REET vs VNQ: Performance, Holdings, Fees & Risk
REET and VNQ are ETFs, but they can differ materially in exposure, yield, fees and risk. REET is iShares Global REIT ETF, while VNQ is Vanguard Real Estate ETF. REET is broader by holdings count, with 349 positions versus 145 for VNQ. VNQ is more concentrated at the top, based on top-10 holdings weight.
What is the main difference between REET and VNQ?
VNQ puts 99% of its assets in Real Estate, while REET spreads across 10 sectors with none above 19%.
| Metric | REET | VNQ |
|---|---|---|
| Fund | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.14% | 0.13% |
| Holdings | 349 | 145 |
| Top-10 concentration | 42.9% | 49.7% |
| Distribution yieldTrailing 12 months | 3.57% | 3.69% |
| Average volume | 2,893,282 | 3,567,578 |
| Performance | ||
| 1Y return | +2.2% | +1.9% |
| YTD return | +4.4% | +4.3% |
| 5Y annualized returnTotal return, distributions reinvested | +0.9% | +0.5% |
| Risk | ||
| Annualized volatility | 12.4% | 14.1% |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -12.1% | -12.1% |
| Max drawdown (5Y)Total return, distributions reinvested | -32.1% | -34.5% |
| Beta | 0.34 | 0.30 |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.12 | -0.12 |
| Sortino ratio | -0.18 | -0.19 |
| AlgovestIQ | ||
| AIQ Score | 56/100 | 56/100 |
| AIQ Edge Score | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Momentum | 46/100 | 53/100 |
| Risk Resilience | 82/100 | 80/100 |
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
iShares Global REIT ETF vs Vanguard Real Estate ETF
REET and VNQ are effectively level
REET and VNQ are effectively level on the AIQ Score; the factor table below shows where each one holds its advantage.
iShares Global REIT ETF
Vanguard Real Estate ETF
The Algovestiq AIQ Score does not currently separate REET and VNQ as of Oct 21, 2026. Both names are scored on the same 0–100 scale across Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience, and the factor table below shows where each one holds its advantage.
Compare iShares Global REIT ETF and Vanguard Real Estate ETF across performance, expense ratio, dividend yield, drawdown, volatility and the Algovestiq AIQ Score.
REET vs VNQ: which fits what
Each row is settled by a single measure. Where the gap is too small to matter it reads Similar, and no row decides the comparison as a whole.
| If you want | REET | VNQ | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower costExpense ratio | 0.14% | 0.13% | Similar |
| Broader diversificationNumber of holdings | 349 | 145 | REET |
| Lower concentrationWeight of the 10 largest holdings | 42.9% | 49.7% | REET |
| Higher incomeTrailing 12-month distribution yield | 3.57% | 3.69% | Similar |
| Smaller drawdownsMax drawdown, 5 years | -32.1% | -34.5% | REET |
| Lower volatilityAnnualized volatility, 1 year | 12.4% | 14.1% | REET |
Similar means the gap is within 0.01 percentage points of expense ratio, 25% more holdings, 3 points of top-10 weight, 0.2 points of yield, 2 points of drawdown or 1 point of volatility. Past drawdowns and volatility describe the funds’ history, not their future.
Performance over time
Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes for both ETFs.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested
Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.
Compare REET and VNQ against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Value48 vs 33REET +15
- Quality60 vs 68VNQ +8
- Momentum46 vs 53VNQ +7
- Risk Resilience82 vs 80Even
Neither name separates cleanly on the covered dimensions.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-10-20, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-19.
Largest factor move: Momentum +11
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 4 active signals are unchanged.
Largest factor move: Momentum +9
No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 5 active signals are unchanged.
REET's lead narrowed by 1 AIQ point in the latest session.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — REET and VNQ both carry a full feed there.
Fund facts, side by side
Two funds tracking overlapping universes are separated by cost and risk far more than by holdings. Those lead here.
| Measure | REET | VNQ | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expense ratio | 0.14% | 0.13% | Lower is better — it compounds against you every year you hold. |
| Holdings | 349 | 145 | More holdings means broader diversification, not better returns. |
| Average volume | 2,893,282 | 3,567,578 | Liquidity — matters most if you trade size. |
| Annualized volatility | 12.4% | 14.1% | Lower is a steadier ride for the same exposure. |
| Max drawdown (1Y) | -12.1% | -12.1% | The worst peak-to-trough loss over the past year. |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.12 | -0.12 | Return per unit of risk. Higher is better. |
| Beta | 0.34 | 0.30 | Sensitivity to the broad market. Neither direction is better — it depends on the role in your portfolio. |
Where the exposure actually sits
Sector exposure for each fund, ordered by the size of the difference.
How much of the same holdings they own
REET and VNQ share 71.39% of their weighted exposure across 92 common holdings.
231 holdings are unique to REET, and 48 holdings are unique to VNQ. Owning both adds little diversification — they are largely the same exposure in different wrappers.
VNQ is the more concentrated of the two: its ten largest positions are 49.73% of the fund, against 42.93% for REET (145 holdings vs 349). Concentration cuts both ways — it is what drives outperformance when the top names work, and what makes the drawdown deeper when they do not.
Largest shared positions
| Holding | REET | VNQ | Shared |
|---|---|---|---|
| WELLWelltower Inc | 9.31% | 9.92% | 9.31% |
| PLDPrologis Inc | 7.16% | 8.17% | 7.16% |
| EQIXEquinix Inc | 5.73% | 6.09% | 5.73% |
| DLRDigital Realty Trust Inc | 3.82% | 3.93% | 3.82% |
| SPGSimon Property Group Inc | 3.65% | 4.52% | 3.65% |
| ORealty Income Corp | 3.13% | 3.58% | 3.13% |
| PSAPublic Storage | 2.76% | 3.3% | 2.76% |
| VTRVentas Inc | 2.42% | 2.7% | 2.42% |
Shared weight is the lower of the two positions — the portion of capital both funds genuinely have in the same security.
What REET adds that VNQ doesn’t
| Holding | REET | VNQ |
|---|---|---|
| EQRVIVMARK RESIDENTIAL | 2.76% | 1.36% |
| GMG.AXGOODMAN GROUP UNITS | 2.19% | Not held |
| SGRO.LSEGRO REIT PLC | 0.96% | Not held |
| URW.PAUNIBAIL RODAMCO WE STAPLED UNITS | 0.74% | Not held |
| SCG.AXSCENTRE GROUP | 0.73% | Not held |
| 0823.HKLINK REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST | 0.72% | Not held |
What VNQ adds that REET doesn’t
| Holding | VNQ | REET |
|---|---|---|
| AMTAmerican Tower Corp | 4.9% | Not held |
| CBRECBRE Group Inc | 2.63% | Not held |
| CCICrown Castle Inc | 2.02% | Not held |
| AVBAvalonBay Communities Inc | 1.57% | Not held |
| SBACSBA Communications Corp | 1.16% | Not held |
| WYWeyerhaeuser Co | 1.09% | Not held |
Each list is a fund’s largest positions by weight that the other fund does not hold, or holds at less than half the weight.
REET vs VNQ: five-year payout growth
REET grew its split-adjusted payout faster over 2020-2025 — 7.71% a year against VNQ's 0.81%. REET: The 2020 payout was 56.4% below 2019, so the growth rate measures a recovery from a weak starting year. REET: The payout jumped 53.8% in 2021, a single step rather than steady compounding - often an index or mandate change.
| Dividend metric | REET | VNQ |
|---|---|---|
| 5Y payout CAGR | 7.71% | 0.81% |
| 2020 annual payout | $0.632 | $3.335 |
| 2025 annual payout | $0.916 | $3.472 |
| Calendar-year declines | 1 | 2 |
| Peer rank | #74 of 138 | #127 of 138 |
Split-adjusted annual distributions, 2020–2025. Research as of Sep 19, 2026. Yield and expense ratio above are current values, not part of this window.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
How each independent group of evidence reads the pair.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | Even | 56 vs 56 |
| Fundamentals | Not covered | Not covered |
| Valuation | REET | Value 48 vs 33 |
| Technicals | Even | Price vs 50-day -3.2% vs -2.7%; vs 200-day -3% vs -2.3% |
| Risk Resilience | Even | Risk Resilience 82 vs 80 |
| Analyst expectations | Not covered | Not covered |
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.
- The AIQ gap is narrow at 0 points. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- Only 0 of 4 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
- The lead has been steady session to session. (supports the conclusion holding)
How the comparison changed
120 daily snapshots · Jun 21 – Oct 20REET lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 0 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- Level
- 56 vs 56
- 7 sessions ago
- Level
- 54 vs 54
- 30 sessions ago
- REET +2
- 51 vs 49
- 90 sessions ago
- Level
- 51 vs 51
The lead changed hands 2 times in this window, most recently on Aug 24 when REET moved ahead of VNQ.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
1 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
No signal that the other name lacks.
1 bullish / 2 bearish / 2 neutral, conflicted
Only VNQ
- Bollinger Band Squeeze — neutral, volatility, short horizon
Both carry 4 more signals that do not separate them: Death Cross Active, ATR Contraction - Coiling, Downtrend Structure Active, MACD Bullish Crossover.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Price is down while the AIQ Score moved up 2 points over the same session — price and model disagree (price -0.54%, AIQ +2 points).
Price is down while the AIQ Score moved up 3 points over the same session — price and model disagree (price -0.86%, AIQ +3 points).
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Performance
VNQ leads 4 of 6 windows| Metric | REET | VNQ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | 0.9% | 1.3% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -1.5% | -1.4% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | -8.3% | -6.8% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | -3.7% | -3.2% |
| Year to date | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | 2.2% | 1.9% |
Technicals
Split| Metric | REET | VNQ |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 55.4 | 62.2 |
| ADX (14) | 36.6 | 28.2 |
| Price vs 50-day | -3.2% | -2.7% |
| Price vs 200-day | -3% | -2.3% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 12.4% | 16.2% |
Risk
Split| Metric | REET | VNQ |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 0.34 | 0.3 |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.12 | -0.12 |
| Sortino ratio | -0.18 | -0.19 |
| Max drawdown | -12.1% | -12.1% |
| Current drawdown | -9.8% | -8.6% |
| Annualized volatility | 12.4% | 14.1% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -1.3% | -1.4% |
Straight answers
Short answers to the questions fund investors ask about this pair, from the figures above.
What is the difference between REET and VNQ?
VNQ puts 99% of its assets in Real Estate, while REET spreads across 10 sectors with none above 19%.
How much do REET and VNQ overlap?
REET and VNQ share 71.39% of their weighted exposure across 92 common holdings. 231 holdings are unique to REET, and 48 holdings are unique to VNQ. Owning both adds little diversification — they are largely the same exposure in different wrappers.
Which ETF is more diversified, REET or VNQ?
REET holds more positions: 349 versus 145 for VNQ.
Which has the lower expense ratio?
The two are within a basis point: 0.14% for REET and 0.13% for VNQ.
Which ETF has the higher distribution yield?
Their trailing 12-month distribution yields are similar: 3.57% for REET and 3.69% for VNQ.
Which ETF has been more volatile?
VNQ has been more volatile over the past year, at 14.1% annualized against 12.4% for REET.
Which ETF has had the smaller drawdown?
REET fell less from peak to trough over the past five years: -32.1% against -34.5% for VNQ.
Compare REET and VNQ with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.