ETF Evaluator:
FlexShares Glbl Quality Real Estate ETF ()
Follow This ETF
(as of Aug 26)
Best Performing in Global Real Estate Over the Last Year
| 26.9% | WisdomTree New Economy Real Estate ETF (WTRE) |
| 21.0% | State Street® SPDR® Dow Jones® GlbRE ETF (RWO) |
| 20.0% | iShares Global REIT ETF (REET) |
| 17.7% | iShares Environmentally Aware Rl Est ETF (ERET) |
| 17.0% | Vert Global Sustainable Real Estate ETF (VGSR) |
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ETF Details
FlexShares Glbl Quality Real Estate ETF Overview
FlexShares Glbl Quality Real Estate ETF (GQRE) is a passively managed Sector Equity Global Real Estate exchange-traded fund (ETF). Flexshares Trust launched the ETF in 2013.
The investment seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Northern Trust Global Quality Real Estate IndexSM.
The index is designed to reflect the performance of a selection of companies that, in aggregate, maximize exposure to quality, value and momentum factors, within a universe of companies operating in the real estate sector.
About FlexShares Glbl Quality Real Estate ETF (GQRE)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 8.43 years: Robert Anstine (2013), Brendan Sullivan (2016) and Volter Bagriy (2024). Management tenure is more important for actively managed ETFs than passive index ETFs.
The ETF has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI World NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and FTSE EPRA Nareit Developed TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. FlexShares Glbl Quality Real Estate ETF has 155 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 35.9% of the ETF’s assets. The ETF meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The ETF is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
FlexShares Glbl Quality Real Estate ETF is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Sector Equity ETF group. FlexShares Glbl Quality Real Estate ETF has 31.4% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 66.1% There is 31.4% 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). FlexShares Glbl Quality Real Estate ETF has 1.8% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $424 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.
GQRE 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 FlexShares Glbl Quality Real Estate ETF expense ratio is average compared to funds in the Global Real Estate category. FlexShares Glbl Quality 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. FlexShares Glbl Quality Real Estate ETF has a portfolio turnover rate of 49%, which indicates that it holds its assets around / 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 27% for the Global Real Estate category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, FlexShares Glbl Quality Real Estate ETF returned 2.5%, which earned it a grade of D, as the Global Real Estate category had an average return of 2.4%. 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.
FlexShares Glbl Quality Real Estate ETF has a trailing yield of 4.18%, which is above the 3.59% 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.
FlexShares Glbl Quality Real Estate ETF Grades
Year to date, the ETF has returned 12.2%, 2.4 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 16.2% over the past year (grade of C), 10.2% over the past three years (grade of B) and 2.4% per year over the past five years (grade of C) and 3.6% per year over the past 10 years (grade of A).
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GQRE 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 |
|
| GQRE Return (NAV) | 2.5% | 2.5% | 16.2% | 10.2% | 2.4% | 3.6% |
| GQRE Return (Price) | 2.3% | 2.3% | 16.7% | 10.3% | 2.4% | 3.6% |
| NAV +/- Price Return | 0.133% | 0.194% | -0.529% | -0.128% | 0.009% | -0.009% |
| Global Real Estate Avg | 2.4% | 1.8% | 15.3% | 9.0% | 0.8% | 2.5% |
| GQRE Grade (NAV) | D | C | C | B | C | A |
| +/- Category (NAV) | 0.0% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 1.1% |
| GQRE Tax-Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.8% | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.3% |
GQRE Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| GQRE Return (NAV) | 12.2% | 8.6% | 5.6% | 9.3% | -27.0% | 31.7% | -8.8% | 21.8% | -9.1% | 13.4% | 4.0% |
| GQRE Return (Price) | 12.4% | 8.3% | 6.1% | 9.2% | -27.2% | 32.0% | -9.1% | 21.8% | -8.9% | 13.6% | 3.3% |
| NAV +/- Price Ret | 0.022% | -0.035% | 0.079% | -0.006% | 0.008% | 0.009% | 0.034% | -0.1% | -2.3% | 1.3% | -17.0% |
| Global Real Estate Avg | 9.8% | 13.8% | -0.6% | 9.2% | -24.1% | 18.9% | -9.3% | 21.8% | -8.1% | 18.5% | 3.3% |
| GQRE Grade (NAV) | C | D | A | C | F | B | B | B | C | D | B |
| +/- Category | 2.4% | -5.2% | 6.2% | 0.1% | -2.9% | 12.8% | 0.5% | -0.0% | -0.9% | -5.0% | 0.6% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Beta: | 0.94 |
| R-Squared: | 61% |
| Standard Deviation: | 15.3% |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.93 |
| Category Risk Rating: | Below Average |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.25 |
| Total Risk Rating: | Average |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Yield: | 4.2% |
| Total Assets: | $ 425 Mil |
| Share Class Assets: | $ 425 Mil |
| Turnover: | 49.0% |
| Expense Ratio: | 0.45% |
| Index Fund: | Yes |
| Index Tracked: | MSCI World NR USD |
| Index Weighting: | 100% |
| Leveraged: | No |
| Socially Responsible Fund: | No |
| Capital Gains Distribution Frequency: | |
| Income Distribution Frequency: | Quarterly |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 12.7 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 8.4 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Anstine Robert (2013), Sullivan Brendan (2016), Bagriy Volter (2024) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 7/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 155 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 35.9% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 31.4% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 66.1% |
| Foreign Stock: | 31.4% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.7% |
| Cash: | 1.8% |
Purchase Information
| Legal Structure: | Open Ended Investment Company |
| Fund Family: | Flexshares Trust |
| Phone Number: | 855-353-9383 |
| Website: | www.flexshares.com |
| Inception Date: | November 5, 2013 |
Expenses and Fees
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.45% (Rating: Avg) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.40% |
