ETF Evaluator:
Vert Global Sustainable Real Estate ETF (VGSR)
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(as of Jul 31)
Best Performing in Global Real Estate Over the Last Year
| 31.7% | WisdomTree New Economy Real Estate ETF (WTRE) |
| 16.2% | State Street® SPDR® Dow Jones® GlbRE ETF (RWO) |
| 15.7% | iShares Global REIT ETF (REET) |
| 15.2% | Cambria Global Real Estate ETF (BLDG) |
| 13.7% | NYLI CBRE Real Assets ETF (IQRA) |
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ETF Details
Vert Global Sustainable Real Estate ETF Overview
Vert Global Sustainable Real Estate ETF (VGSR) is an actively managed Sector Equity Global Real Estate exchange-traded fund (ETF). Vert Asset Management launched the ETF in 2017.
The investment seeks to achieve long-term capital appreciation.
The fund is an actively managed ETF that seeks to provide exposure to a broad portfolio of sustainable real estate companies. It invests in the securities of U.S. and non-U.S. companies with a focus on REITs or other pooled investment vehicles or companies that manage a portfolio of income producing real estate or real estate-related loans and that the advisor considers to be similar to REITs because of the way they are treated by tax authorities or because of the way they are required to conduct their business.
About Vert Global Sustainable Real Estate ETF (VGSR)
There are 5 members of the management team with an average tenure of 7.99 years: Jed Fogdall (2017), Allen Pu (2017), Joseph Hohn (2017), William Collins-Dean (2019) and Samuel Adams (2019). 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 S&P Global REIT NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Vert Global Sustainable Real Estate ETF has 155 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 44.7% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The ETF is considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Vert Global Sustainable Real Estate ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Sector Equity ETF group. Vert Global Sustainable Real Estate ETF has 30.5% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 68.1% There is 30.5% 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). Vert Global Sustainable Real Estate ETF has 0.4% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $523 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Global Real Estate 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.
VGSR 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 Vert Global Sustainable Real Estate ETF expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Global Real Estate category. Vert Global Sustainable Real Estate ETF has an expense ratio of 0.45%, which is 12% higher 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. Vert Global Sustainable Real Estate ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 6%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.2 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 28% for the Global Real Estate category.
Recently, in the month of June 2026, Vert Global Sustainable Real Estate ETF returned 1.5%, which earned it a grade of B, as the Global Real Estate category had an average return of -0.4%. 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.
Vert Global Sustainable Real Estate ETF has a trailing yield of 3.31%, which is below the 3.69% category average.
The fund normally distributes its income quarterly and its capital gains annually.
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.
Vert Global Sustainable Real Estate ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 11.0%, 3.8 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 12.9% over the past year (grade of B), 11.8% over the past three years (grade of A) and 3.3% per year over the past five years (grade of A).
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VGSR Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 6/30/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| VGSR Return (NAV) | 1.5% | 11.5% | 12.9% | 11.8% | 3.3% | na |
| VGSR Return (Price) | 1.8% | 11.1% | 12.7% | 11.9% | 3.4% | na |
| NAV +/- Price Return | -0.228% | 0.341% | 0.206% | -0.115% | -0.064% | na |
| Global Real Estate Avg | -0.4% | 7.7% | 11.4% | 9.6% | 0.9% | 2.8% |
| VGSR Grade (NAV) | B | A | B | A | A | na |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 1.9% | 3.8% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 2.5% | na |
| VGSR Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.4% | 1.6% | 1.3% | na |
VGSR Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 6/30/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| VGSR Return (NAV) | 11.0% | 6.8% | 5.5% | 13.9% | -26.2% | 32.6% | -10.1% | 24.6% | -9.7% | na | na |
| VGSR Return (Price) | 11.4% | 6.3% | 5.5% | 14.4% | -26.2% | 32.6% | -10.1% | 24.6% | -9.7% | na | na |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 0.032% | -0.075% | 0.016% | 0.032% | 0.000% | 0.000% | 0.000% | 0.0% | 0.0% | na | na |
| Global Real Estate Avg | 7.3% | 13.8% | -0.6% | 9.2% | -24.1% | 18.9% | -9.3% | 21.8% | -8.1% | 18.5% | 3.3% |
| VGSR Grade (NAV) | B | F | B | A | F | A | D | A | D | na | na |
| +/- Category | 3.8% | -7.0% | 6.1% | 4.7% | -2.1% | 13.7% | -0.8% | 2.8% | -1.6% | na | na |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 1.03 |
| R-Squared: | 67% |
| Standard Deviation: | 15.9% |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.96 |
| Category Risk Rating: | Below Average |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.30 |
| Total Risk Rating: | Above Average |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 3.3% |
| Total Assets: | $ 524 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 524 Mil |
| Turnover: | 6.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.45% |
| Index Fund: | No |
| Index Tracked: | MSCI ACWI NR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | Yes |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | Annually |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Quarterly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 5 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 8.7 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 8.0 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Fogdall Jed (2017), Pu Allen (2017), Hohn Joseph (2017), Collins-Dean William (2019), Adams Samuel (2019) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 155 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 44.7% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 30.5% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 68.1% |
| Foreign Stock: | 30.5% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 1.0% |
| Cash: | 0.4% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Vert Asset Management |
| Phone Number: | 888-893-4491 |
| Website: | |
| Inception Date: | October 31, 2017 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.45% (Rating: Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.40% |
