PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Active Exchange-Traded Fund

Summary Prospectus

October 31, 2024 

Ticker PRFD NYSE Arca

Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s prospectus, reports to shareholders (once available) and other information about the Fund online at pimcoetfs.com/resources. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 888.400.4ETF (888.400.4383) or by sending an email request to piprocess@sscinc.com. The Fund’s prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, both dated October 31, 2024, as supplemented, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks total return, consistent with prudent investment management, with a secondary objective of income generation.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund.You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below. 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): N/A

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment): 

Management Fees	0.84%
Other Expenses(1)	0.05%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	0.89%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2)(3)	(0.15%)
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement	0.74%

1

“Other Expenses” include interest expense of 0.05%. Interest expense is borne by the Fund separately from the management fees paid to Pacific Investment Management Company LLC (“PIMCO”). Excluding interest expense, Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement are 0.69%.

2

Pacific Investment Management Company LLC (“PIMCO”) has contractually agreed, through October 31, 2025, to waive its management fee, or reimburse the Fund, to the extent that organizational expenses, pro rata share of expenses related to obtaining or maintaining a Legal Entity Identifier and pro rata Trustees’ fees exceed 0.0049% of the Fund’s average net assets (the “Expense Limit”). Under the Expense Limitation Agreement, which renews annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days’ notice prior to the end of the contract term, PIMCO may recoup these waivers and reimbursements in future periods, not exceeding three years, provided that organizational expenses, pro rata share of expenses related to obtaining or maintaining a Legal Entity Identifier and pro rata Trustees’ fees, plus recoupment, do not exceed the Expense Limit (or the amount of the expense limit in place at the time the amount being recouped was originally waived if lower than the Expense Limit).

3

PIMCO has contractually agreed, through October 31, 2025, to reduce its management fee by 0.15% of the average daily net assets of the Fund. This waiver will automatically renew for one-year terms unless PIMCO provides written notice to PIMCO ETF Trust at least 30 days prior to the end of the then current term. In any month in which the investment management agreement is in effect, PIMCO is entitled to reimbursement by the Fund of any portion of the management fee waived as set forth above (the “Fee Waiver Reimbursement Amount”) during the previous thirty-six months from the time of the waiver, provided that such amount paid to

PIMCO will not: 1) together with any recoupment of organizational expenses, pro rata share of expenses related to obtaining or maintaining a Legal Entity Identifier and pro rata Trustee fees pursuant to the Expense Limitation Agreement, exceed the Expense Limit (calculated as a percentage of average daily net assets) (or the amount of the expense limit in place at the time the amount being recouped was originally waived if lower than the Expense Limit); 2) exceed the total Fee Waiver Reimbursement Amount; or 3) include any amounts previously reimbursed to PIMCO.

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the costs of investing in other exchange-traded funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated, and then hold or sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be: 

1 Year	3 Years	5 Years	10 Years
$76	$269	$478	$1,082

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 64% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets in a diversified portfolio of preferred securities and “Capital Securities.” “Capital Securities” include (1) securities issued by U.S. and non-U.S. financial institutions (including, but not limited to, banks and insurance companies) that can be used to satisfy their regulatory capital requirements and (2) securities, which may include instruments referred to as hybrid securities, that would be subordinated (i.e., fall lower in the capital structure) to at least one type of debt. Hybrid securities may be issued to fulfill ratings criteria for debt securities of an issuer and may, for example, be convertible into preferred shares. Preferred securities and “Capital Securities” may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. The “total return” sought by the Fund consists of income earned on the Fund’s investments, plus capital appreciation, if any, which generally arises from decreases in interest rates, foreign currency appreciation or improving credit fundamentals for a particular market sector or security.

Assets not invested in preferred securities or Capital Securities may be invested in other types of Fixed Income Instruments, including derivative Fixed Income Instruments. “Fixed Income Instruments” include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. In addition, the Fund will

PIMCO ETF Trust | Summary Prospectus

 

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Active Exchange-Traded Fund

concentrate its investments in a group of industries related to banks. With respect to investments in equity securities, there is no limitation on the market capitalization range of the issuers in which the Fund may invest.

The Fund may invest up to 50% of its total assets in high yield securities (“junk bonds”) rated below Baa by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (“S&P”) or Fitch Ratings, Inc. (“Fitch”), or if, unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. In the event that ratings services assign different ratings to the same security, PIMCO will use the highest rating as the credit rating for that security. The Fund may also invest without limit in securities denominated in foreign currencies and in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Fund may invest without limit in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries. The Fund may also invest in contingent convertible securities.

The Fund may invest in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, subject to applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Fund’s prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis, including currency forwards, and may engage in short sales.

The average portfolio duration of the Fund will normally vary within one year (plus or minus) of the portfolio duration of the securities comprising the ICE BofA US All Capital Securities Index, which as of September 30, 2024 was 5.02 years. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security’s duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates.

In pursuing the Fund’s investment objective, PIMCO may emphasize investment strategies that are more strategic, or long-term in nature, with less emphasis on short-term, tactical trading strategies. In addition, PIMCO will utilize a bottom up approach to seek to identify sectors and securities that are undervalued, and the Fund’s investment program may involve a longer investment horizon designed to minimize trading volume and distinct investment strategies as compared with other PIMCO-advised funds with names, investment objectives and policies similar to the Fund. As a result, investments made by the Fund and the results achieved by the Fund at any given time are not expected to be the same as or similar to those made by such other PIMCO-advised funds.

Principal Risks

It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return, are listed below.

New Fund Risk: the risk that a new fund’s performance may not represent how the fund is expected to or may perform in the long term. In addition, new funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies

Market Trading Risk: the risk that an active secondary trading market for Fund shares does not continue once developed, that the Fund may not continue to meet a listing exchange’s trading or listing requirements, that trading in Fund shares may be halted or become less liquid or that Fund shares trade at prices other than the Fund’s net asset value, and are subject to trading costs, which may be exacerbated if the creation/redemption process becomes less effective, particularly during times of market stress

Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will fluctuate in value because of a change in interest rates; a fund with a longer average portfolio duration will be more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a fund with a shorter average portfolio duration

Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons (e.g., declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer’s credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Fund has invested in, the Fund may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment or may not realize the full anticipated earnings from the investment and may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, or the issuer or guarantor of collateral, is unable or unwilling, or is perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as unable or unwilling, to meet its financial obligations

Capital Securities Risk: the risk that the value of securities, which may be in the form of debt, equity or a hybrid thereof, issued by U.S. and non-U.S. financial institutions that can be used to satisfy their regulatory capital requirements may decline in response to changes in legislation and regulations applicable to financial institutions and financial markets, increased competition, adverse changes in general or industry-specific economic conditions, or unfavorable interest rates. By investing under normal circumstances at least 80% of its assets in a combination of preferred securities and Capital Securities, the Fund will be more susceptible to these risks than a fund that does not invest in Capital Securities to the same extent as the Fund.

Preferred Securities Risk: the risk that preferred securities may be subject to greater credit or other risks than senior debt instruments. In addition, preferred securities are subject to other risks, such as risks related to deferred and omitted distributions, limited voting rights, liquidity, interest rate, regulatory changes and special redemption rights

Concentration in Banking Industries Risk: the risk of concentrating in industries related to banking, including interest rate risk, market risk, the risk of heightened competition and the risk that legislation and other government actions could adversely affect such industries

2  Summary Prospectus | PIMCO ETF Trust

Summary Prospectus

Contingent Convertible Securities Risk: the risks of investing in contingent convertible securities, including the risk that interest payments will be cancelled by the issuer or a regulatory authority, the risk of ranking junior to other creditors in the event of a liquidation or other bankruptcy-related event as a result of holding subordinated debt, the risk of the Fund’s investment becoming further subordinated as a result of conversion from debt to equity, the risk that principal amount due can be written down to a lesser amount (including potentially to zero), and the general risks applicable to fixed income investments, including interest rate risk, credit risk, market risk and liquidity risk, any of which could result in losses to the Fund

High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as “junk bonds”) are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to make principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, changes in financial condition or credit rating, financial leverage, reputation or reduced demand for the issuer’s goods or services

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid investments at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income funds may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as forwards, futures, swaps and structured securities) and other similar investments, including leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, counterparty (including credit), operational, legal and management risks, and valuation complexity. Changes in the value of a derivative or other similar investment may not correlate perfectly with, and may be more sensitive to market events than, the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the initial amount invested. Changes in the value of a derivative or other similar instrument may also create margin delivery or settlement payment obligations for the Fund. The Fund’s use of derivatives or other similar investments may result in losses to the Fund, a reduction in the Fund’s returns and/or increased volatility. Non-centrally-cleared over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives or other similar investments are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for

non-centrally-cleared OTC derivatives or other similar investments. The primary credit risk on derivatives or other similar investments that are exchange-traded or traded through a central clearing counterparty resides with the Fund's clearing broker or the clearinghouse. Changes in regulation relating to a registered fund’s use of derivatives and related instruments could potentially limit or impact the Fund’s ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Fund’s ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives or other similar investments and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives or other similar investments and the Fund’s performance

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes, diplomatic developments or the imposition of sanctions and other similar measures. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity or equity-related securities, including preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity or equity-related securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. In addition, preferred securities may be subject to greater credit risk or other risks, such as risks related to deferred and omitted distributions, limited voting rights, liquidity, interest rates, regulatory changes and special redemption rights 

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired results and that actual or potential conflicts of interest, legislative, regulatory, or tax restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio managers in connection with managing the Fund and may cause PIMCO to restrict or prohibit participation in certain investments. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund’s investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage,

October 31, 2024 | SUMMARY PROSPECTUS  3

PIMCO Preferred and Capital Securities Active Exchange-Traded Fund

magnifying gains and losses and causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss

Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales or other short positions, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale or other short position will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Fund

LIBOR Transition Risk: the risk related to the discontinuation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”). Certain instruments held by the Fund may reference LIBOR. Due to benchmark reforms, publication of all LIBOR settings has ceased. Although LIBOR is no longer published, there are potential effects related to the transition away from LIBOR or the prior use of LIBOR on the Fund, or on certain instruments in which the Fund invests, which can be difficult to ascertain and could result in losses to the Fund

Please see “Description of Principal Risks” in the Fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

Performance Information

The Fund does not have a full calendar year of performance. Thus, no bar chart or Average Annual Total Returns table is included for the Fund.  Performance for the Fund will be updated daily and quarterly and may be obtained as follows: daily and quarterly updates on the net asset value and performance page at https://www.pimco.com/en-us/investments/etf.

Investment Adviser/Portfolio Managers

       

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund’s portfolio is jointly and primarily managed by Philippe Bodereau, Amit Arora, Matthieu Loriferne and Tanuj Dora. Mr. Bodereau is a Managing Director of PIMCO, Messrs. Arora and Loriferne are each Executive Vice Presidents of PIMCO and Mr. Dora is a Senior Vice President of PIMCO. Messrs. Bodereau, Arora, Loriferne and Dora have managed the Fund since its inception in January 2023.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”). Individual Fund shares may only be purchased and sold on a national securities exchange through a broker-dealer and may not be purchased or redeemed directly with the Fund. The price of Fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than net asset value (“NAV”), shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or

less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (“bid”) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares (“ask”) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information, including information about the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads, is included on the Fund’s website at https://www.pimco.com/en-us/investments/etf.

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or a combination of the two, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case distributions may be taxable upon withdrawal.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase Fund shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, PIMCO or other related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares or related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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