Dimensional Global Real Estate ETF’s management team is rated Average, but a solid investment process still helps this strategy retain its Morningstar Medalist Rating of Gold. The portfolio maintains a sizable cost advantage over competitors, priced within the lowest fee quintile among peers.  

 The strategy's investment process inspires confidence and earns an Above Average Process Pillar rating. Independent of the rating, analysis of the strategy's portfolio shows it has maintained a significant underweight position in quality exposure and an overweight in liquidity exposure compared with category peers. Low quality exposure is attributed to stocks with higher financial leverage and lower profitability. And a high liquidity exposure is rooted in stocks with higher trading volumes, lending managers more flexibility. The strategy’s management team earns an Average People Pillar rating. The strategy's parent organization earns the firm a High Parent Pillar rating. People Pillar and Parent Pillar ratings for this strategy are indirectly assigned by a Morningstar analyst rather than algorithmically derived. Please see the notes following each pillar section for more details. The details of assigning methods can be found in each pillar section.

Analyst Rating

Prologis

American Tower

Equinix

Welltower

Simon Property Group

Realty Income Corp

Public Storage

Crown Castle International

Digital Realty Trust

Extra Space Storage

Morningstar's evaluation of this security's process aims to determine the likelihood that it will outperform its Morningstar Category index on a risk-adjusted basis over the long term. Dimensional Global Real Estate ETF earns an Above Average Process Pillar rating. 

The leading factor in the rating is the parent firm's five-year risk-adjusted success ratio of 71%. The measure indicates the percentage of a firm's funds that survived and beat their respective category's median Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return for the period. The firm's five-year retention rate of 85% also strengthens the process. Lastly, the process is limited by being an actively managed strategy. Historical data, such as Morningstar's Active/Passive Barometer, finds that actively managed funds have generally underperformed their passive counterparts, especially over longer time horizons.

 This strategy leans toward smaller, higher-growth companies than its average peer in the Global Real Estate Morningstar Category. Looking at additional factor exposure, this strategy has consistently favored low-quality stocks compared with Morningstar Category peers over the past few years. Lacking this ballast, the fund's prospects could rest on its ability to beat peers during economic booms. In the latest month, the strategy was also less exposed to the Quality factor compared with Morningstar Category peers. This strategy has also been exposed to liquid stocks during these years. This gives the managers more flexibility during bear markets to sell without adversely affecting prices. Compared with category peers, the strategy also had more exposure to the Liquidity factor in the most recent month. In addition, this strategy has had a bias away from momentum stocks during these years. Momentum investors tend to expect stocks that have done well recently to continue to do so in the short term. Momentum approaches can entail higher turnover and trading costs since the top stocks can often change. In recent months, the strategy also had less Momentum factor exposure than its peers. More information on a fund and its respective category's factor exposure can be found in the Factor Profile module within the Portfolio section. 

 The portfolio has allocations in its top two sectors, real estate and financial services, that are similar to the category. The sectors with low exposure compared to category peers are basic materials and energy; however, the allocations are similar to the category. The portfolio is composed of 443 holdings and is about as top-heavy as the category average, with 37.4% of assets in the top 10 holdings. And finally, in terms of portfolio turnover, looking at year-over-year movements, 9% of the fund's holdings have changed, whether through increasing, decreasing, or changing a position.

Above Average

Process

Dimensional Global Real Estate ETF earns an Average People Pillar rating. The team is backed by Jed S. Fogdall, the longest-tenured manager on the strategy, who provides over 25 years of listed portfolio management experience. The average Morningstar Rating of the strategies they currently manage is 3.1 stars, indicating that their risk-adjusted returns have been in line with the category average. Jed S. Fogdall is supported by an experienced team, being able to draw on three additional listed managers, who average 21 years of listed portfolio management experience. As a team, they manage two investment vehicles together, with a Silver asset-weighted average Morningstar Medalist Rating, indicating the potential to deliver positive alpha in aggregate. None of the managers here invest any money in the strategy, which is disappointing, as such investments help align managers' interests with fundholders.

 Note: The People Pillar rating is indirectly assigned by an analyst. The longest-tenured manager of the fund also manages a different product rated by an analyst. Their analyst-assigned People Pillar rating is combined here with the People scores (algorithmic or analyst-assigned) for the fund’s other managers on a tenure-weighted basis.

Average

People

Dimensional’s mutual fund business has faced some tough challenges over the past few years. Despite large and persistent outflows, the firm has remained steadfast in its philosophy and responded in a way that benefits clients while improving its competitiveness. Dimensional maintains its High Parent Pillar rating.

More than $80 billion left Dimensional’s mutual funds between 2020 and 2022, but its response to the turmoil has been admirable. The firm started reducing fees in early 2020, and it continued the effort with three additional rounds of cuts.

Dimensional’s endeavor into exchange-traded funds was the biggest step it took to shore up its business. The firm converted seven tax-managed mutual funds to ETFs between mid-2021 and mid-2022. Along the way, it launched an additional two dozen that largely follow the same strategies underpinning the existing mutual funds. The firm also reinvested in its separate accounts platform by bolstering the technology used to manage these portfolios. The effort was aimed at improving operational efficiencies.

These measures appear to be paying off. The firm’s new ETFs have proved popular among its clients. In 2022, they brought in enough new money to nearly offset the outflows from its mutual funds. The separate account platform’s operational improvements, along with the new ETF lineup’s tax efficiency, should benefit clients and strengthen the firm’s prospects.

High

Parent

Dimensional Global Real Estate ETF

DFGR is actively managed to hold a diversified selection of US and foreign companies whose principal activities are engaged in the broad real estate sector, while focusing on REITs. Portfolio holdings are weighted by market capitalization.

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OUTFRONT Media

REITs bounced back from a rough start to the year with a strong +3.26% average total return in March. Mid cap (+5.04%), small cap (+3.90%) and large cap REITs (+2.32%) averaged gains in March, while micro caps (-0.32%) saw yet another month in the red. 78.06% of REIT securities had a positive total return in March.

The State Of REITs: April 2024 Edition

American Homes 4 Rent

Brandywine Realty

Chatham Lodging Trust

Healthpeak Properties Inc

EPR Properties

Iron Mountain

Medical Properties Trust

REITs fell slightly deeper into the red in 2024 with a -0.81% total return in February. Mid cap (+1.46%) and large cap REITs (+1.04%) averaged gains in February outperforming small caps (-1.33%) and micro caps (-6.98%). Only 50.64% of REIT securities had a positive total return in February.

The State Of REITs: March 2024 Edition

Bank of America

Citigroup

CorEnergy Infrastructure Trust

Goldman Sachs

JPMorgan Chase & Co

Morgan Stanley

Office Properties Income Trust

The REIT sector had a rough start to 2024 with a -5.72% total return in January. Large cap REITs (-4.79%) outperformed their smaller peers in January. Micro cap REITs (-8.39%) averaged the steepest declines. Only 9.55% of REIT securities had a positive total return in January.

The State Of REITs: February 2024 Edition

Diversified Healthcare Trust

Empire State Realty Trust

Kimco Realty

US Diversified Real Estate ETF

Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust

Invesco Active US Real Estate

The REIT sector closed the year out strong with a +11.40% total return in December, pushing into positive territory for the full year (+8.66%). Small cap REITs (+13.39%) outperformed in December. Large cap REITs (+9.55%) averaged a lower return than their smaller peers. 90.79% of REIT securities had a positive total return in December with 66.25% in the black for the full year.

The State Of REITs: January 2024 Edition

NexPoint Residential Trust

REITs averaged a -5.31% total return in October and have now fallen to a double-digit negative total return year to date (-10.46%). Large cap REITs (-2.24%) outperformed their smaller peers in October. Micro caps (-11.32%) extended their streak of severe underperformance. 26.80% of REIT securities had a positive total return in October with just 25.00% in the black year to date.

The State Of REITs: November 2023 Edition

Global Net Lease

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REITs averaged a -7.14% total return in September and have fallen into the red year to date. Small cap REITs (-6.51%) outperformed yet again in September. Micro caps (-10.45%) continue to severely underperform their larger REIT peers. Only 9.74% of REIT securities had a positive total return in September with 34.38% in the black year to date.

The State Of REITs: October 2023 Edition

Americold Realty

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Hersha Hospitality Trust Class A

The REIT sector gave up some of the gains achieved in June and July, with a -4.13% average total return in August. Small cap REITs (-2.49%) outperformed again in August. Micro caps (-13.08%) badly underperformed their larger REIT peers. Only 18.06% of REIT securities had a positive total return in August, with 48.13% in the black year to date.

The State Of REITs: September 2023 Edition

Dimensional US Large Cap Value ETF

Dimensional Fund Advisors has announced the launch of two new exchange traded funds that offer targeted access to premiums across a diversified set of domestic large-cap value equities and a variety of U.S. and international real estate equities. Both strategies are systematic active transparent ETFs.

Dimensional Launches U.S. Large-Cap Value and Global Real Estate ETFs

News for Dimensional Global Real Estate ETF ETF (DFGR)