CUBE vs. DLR: CubeSmart vs. Digital Realty Trust Stock Comparison

Company Profile

CubeSmart (CUBE) and Digital Realty Trust (DLR) both belong to the Specialized REITs industry, though CUBE is classified under Self-Storage REITs while DLR falls under Data Center REITs.

Both CubeSmart (CUBE) and Digital Realty Trust (DLR) are REITs — read their payout ratios and P/E alongside FFO (funds from operations) rather than at face value.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

CubeSmart (CUBE) at 12.78% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Digital Realty Trust (DLR) at 3.34% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for CUBE.

Neither CubeSmart (CUBE) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) nor Digital Realty Trust (DLR) 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.

Neither side reports a meaningful operating margin: for CubeSmart (CUBE) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Digital Realty Trust (DLR) 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

Growth

Digital Realty Trust (DLR) at 10.04% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while CubeSmart (CUBE) at 5.33% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for DLR.

EPS growth isn't a meaningful figure for either CubeSmart (CUBE) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) or Digital Realty Trust (DLR) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) under our convention.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Both CubeSmart (CUBE) at 0.17 and Digital Realty Trust (DLR) at 0.58 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

Digital Realty Trust (DLR) at 0.69 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while CubeSmart (CUBE) at 1.42 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

CubeSmart (CUBE) at 4.67% pays a yield in its industry’s typical range, while Digital Realty Trust (DLR) at 2.79% falls in the bottom quartile of its peers.

An earnings-based payout ratio fits neither CubeSmart (CUBE) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) nor Digital Realty Trust (DLR) 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

Valuation

P/E ratio is not a meaningful valuation yardstick for either CubeSmart (CUBE) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) or Digital Realty Trust (DLR) in Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs): depreciation suppresses reported earnings in their businesses, and price-to-FFO is the conventional yardstick instead.

Both CubeSmart (CUBE) at 8.80 and Digital Realty Trust (DLR) at 9.47 command a richer price per dollar of sales than most peers, sitting in the upper P/S ratio quartile of their industries.

Digital Realty Trust (DLR) at 2.39 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while CubeSmart (CUBE) at 4.06 carries an above-peer premium to book — CUBE is pricier on assets.

Valuation Metrics