Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare SITE Centers Corp. (SITC) vs Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (PECO) 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 | PECO | 8.4% revenue growth vs SITC's -62.7% |
| Value | SITC | Lower P/E (1.8x vs 56.4x) |
| Quality / Margins | SITC | 72.1% net margin vs PECO's 9.9% |
| Stability / Safety | PECO | Beta 0.40 vs SITC's 0.84 |
| Dividends | SITC | 100.0% yield, 4-year raise streak, vs PECO's 2.5% |
| Momentum (1Y) | SITC | +15.3% vs PECO's +9.0% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | SITC | 5.8% ROA vs PECO's 1.6%, ROIC 27.2% vs 6.7% |
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
SITE Centers is a real estate investment trust that owns and manages open-air shopping centers across the United States. It generates revenue primarily through leasing retail space to tenants—collecting rent from national and regional retailers—with additional income from property management services. The company's competitive advantage lies in its portfolio of well-located, grocery-anchored shopping centers that serve as essential retail destinations in their communities.
Phillips Edison & Company is a real estate investment trust that owns and operates grocery-anchored neighborhood shopping centers across the United States. It makes money primarily through collecting rent from retail tenants — with grocery stores serving as anchor tenants that drive consistent foot traffic — and through property management fees. The company's competitive advantage lies in its specialized focus on necessity-based retail properties in strong markets and its vertically-integrated operating platform that allows for efficient portfolio management.
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
PECO leads in 3 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Total Returns). SITC leads in 3 (Valuation Metrics, Profitability & Efficiency).
Financial Metrics (TTM)
PECO is the larger business by revenue, generating $824M annually — 15.8x SITC's $52M. SITC is the more profitable business, keeping 72.1% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to PECO's 9.9%. On growth, PECO holds the edge at +77.9% YoY revenue growth, suggesting stronger near-term business momentum.
| Metric | SITCSITE Centers Corp. | PECOPhillips Edison &… |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $52M | $824M |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $17M | $643M |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | $38M | $82M |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | -$11M | $201M |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +48.2% | +75.1% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | -62.6% | +47.6% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | +72.1% | +9.9% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | -21.9% | +24.4% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -70.1% | +77.9% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | -102.1% | +135.6% |
Valuation Metrics
At 1.8x trailing earnings, SITC trades at a 98% valuation discount to PECO's 77.0x P/E. On an enterprise value basis, SITC's 0.9x EV/EBITDA is more attractive than PECO's 10.6x.
| Metric | SITCSITE Centers Corp. | PECOPhillips Edison &… |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $323M | $4.9B |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $204M | $7.0B |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | 1.82x | 77.02x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | 56.44x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | 0.05x | — |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | 0.92x | 10.61x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 3.12x | 7.47x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | 0.96x | 2.04x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | 16.48x | 20.61x |
Profitability & Efficiency
SITC delivers a 12.2% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $12 in annual profit, vs $3 for PECO. On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), PECO scores 7/9 vs SITC's 5/9, reflecting strong financial health.
| Metric | SITCSITE Centers Corp. | PECOPhillips Edison &… |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | +12.2% | +3.2% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | +5.8% | +1.6% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | +27.2% | +6.7% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | +30.7% | +9.1% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 5 | 7 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | — | 0.80x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | -$119M | $2.1B |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $119M | $5M |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $0 | $2.1B |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | — | 4.45x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in PECO five years ago would be worth $77,580 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $3,578 for SITC. Over the past 12 months, SITC leads with a +15.3% total return vs PECO's +9.0%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors PECO at 8.0% vs SITC's -30.7% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | SITCSITE Centers Corp. | PECOPhillips Edison &… |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | -3.8% | +12.0% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +15.3% | +9.0% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -66.7% | +25.8% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -64.2% | +675.8% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | -74.4% | +675.8% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | -30.7% | +8.0% |
Risk & Volatility
PECO is the less volatile stock with a 0.40 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than SITC's 0.84 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. PECO currently trades 98.1% from its 52-week high vs SITC's 43.3% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | SITCSITE Centers Corp. | PECOPhillips Edison &… |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.84x | 0.40x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $14.24 | $40.06 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $5.96 | $32.40 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +43.3% | +98.1% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 66.7 | 73.7 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 740K | 771K |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates SITC as "Hold" and PECO as "Hold". Consensus price targets imply 29.9% upside for SITC (target: $8) vs 0.3% for PECO (target: $39). For income investors, SITC offers the higher dividend yield at 100.00% vs PECO's 2.49%.
| Metric | SITCSITE Centers Corp. | PECOPhillips Edison &… |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Hold | Hold |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | $8.00 | $39.40 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 31 | 13 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | +100.0% | +2.5% |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 4 | 0 |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | $6.78 | $0.98 |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | +0.0% | 0.0% |
Historical Charts
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Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Mar 21 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| SITE Centers Corp. (SITC) | 100 | 11.34 | -88.7% |
| Phillips Edison & C… (PECO) | 100 | 630.43 | +530.4% |
Phillips Edison & C… (PECO) returned +676% over 5 years vs SITE Centers Corp. (SITC)'s -64%. A $10,000 investment in PECO 5 years ago would be worth $77,580 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| SITE Centers Corp. (SITC) | $970M | $104M | -89.3% |
| Phillips Edison & C… (PECO) | $258M | $661M | +156.6% |
SITE Centers Corp.'s revenue grew from $970M (2016) to $104M (2025) — a -22.0% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| SITE Centers Corp. (SITC) | 6.2% | 171.7% | +2673.8% |
| Phillips Edison & C… (PECO) | 3.5% | 9.5% | +173.5% |
SITE Centers Corp.'s net margin went from 6% (2016) to 172% (2025).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 7 Years
| Stock | 2019 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| SITE Centers Corp. (SITC) | 25.5 | 1.9 | -92.5% |
| Phillips Edison & C… (PECO) | 254.2 | 73.5 | -71.1% |
SITE Centers Corp. has traded in a 2x–55x P/E range over 7 years; current trailing P/E is ~2x. Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. has traded in a 74x–254x P/E range over 4 years; current trailing P/E is ~77x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2016 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| SITE Centers Corp. (SITC) | 1.31 | 3.39 | +158.8% |
| Phillips Edison & C… (PECO) | 0.15 | 0.51 | +240.0% |
SITE Centers Corp.'s EPS grew from $1.31 (2016) to $3.39 (2025) — a 11% CAGR.
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
SITE Centers Corp. generated $20M FCF in 2025 (-93% vs 2021). Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. generated $240M FCF in 2024 (+28% vs 2021).
SITC vs PECO: Frequently Asked Questions
9 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is SITC or PECO a better buy right now?
SITE Centers Corp. (SITC) offers the better valuation at 1.8x trailing P/E, making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate SITE Centers Corp. (SITC) a "Hold" — based on 31 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 — SITC or PECO?
On trailing P/E, SITE Centers Corp. (SITC) is the cheapest at 1.8x versus Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. at 77.0x.
03Which is the better long-term investment — SITC or PECO?
Over the past 5 years, Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (PECO) delivered a total return of +675.8%, compared to -64.2% for SITE Centers Corp. (SITC). A $10,000 investment in PECO five years ago would be worth approximately $78K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: PECO returned +675.8% versus SITC's -74.4%. 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 — SITC or PECO?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (PECO) is the lower-risk stock at 0.40β versus SITE Centers Corp.'s 0.84β — meaning SITC is approximately 111% more volatile than PECO relative to the S&P 500.
05Which has better profit margins — SITC or PECO?
SITE Centers Corp. (SITC) is the more profitable company, earning 171.7% net margin versus 9.5% for Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. — meaning it keeps 171.7% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: SITC leads at 171.7% versus 64.3% for PECO. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — PECO leads at 71.2%, 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.
06Is SITC or PECO more undervalued right now?
Analyst consensus price targets imply the most upside for SITC: 29.9% to $8.00.
07Which pays a better dividend — SITC or PECO?
All stocks in this comparison pay dividends. SITE Centers Corp. (SITC) offers the highest yield at 100.0%, versus 2.5% for Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (PECO).
08Is SITC or PECO better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (PECO) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.40), 2.5% yield, +675.8% 10Y return). Both have compounded well over 10 years (PECO: +675.8%, SITC: -74.4%), 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.
09What are the main differences between SITC and PECO?
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: SITC is a small-cap deep-value stock; PECO is a small-cap quality compounder stock. 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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