Fund Evaluator:
DFA Global Real Estate Securities Port (DFGEX)
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Best Performing in Global Real Estate Over the Last Year
| 20.0% | PGIM Global Real Estate Z (PURZX) |
| 19.1% | PGIM Select Real Estate Z (SREZX) |
| 19.0% | American Century Global Real Estate Y (ARYYX) |
| 18.6% | American Century Global Real Estate Inv (ARYVX) |
| 18.3% | iShares Developed Real Estate Idx Inv A (BARDX) |
Fund Details
DFA Global Real Estate Securities Port Overview
DFA Global Real Estate Securities Port (DFGEX) is an actively managed Sector Equity Global Real Estate fund. Dimensional Fund Advisors launched the fund in 2008.
The investment seeks long-term capital appreciation. The Portfolio seeks to achieve exposure to a broad portfolio of securities of U.S. and non-U.S. companies in the real estate industry, with a focus on real estate investment trusts ("REITs") or companies that the Advisor considers to be REIT-like entities. It may pursue its investment objective by investing its assets in the DFA Real Estate Securities Portfolio, DFA International Real Estate Securities Portfolio (the "underlying funds"), and/or directly in securities of companies in the real estate industry.
About DFA Global Real Estate Securities Port (DFGEX)
There are 5 members of the management team with an average tenure of 10.15 years: Jed Fogdall (2010), Allen Pu (2015), Mary Phillips (2017), William Collins-Dean (2019), Ashish Bhagwanjee (2020). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI ACWI IMI NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and S&P Global REIT NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. DFA Global Real Estate Securities Port has 138 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 61.5% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
DFA Global Real Estate Securities Port is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the Sector Equity fund group. DFA Global Real Estate Securities Port has 23.2% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 71.4%. There is 23.2% 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). DFA Global Real Estate Securities Port has 5.0% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $7 billion in total assets, which is above the $209 million 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.
DFGEX 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 DFA Global Real Estate Securities Port expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Global Real Estate category. DFA Global Real Estate Securities Port has an expense ratio of 0.22%, which is 81% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a A. 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. DFA Global Real Estate Securities Port has a portfolio turnover rate of 4%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.3 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 71% for the Global Real Estate category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, DFA Global Real Estate Securities Port returned 2.8%, which earned it a grade of B, as the Global Real Estate category had an average return of 2.5%. 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 funds in that category.
DFA Global Real Estate Securities Port has a trailing yield of 3.59%, which is above the 2.74% category average. The fund normally distributes its income annually 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.
DFA Global Real Estate Securities Port Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 13.5%, 2.5 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 16.6% over the past year (grade of C), 9.7% over the past three years (grade of B) and 2.2% per year over the past five years (grade of B) and 4.3% per year over the past 10 years (grade of C).
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DFGEX 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 |
|
| DFGEX Return (NAV) | 2.8% | 3.5% | 16.6% | 9.7% | 2.2% | 4.3% |
| DFGEX Grade | B | A | C | B | B | C |
| +/- Category | 0.3% | 1.4% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 0.2% |
| Global Real Estate Avg | 2.5% | 2.1% | 15.4% | 8.5% | 0.9% | 4.1% |
| DFGEX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 1.6% |
DFGEX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| DFGEX Return (NAV) | 13.5% | 7.9% | 1.9% | 9.4% | -23.8% | 31.0% | -6.7% | 26.4% | -4.2% | 9.2% | 6.6% |
| DFGEX Grade | B | C | B | D | A | A | F | B | B | F | A |
| +/- Category | 2.5% | -1.5% | 1.3% | -1.0% | 2.0% | 6.4% | -5.0% | 0.9% | 1.6% | -4.7% | 3.5% |
| Global Real Estate Avg | 11.0% | 9.4% | 0.6% | 10.4% | -25.9% | 24.6% | -1.7% | 25.5% | -5.8% | 13.9% | 3.1% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 16.0% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.30 - Above Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.99 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | B (40% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.98 |
| R-Squared: | 60% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Mid-Cap Blend |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 3.6% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $7797 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $7,797 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 4% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 5 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 16.4 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 10.1 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Fogdall Jed (2010), Pu Allen (2015), Phillips Mary (2017), Collins-Dean William (2019), Bhagwanjee Ashish (2020) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 138 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 61.5% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 23.2% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 71.4% |
| Foreign Stock: | 23.2% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.4% |
| Cash: | 5.0% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Dimensional Fund Advisors |
| Phone Number: | 888-576-1167 |
| Website: | www.dimensional.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | June 4, 2008 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | na |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.22% ( Rating : Below Avg ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.15% |
| Share Class: | DFA Global Real Estate Securities Port |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
