VGSNX Mutual Fund — Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund Institutional Shares

Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund Institutional Shares (VGSNX)

Updated October 16, 2026.

VGSNX is a low-cost Mutual Fund. its distribution rate is 3.66%, its trailing-12-month yield is 3.74%, its expense ratio is 0.11%. Dividend Vision Distribution Safety Score™ is 91/100 (Safe). Total return is 395.0% over the past 22.9 years, 586.9 points behind SPY at 981.9%.

Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund Institutional Shares is a mutual fund that tracks a real estate stock index by investing substantially all its assets in the stocks that comprise the Target Index. The fund carries a modest expense ratio of 0.11% and distributes quarterly at a moderate current distribution rate. It appeals to income-focused investors seeking broad exposure to real estate equities through a low-cost, passively managed approach.

VGSNX performance versus SPY

Price and return data through 2026-10-16.

Total return is 395.0% over the past 22.9 years, 586.9 points behind SPY at 981.9%. Over the past year its total return — price change plus distributions reinvested — is 5.2%. Its deepest 1-year drawdown was 11.3%.

VGSNX key facts

Distribution Safety Score™

91 · Safe

Safety-Adjusted Yield

3.33%

Issuer

Vanguard

Asset type

Mutual Fund

Asset class

Real Estate

Expense ratio

0.11%

Distribution rate

3.66%

Distribution frequency

Quarterly

Trailing yield

3.74%

Last close

$20.13 (as of 2026-10-16)

NAV

$20.17 as of 2026-09-30; source eodhd (stale)

Premium / discount

N/A (price 2026-10-16, NAV 2026-09-30) (NAV stale)

AUM

$59,425,230,848

Average volume

0.0

Dividend

$0.178

Ex-dividend date

09/23/2026

Payment date

09/24/2026

Beta

0.98

How Dividend Vision calculates yield and returns

Distribution rate (3.66%) uses calculation basis unavailable. Issuer rates can use a different denominator and date, including ex-date NAV. Trailing-12-month yield (3.74%) is the sum of split-adjusted cash distributions with ex-dates in the last 12 months, divided by the published price. It lags a recent raise or cut. Total return uses split-adjusted close with distributions reinvested on the ex-dividend date (a modeling convention, not the cash-settlement date) from the first stored bar on or after inception through the latest bar, compared with the same window on the benchmark. That is the security's total return, not your personal gain/loss.

Yield and safety methodology · Distribution rate methodology · Distribution Safety Score methodology

Sources and review

Primary sources: Vanguard or company page; prices and distributions from Dividend Vision, derived from vendor EOD data.

Reviewed by Bert Sweet, CEO and Co-owner of Dividend Vision. Methodology: Distribution Safety Score.

VGSNX risks and drawbacks

VGSNX's current distribution rate is moderate, not a high-yield payout — the strategy is dividend quality more than maximum income. Payments are quarterly, so cash flow is lumpy versus a monthly fund. Total return has trailed SPY over the available window. The deepest 1-year drawdown on record here is 11.3%.

Who may consider VGSNX — and who may not

VGSNX may suit someone looking for low-cost broad dividend exposure, a high Distribution Safety Score, moderate current income with a quality tilt. It is a weaker fit for investors who need monthly cash flow (VGSNX pays quarterly); investors hunting double-digit covered-call yields; investors whose main goal is matching SPY total return. This is educational context, not a recommendation to buy or sell.

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Frequently asked questions

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