Reviewing Global Self Storage (NASDAQ:SELF) & Public Storage (NYSE:PSA)

Public Storage (NYSE:PSA) and Global Self Storage (NASDAQ:SELF) are both real estate companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, profitability and earnings.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Public Storage and Global Self Storage”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Public Storage	$4.82 billion	12.91	$1.78 billion	$9.55	34.91
Global Self Storage	$12.70 million	4.39	$2.04 million	$0.18	27.11

Public Storage has higher revenue and earnings than Global Self Storage. Global Self Storage is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Public Storage, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Public Storage and Global Self Storage, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Public Storage	0	14	7	0	2.33
Global Self Storage	0	1	0	0	2.00

Public Storage presently has a consensus price target of $328.32, suggesting a potential downside of 1.52%. Given Public Storage’s stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Public Storage is more favorable than Global Self Storage.

Risk & Volatility

Public Storage has a beta of 0.89, indicating that its stock price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Global Self Storage has a beta of -0.01, indicating that its stock price is 101% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Public Storage and Global Self Storage’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Public Storage	37.76%	29.93%	8.52%
Global Self Storage	16.00%	4.42%	3.21%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

78.8% of Public Storage shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 28.9% of Global Self Storage shares are held by institutional investors. 11.1% of Public Storage shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 10.7% of Global Self Storage shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Dividends

Public Storage pays an annual dividend of $12.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.6%. Global Self Storage pays an annual dividend of $0.29 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.9%. Public Storage pays out 125.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Global Self Storage pays out 161.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

Summary

Public Storage beats Global Self Storage on 15 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Public Storage

Public Storage is a real estate investment trust that owns and operates self-storage facilities. Its properties offer individuals and businesses rental storage units in a range of sizes for household goods, business inventory, and other belongings. The company also provides related services, including storage protection plans. Founded in 1972, Public Storage has grown into a major self-storage provider in the United States, with facilities serving customers across the country. Its business also has a connection to Europe through its investment in Shurgard Self Storage, which operates self-storage properties in several European markets.

About Global Self Storage

Global Self Storage, Inc. (NASDAQ:SELF) is a real estate investment trust that owns, operates and manages self-storage facilities in the United States. The company provides storage space for residential, commercial and other customers seeking flexible solutions for personal belongings, business inventory, vehicles and related storage needs. Its properties generally offer a range of unit sizes and may include climate-controlled storage, vehicle storage, online rental and payment services, security features and tenant insurance or protection programs.