ETF Evaluator:
VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF ()
Follow This ETF
(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Health Over the Last Year
| 129.4% | Virtus LifeSci Biotech Clinical Trls ETF (BBC) |
| 94.1% | ALPS Medical Breakthroughs ETF (SBIO) |
| 88.4% | F/m Emerald Life Sciences Innovation ETF (LFSC) |
| 72.5% | State Street® SPDR® S&P® Biotech ETF (XBI) |
| 65.8% | State Street® SPDR® S&P® PhrmctlsETF (XPH) |
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ETF Details
VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF Overview
VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF (PPH) is a passively managed Sector Equity Health exchange-traded fund (ETF). VanEck launched the ETF in 2011.
The investment seeks to replicate as closely as possible, before fees and expenses, the price and yield performance of the MVIS® US Listed Pharmaceutical 25 Index.
The fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in securities that comprise the fund's benchmark index. The index includes common stocks and depositary receipts of U.S. exchange-listed companies in the pharmaceutical industry. Such companies may include medium-capitalization companies and foreign companies that are listed on a U.S. exchange. It is non-diversified.
About VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF (PPH)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 8.56 years: Peter Liao (2011) and Griffin Driscoll (2024). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI ACWI NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and MVIS US Listed Pharmaceutical 25 NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF has 26 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 72.4% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Sector Equity ETF group. VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF has 37.9% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 62.1% There is 37.9% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF has 0.0% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $925 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Health category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
PPH Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Health category. VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF has an expense ratio of 0.36%, which is 30% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 30%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 45% for the Health category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF returned 1.4%, which earned it a grade of B, as the Health category had an average return of -0.1%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all ETFs in that category.
VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF has a trailing yield of 1.97%, which is above the 1.10% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income quarterly.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 8.5%, 1.2 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 35.8% over the past year (grade of C), 13.4% over the past three years (grade of B) and 10.2% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 8.0% per year over the past 10 years (grade of D).
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PPH Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| PPH Return (NAV) | 1.4% | 9.0% | 35.8% | 13.4% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| PPH Return (Price) | 1.5% | 9.0% | 35.9% | 13.4% | 10.2% | 8.0% |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -0.101% | -0.060% | -0.110% | -0.022% | 0.005% | 0.002% |
| Health Avg | -0.1% | 11.2% | 36.9% | 9.9% | 1.6% | 8.7% |
| PPH Grade (NAV) | B | D | C | B | A | D |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 1.5% | -2.3% | -1.0% | 3.5% | 8.6% | -0.7% |
| PPH Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.8% |
PPH Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| PPH Return (NAV) | 8.5% | 21.9% | 8.1% | 6.9% | 2.7% | 17.8% | 5.4% | 19.0% | -5.5% | 15.4% | -17.8% |
| PPH Return (Price) | 8.5% | 22.0% | 8.1% | 6.9% | 2.6% | 17.8% | 5.5% | 19.4% | -5.9% | 15.2% | -17.8% |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | -0.000% | 0.005% | -0.007% | 0.005% | -0.014% | -0.001% | 0.024% | 2.0% | 6.3% | -1.0% | 0.2% |
| Health Avg | 9.7% | 21.8% | 0.1% | 2.2% | -16.3% | 4.3% | 30.5% | 25.4% | -1.5% | 26.5% | -10.2% |
| PPH Grade (NAV) | C | C | A | A | A | B | F | F | D | F | D |
| +/- Category | -1.2% | 0.1% | 8.0% | 4.7% | 19.0% | 13.5% | -25.1% | -6.4% | -4.0% | -11.1% | -7.6% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 0.40 |
| R-Squared: | 14% |
| Standard Deviation: | 13.8% |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.69 |
| Category Risk Rating: | Low |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.12 |
| Total Risk Rating: | Average |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 2.0% |
| Total Assets: | $ 926 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 926 Mil |
| Turnover: | 30.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.36% |
| Index Fund: | Yes |
| Index Tracked: | MSCI ACWI NR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Quarterly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 14.6 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 8.6 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Liao Peter (2011), Driscoll Griffin (2024) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 26 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 72.4% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 37.9% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 62.1% |
| Foreign Stock: | 37.9% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.0% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | VanEck |
| Phone Number: | 800-826-2333 |
| Website: | www.marketvectorsetfs.com |
| Inception Date: | December 20, 2011 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.36% (Rating: Below Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.52% |
