 2021 to Nov 2, 2026. Worst fall: NFRA −22.1% · Oct 2022. Use the arrow keys to read each point.−20%−15%−10%−5%0%Nov 2021May 2024Nov 2026

Risk facts

VolatilityStd dev, 3 years
MLPA 14.7%NFRA 11.6%, better
Return per unit of riskSharpe ratio, 3 years
MLPA 0.82NFRA 0.87, better
Worst fallMax drawdown, 5 years
MLPA −18.8%, betterNFRA −22.1%
Market sensitivityBeta, 5 years
MLPA 0.23NFRA 0.68

MLPA and NFRA in the news

All news⁠

Popular comparisons

  • MLPA—vsIFRAA

    Global X MLP ETF · iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.77% · 0.30%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • NFRAAvsIFRAA

    Northern Trust STOXX Global Broad Infrastructure ETF · iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.47% · 0.30%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • MLPA—vsIGFA

    Global X MLP ETF · iShares Global Infrastructure ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.77% · 0.37%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • NFRAAvsIGFA

    Northern Trust STOXX Global Broad Infrastructure ETF · iShares Global Infrastructure ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.47% · 0.37%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • MLPA—vsGIIA

    Global X MLP ETF · State Street SPDR S&P Global Infrastructure ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.77% · 0.40%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.

  • NFRAAvsGIIA

    Northern Trust STOXX Global Broad Infrastructure ETF · State Street SPDR S&P Global Infrastructure ETF

    Expense ratio
    0.47% · 0.40%
    Category
    Same Category. Both funds are graded against the same funds, so their Grades compare head to head.