Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Global Self Storage, Inc. (SELF) vs Public Storage (PSA) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
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Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | SELF | 2.8% revenue growth vs PSA's 2.7% |
| Value | SELF | Lower P/E (26.8x vs 30.5x) |
| Quality / Margins | PSA | 39.5% net margin vs SELF's 14.1% |
| Stability / Safety | SELF | Beta 0.06 vs PSA's 0.45, lower leverage |
| Dividends | SELF | 5.7% yield; 3-year raise streak; PSA pays no meaningful dividend |
| Momentum (1Y) | PSA | +5.1% vs SELF's +3.1% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | PSA | 9.4% ROA vs SELF's 2.8%, ROIC 13.5% vs 3.8% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
Global Self Storage is a real estate investment trust that owns and operates self-storage facilities across multiple U.S. states. It generates revenue primarily through rental income from storage units—with a mix of residential and commercial customers—and property management fees from its owned and third-party facilities. The company's moat lies in its strategic locations in secondary markets with limited competition and its operational expertise in maximizing occupancy rates and rental yields.
Public Storage is a real estate investment trust that owns and operates self-storage facilities across the United States and Europe. It generates revenue primarily through rental income from storage units — with additional income from tenant insurance, truck rentals, and property management services — making it one of the largest self-storage operators globally. The company's competitive advantage lies in its massive scale, prime locations, and strong brand recognition that creates pricing power and operational efficiency.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
PSA leads in 3 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency). SELF leads in 2 (Valuation Metrics, Analyst Outlook). 1 tied.
Financial Metrics (TTM)
PSA is the larger business by revenue, generating $4.8B annually — 375.8x SELF's $13M. PSA is the more profitable business, keeping 39.5% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to SELF's 14.1%.
| Metric | SELFGlobal Self Stora… | PSAPublic Storage |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $13M | $4.8B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $5M | $3.7B |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | $2M | $1.9B |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $5M | $3.1B |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +62.2% | +73.0% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | +24.2% | +53.0% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | +14.1% | +39.5% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | +36.1% | +65.2% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +0.8% | +3.1% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -60.0% | +21.3% |
Valuation Metrics
At 26.8x trailing earnings, SELF trades at a 21% valuation discount to PSA's 34.1x P/E. On an enterprise value basis, PSA's 14.0x EV/EBITDA is more attractive than SELF's 14.8x.
| Metric | SELFGlobal Self Stora… | PSAPublic Storage |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $58M | $53.9B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $67M | $63.8B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | 26.84x | 34.08x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | 30.53x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | — | 4.57x |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | 14.79x | 14.00x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 4.61x | 11.17x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 1.20x | 5.78x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | 13.60x | 16.91x |
Profitability & Efficiency
PSA delivers a 20.1% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $20 in annual profit, vs $4 for SELF. SELF carries lower financial leverage with a 0.34x debt-to-equity ratio, signaling a more conservative balance sheet compared to PSA's 1.10x. On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), SELF scores 6/9 vs PSA's 5/9, reflecting solid financial health.
| Metric | SELFGlobal Self Stora… | PSAPublic Storage |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | +3.8% | +20.1% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | +2.8% | +9.4% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | +3.8% | +13.5% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | +4.5% | +17.1% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 6 | 5 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | 0.34x | 1.10x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | $9M | $9.9B |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $7M | $318M |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $16M | $10.3B |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | 3.29x | 11.19x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in PSA five years ago would be worth $16,046 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $14,520 for SELF. Over the past 12 months, PSA leads with a +5.1% total return vs SELF's +3.1%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors PSA at 4.7% vs SELF's 1.9% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | SELFGlobal Self Stora… | PSAPublic Storage |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | 0.0% | +18.8% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +3.1% | +5.1% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +5.7% | +14.8% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +45.2% | +60.5% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +100.6% | +64.9% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +1.9% | +4.7% |
Risk & Volatility
SELF is the less volatile stock with a 0.06 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than PSA's 0.45 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. PSA currently trades 95.2% from its 52-week high vs SELF's 86.6% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | SELFGlobal Self Stora… | PSAPublic Storage |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.06x | 0.45x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $5.89 | $322.49 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $4.73 | $256.54 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +86.6% | +95.2% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 48.3 | 64.2 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 34K | 959K |
Analyst Outlook
SELF is the only dividend payer here at 5.73% yield — a key consideration for income-focused portfolios.
| Metric | SELFGlobal Self Stora… | PSAPublic Storage |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | — | Hold |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | — | $301.22 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | — | 36 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | +5.7% | — |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 3 | 0 |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | $0.29 | — |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Mar 20 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Self Storage… (SELF) | 100 | 120.57 | +20.6% |
| Public Storage (PSA) | 100 | 123.97 | +24.0% |
Public Storage (PSA) returned +60% over 5 years vs Global Self Storage… (SELF)'s +45%. A $10,000 investment in PSA 5 years ago would be worth $16,046 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Self Storage… (SELF) | $5M | $13M | +151.8% |
| Public Storage (PSA) | $2.6B | $4.8B | +88.4% |
Public Storage's revenue grew from $2.6B (2016) to $4.8B (2025) — a 7.3% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Self Storage… (SELF) | 7.7% | 16.9% | +119.6% |
| Public Storage (PSA) | 56.8% | 37.3% | -34.4% |
Public Storage's net margin went from 57% (2016) to 37% (2025).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 9 Years
| Stock | 2017 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Self Storage… (SELF) | 48.3 | 28.1 | -41.8% |
| Public Storage (PSA) | 31.1 | 28.8 | -7.4% |
Global Self Storage, Inc. has traded in a 17x–136x P/E range over 6 years; current trailing P/E is ~27x. Public Storage has traded in a 12x–38x P/E range over 9 years; current trailing P/E is ~34x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Self Storage… (SELF) | 0.05 | 0.19 | +280.0% |
| Public Storage (PSA) | 6.81 | 9.01 | +32.3% |
Public Storage's EPS grew from $6.81 (2016) to $9.01 (2025) — a 3% CAGR.
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Global Self Storage, Inc. generated $4M FCF in 2024 (+25% vs 2021). Public Storage generated $3B FCF in 2025 (+40% vs 2021).
SELF vs PSA: Frequently Asked Questions
8 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is SELF or PSA a better buy right now?
Global Self Storage, Inc. (SELF) offers the better valuation at 26.8x trailing P/E, making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Public Storage (PSA) a "Hold" — based on 36 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.
02Which has the better valuation — SELF or PSA?
On trailing P/E, Global Self Storage, Inc. (SELF) is the cheapest at 26.8x versus Public Storage at 34.1x.
03Which is the better long-term investment — SELF or PSA?
Over the past 5 years, Public Storage (PSA) delivered a total return of +60.5%, compared to +45.2% for Global Self Storage, Inc. (SELF). A $10,000 investment in PSA five years ago would be worth approximately $16K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: SELF returned +100.6% versus PSA's +64.9%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
04Which is safer — SELF or PSA?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Global Self Storage, Inc. (SELF) is the lower-risk stock at 0.06β versus Public Storage's 0.45β — meaning PSA is approximately 636% more volatile than SELF relative to the S&P 500. On balance sheet safety, Global Self Storage, Inc. (SELF) carries a lower debt/equity ratio of 34% versus 110% for Public Storage — giving it more financial flexibility in a downturn.
05Which has better profit margins — SELF or PSA?
Public Storage (PSA) is the more profitable company, earning 37.3% net margin versus 16.9% for Global Self Storage, Inc. — meaning it keeps 37.3% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: PSA leads at 70.6% versus 23.1% for SELF. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — PSA leads at 72.8%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
06Which pays a better dividend — SELF or PSA?
In this comparison, SELF (5.7% yield) pays a dividend. PSA does not pay a meaningful dividend and should not be held primarily for income.
07Is SELF or PSA better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Global Self Storage, Inc. (SELF) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.06), 5.7% yield, +100.6% 10Y return). Both have compounded well over 10 years (SELF: +100.6%, PSA: +64.9%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
08What are the main differences between SELF and PSA?
Both stocks operate in the Real Estate sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. In terms of investment character: SELF is a small-cap income-oriented stock; PSA is a mid-cap quality compounder stock. SELF pays a dividend while PSA does not, making them suitable for different income and tax situations. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
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