The real estate sector includes companies that own, develop, and manage residential, commercial, and industrial properties. Each of these three real estate segments includes publicly traded real estate investment trusts (REITs). REITs are vehicles that legally allow individual investors to buy shares in real estate portfolios that receive income from a variety of properties. REITs’ key metric is funds from operations (FFO), a measure of earnings particular to the industry. Some big names within the sector include American Tower Corp. (AMT), Prologis Inc. (PLD), and Digital Realty Trust Inc. (DLR). Real estate stocks, as represented by the Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLRE), have underperformed the broader market with a total return of -5.8% compared to the S&P 500’s total return of 8.7% over the past 12 months.1 These market performance numbers and the statistics in the tables below are as of May 26. Here are the top 3 real estate stocks with the best value, the fastest earnings growth, and the most momentum. Best Value Real Estate Stocks: These are the real estate stocks with the lowest 12-month trailing price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio. Because profits can be returned to shareholders in the form of dividends and buybacks, a low P/E ratio shows you’re paying less for each dollar of profit generated. Click to read more at www.investopedia.com.