CCI vs. CUBE: Crown Castle vs. CubeSmart Stock Comparison
How do Crown Castle (CCI) and CubeSmart (CUBE) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.
Company Profile
Crown Castle (CCI) and CubeSmart (CUBE) both belong to the Specialized REITs industry, though CCI is classified under Telecom Tower REITs while CUBE falls under Self-Storage REITs.
Both Crown Castle (CCI) and CubeSmart (CUBE) are REITs — read their payout ratios and P/E alongside FFO (funds from operations) rather than at face value.
| Profile Item | CCI | CUBE |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Crown Castle Inc. | CubeSmart |
| Country/Region | United States | United States |
| GICS Sector | Real Estate | Real Estate |
| GICS Industry Group | Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) | Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) |
| GICS Industry | Specialized REITs | Specialized REITs |
| GICS Sub-Industry | Telecom Tower REITs | Self-Storage REITs |
| Market Capitalization | 37.70 billion USD | 10.10 billion USD |
| Currency | USD | USD |
| Exchange | NYSE | NYSE |
| Listing Date | August 18, 1998 | October 22, 2004 |
| Security Type | REIT | REIT |
Price Performance
Cumulative Growth
Trailing Returns
Calendar-Year Returns
Performance Metrics
| Metric | CCI | CUBE |
|---|---|---|
| Total Return (1Y) | 3.98% | 28.16% |
| Total Return (3Y, Annualized) | 2.86% | 12.98% |
| Total Return (5Y, Annualized) | -8.91% | 1.18% |
Risk Profile
Drawdown History
Return Distribution
Risk Metrics
| Metric | CCI | CUBE |
|---|---|---|
| Volatility (1Y, Annualized) | 35.72% | 22.12% |
| Beta (5Y) | 0.88 | 0.95 |
| Max Drawdown (5Y) | -59.72% | -36.93% |
| Avg. Volume (3M) | 4.10M | 2.33M |
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Risk-Return Positioning
Risk-Adjusted Metrics
| Metric | CCI | CUBE |
|---|---|---|
| Sharpe Ratio (1Y) | -0.01 | 1.08 |
| Sortino Ratio (1Y) | -0.01 | 1.71 |
Profitability
ROE (TTM)
Capital efficiency shows on one side only: CubeSmart (CUBE) earns 12.78% on shareholders’ equity, ranked against its industry; Crown Castle (CCI) has no ROE this period.
CCI
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
--
- Max
- 22.74%
- Q3
- 10.54%
- Median
- 6.38%
- Q1
- 1.69%
- Min
- -10.86%
- CCI
- --
CUBE
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
12.78%
- Max
- 22.74%
- CUBE
- 12.78%
- Q3
- 10.54%
- Median
- 6.38%
- Q1
- 1.69%
- Min
- -10.86%
Net Margin (TTM)
Neither Crown Castle (CCI) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) nor CubeSmart (CUBE) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) is well served by net margin: heavy depreciation makes net income a poor profitability proxy in their businesses, where FFO-based measures are the standard read.
Operating Margin (TTM)
Neither side reports a meaningful operating margin: for Crown Castle (CCI) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and CubeSmart (CUBE) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), funding costs are part of the core business, so net margin and ROE are the cleaner profitability reads.
Profitability Metrics
| Metric | CCI | CUBE |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM) | -- | 12.78% |
| ROA (TTM) | 4.69% | 4.42% |
| Net Margin (TTM) | -- | -- |
| Operating Margin (TTM) | -- | -- |
| Gross Margin (TTM) | -- | -- |
Growth
Revenue Growth
CubeSmart (CUBE) at 5.33% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Crown Castle (CCI) at -4.39% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.
EPS Growth
EPS growth isn't a meaningful figure for either Crown Castle (CCI) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) or CubeSmart (CUBE) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) under our convention.
Growth Metrics
| Metric | CCI | CUBE |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (YoY) | -4.39% | 5.33% |
| Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR) | -15.17% | 3.61% |
| EPS Growth (YoY) | -- | -- |
| EPS Growth (3Y CAGR) | -- | -- |
Financial Strength
Current Ratio (MRQ)
Both Crown Castle (CCI) at 0.23 and CubeSmart (CUBE) at 0.17 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.
CCI
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
0.23
- Max
- 4.19
- Q3
- 2.11
- Median
- 1.31
- Q1
- 0.62
- CCI
- 0.23
- Min
- 0.06
CUBE
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
0.17
- Max
- 4.19
- Q3
- 2.11
- Median
- 1.31
- Q1
- 0.62
- CUBE
- 0.17
- Min
- 0.06
Debt / Equity (MRQ)
Only one side’s leverage can be read here: CubeSmart (CUBE) carries debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42 against its industry range, while Crown Castle (CCI) reports no figure this period.
CCI
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
--
- Max
- 2.72
- Q3
- 1.59
- Median
- 0.99
- Q1
- 0.72
- Min
- 0.20
- CCI
- --
CUBE
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
1.42
- Max
- 2.72
- Q3
- 1.59
- CUBE
- 1.42
- Median
- 0.99
- Q1
- 0.72
- Min
- 0.20
Financial Strength Metrics
| Metric | CCI | CUBE |
|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio (MRQ) | 0.23 | 0.17 |
| Debt / Equity (MRQ) | -- | 1.42 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 8.61 | 5.06 |
Dividends
Dividend Yield (TTM)
Both Crown Castle (CCI) at 4.67% and CubeSmart (CUBE) at 4.67% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.
CCI
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
4.67%
- Max
- 8.62%
- Q3
- 5.95%
- CCI
- 4.67%
- Median
- 4.34%
- Q1
- 3.26%
- Min
- 0.00%
CUBE
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
4.67%
- Max
- 8.62%
- Q3
- 5.95%
- CUBE
- 4.67%
- Median
- 4.34%
- Q1
- 3.26%
- Min
- 0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)
An earnings-based payout ratio fits neither Crown Castle (CCI) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) nor CubeSmart (CUBE) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs): their distributions are mandated and conventionally measured against FFO, so the accounting-earnings ratio overstates both.
Dividend Metrics
| Metric | CCI | CUBE |
|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield (TTM) | 4.67% | 4.67% |
| Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM) | -- | -- |
Valuation
P/E Ratio (TTM)
P/E ratio is not a meaningful valuation yardstick for either Crown Castle (CCI) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) or CubeSmart (CUBE) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs): depreciation suppresses reported earnings in their businesses, and price-to-FFO is the conventional yardstick instead.
P/S Ratio (TTM)
Both Crown Castle (CCI) at 9.23 and CubeSmart (CUBE) at 8.80 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.
CCI
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
9.23
- Max
- 14.47
- CCI
- 9.23
- Q3
- 8.02
- Median
- 5.98
- Q1
- 3.27
- Min
- 0.43
CUBE
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
8.80
- Max
- 14.47
- CUBE
- 8.80
- Q3
- 8.02
- Median
- 5.98
- Q1
- 3.27
- Min
- 0.43
P/B Ratio (MRQ)
Crown Castle (CCI) reports a negative P/B ratio of -11.02, meaning negative book equity — the multiple itself is not meaningful for valuation. Meanwhile CubeSmart (CUBE) reports 4.06, ranking against industry peers normally.
CCI
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
-11.02
- Max
- 4.06
- Q3
- 2.53
- Median
- 1.64
- Q1
- 1.06
- Min
- 0.21
- CCI
- -11.02
CUBE
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) industry group
4.06
- CUBE
- 4.06
- Max
- 4.06
- Q3
- 2.53
- Median
- 1.64
- Q1
- 1.06
- Min
- 0.21
Valuation Metrics
| Metric | CCI | CUBE |
|---|---|---|
| P/E Ratio (TTM) | -- | -- |
| P/S Ratio (TTM) | 9.23 | 8.80 |
| P/B Ratio (MRQ) | -11.02 | 4.06 |
| Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM) | -- | -- |