--- title: REITS are Now the 11th Sector in the S&P 500 - Burney Investment Management description: Freshly carved out of the Financial sector, REITs are the newest Sector in the S&P 500. Sectors – like Financials, Information Technology and Consumer Staples – are the broadest classification of stocks with industry groups and sub-industries further demarcation points. The weighting of financial stocks in the S&P 500 fell by a fifth and REITs ... --- [Skip to content](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/reits-are-now-the-11th-sector-in-the-s-p-500#main-content) [![Burney Investment Management](https://burneyinvest.com/hs-fs/hubfs/theme/Burney_Invest_Color_Horizontal_%232b.png?width=300&height=110&name=Burney_Invest_Color_Horizontal_%232b.png "Burney Investment Management")](https://burneyinvest.com/) - About - [Company Overview](https://burneyinvest.com/about) - [Burney Difference](https://burneyinvest.com/the-burney-difference) - Strategies - [Size & Style Responsive](https://burneyinvest.com/strategies/size-style-responsive-ssr/) - [The Burney Master Portfolio](https://burneyinvest.com/strategies/the-burney-master-portfolio/) - [Personalized Portfolios](https://burneyinvest.com/strategies/personalized-portfolios/) - [Stock Selection](https://burneyinvest.com/strategies/stock-selection/) - [Team](https://burneyinvest.com/team) - [Resources](https://burneyinvest.com/blog) - [Get In Touch](https://burneyinvest.com/contact) 9.7.2016 # REITS are Now the 11th Sector in the S&P 500 [Andy Pratt, CFA](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/author/andy-pratt-cfa) ![](https://20453469.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/20453469/Theme/dots_y4.svg) ##### Popular Posts [How to Read VIX and VIX Term Structure](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/how-to-read-vix-and-vix-term-spread) [What Happened in the Stock Market Yesterday?](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/what-happened-in-the-stock-market-yesterday) [Performance Matters - 7 Steps Toward More Effective Investing](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/performance-matters-7-steps-toward-more-effective-investing) Freshly carved out of the Financial sector, [REITs are the newest Sector in the S&P 500](http://www.marketwatch.com/story/stock-markets-new-real-estate-sector-gives-reits-a-home-2016-05-11). Sectors – like Financials, Information Technology and Consumer Staples – are the broadest classification of stocks with industry groups and sub-industries further demarcation points. The weighting of financial stocks in the S&P 500 fell by a fifth and REITs now comprise 3.1% of the index giving them a higher weight than materials, telecoms and utilities. REITs were previously grouped with financials because they shared some qualities with financial stocks. Both Financials and REITs, for instance, have been more volatile than the S&P 500 as a whole with standard deviation of 7% compared to the index’s standard deviation of 4%. But while mortgage REITs will continue to be classified as financial companies, the pairing with equity REITs made less sense as the correlation between eREITs and financial companies is less than the correlation between financials and the rest of the S&P 500. ![REIT_Correlation](https://burneyinvest.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/REIT_Correlation.png?width=624&height=50&name=REIT_Correlation.png) In fact, REITs have buoyed the performance of Financial stocks with higher price returns and nearly double the dividend payout the last 10 years. ![REIT_Return_and_Risk](https://burneyinvest.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/REIT_Return_and_Risk.png?width=624&height=81&name=REIT_Return_and_Risk.png) Impending rate hikes by the Fed are a concern for REITs but equity REITs hold commercial properties such as shopping malls and data centers. These firms have been taking advantage of low borrowing costs but increasing rates [typically happen in conjunction with a growing economy that offsets the negative impact on them](https://www.burney.com/blog/stocks-perform-well-following-rate-hikes/). Many investors have ignored REITs for years, thinking of them as an alternative security, but the high payout feature and low correlation with the rest of the S&P 500 make REITs an attractive sector for investors demanding income and diversification. --- *The Burney Company is an SEC-registered investment adviser. Burney Wealth Management is a division of the Burney Company. Registration with the SEC or any state securities authority does not imply that Burney Company or any of its principals or employees possesses a particular level of skill or training in the investment advisory business or any other business. Burney Company does not provide legal, tax, or accounting advice, but offers it through third parties. Before making any financial decisions, clients should consult their legal and/or tax advisors.* ## Articles you may enjoy 12.06.17 #### [November Size and Style Update](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/november-size-and-style-update) [![](https://20453469.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/20453469/Theme/circle_right.svg)](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/november-size-and-style-update) 09.08.16 #### [August Market Commentary](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/august-market-commentary) [![](https://20453469.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/20453469/Theme/circle_right.svg)](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/august-market-commentary) 07.11.16 #### [Are Index Trends Signaling a Change in the Market?](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/equal-vs-market-cap-weighted-indexes) [![](https://20453469.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/20453469/Theme/circle_right.svg)](https://burneyinvest.com/blog/equal-vs-market-cap-weighted-indexes) ![](https://burneyinvest.com/hubfs/theme/burney-invest-logo-white-1-1.png) - [Size & Style Responsive](https://burneyinvest.com/strategies/size-style-responsive-ssr/) - [Burney Master Portfolio](https://burneyinvest.com/strategies/the-burney-master-portfolio/) - [Personalized Portfolios](https://burneyinvest.com/strategies/personalized-portfolios/) - [Stock Selection](https://burneyinvest.com/strategies/stock-selection/) - [About](https://burneyinvest.com/about) - [Team](https://burneyinvest.com/team) - [Resources](https://burneyinvest.com/blog) - [Contact](https://burneyinvest.com/contact) **Headquarters** 1800 Alexander Bell Dr. STE 510 Reston, VA 20191 Advisory services are offered through the Burney Company, an investment advisor registered with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. SEC registration does not constitute an endorsement of the firm by the Commission nor does it indicate that the advisor has attained a particular level of skill or ability. © 2026 Burney Wealth Management | [Research](https://burneyinvest.com/research) | [Privacy Statement](https://burneyinvest.com/privacy-policy) | [Terms & Conditions](https://burneyinvest.com/terms-and-conditions) | [Disclosures](https://burneyinvest.com/disclosures) | [ADV](https://44214779.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/44214779/Burney%20Company%20ADV%20Part%202A%20IM%2026%20REV.pdf) | [Form CRS (ADV Part 3)](https://44214779.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/44214779/Burney%20Company%20Form%20CRS_March%202026.pdf) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Andy Pratt, CFA", "url" : "https://burneyinvest.com/blog/author/andy-pratt-cfa" }, "dateModified" : "2024-04-03T00:54:10.684Z", "datePublished" : "2016-09-07T20:31:28.000Z", "headline" : "REITS are Now the 11th Sector in the S&P 500 - Burney Investment Management", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://burneyinvest.com/blog/reits-are-now-the-11th-sector-in-the-s-p-500", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://burneyinvest.com/hubfs/theme/Burney_Invest_Color_Horizontal_%232b.png" } } } ```