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Is Public Storage Stock a Smart Buy Before Q1 Earnings Release?

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Key Takeaways

  • Public Storage is set to report Q1 2026 results on April 27, with higher revenues and core FFO expected.
  • PSA growth is driven by acquisitions, digital tools and resilient self-storage demand trends.
  • Public Storage faces pressure from lower move-in rents, though occupancy and trends offer support.

Public Storage (PSA - Free Report) is slated to release first-quarter 2026 results on April 27, after market close. The quarterly results are expected to reflect an increase in revenues and core funds from operations (FFO) per share.

In the last reported quarter, this self-storage real estate investment trust (REIT) reported a core FFO per share of $4.26, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $4.21. Results were backed by stable same-store operations and incremental contributions from non-same-store properties.

Over the last four quarters, Public Storage surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate on all occasions, the average surprise being 1.38%. The graph below depicts the surprise history of the company:

Public Storage Price and EPS Surprise

Public Storage Price and EPS Surprise

Public Storage price-eps-surprise | Public Storage Quote

Factors at Play and Projections for PSA’s Q1 Results

Public Storage is expected to have benefited from its strong brand, scale and growing digital ecosystem, which continues to enhance customer engagement and operational efficiency. Its data-driven platform and AI-enabled tools are likely to have supported revenues and margins.

The self-storage sector remains resilient and need-based, with demand aided by rising adoption and slowing new supply. Public Storage’s acquisitions, development and expansion efforts, along with strong non-same-store NOI growth, are expected to have contributed to overall performance.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for first-quarter revenues from self-storage facilities stands at $1.12 billion. This suggests an increase from the $1.10 billion witnessed in the year-ago period. The consensus mark for quarterly revenues from ancillary operations stands at $85.7 million, up from the $80.2 million registered in the comparable period last year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for quarterly revenues is pegged at $1.21 billion. This indicates a 1.9% year-over-year increase.

However, same-store performance seems to have been under pressure due to lower move-in rents, though improving trends compared with late 2025 and stable occupancy levels have provided some cushion.

PSA’s activities during the quarter under review were not adequate to gain analysts’ confidence. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the first-quarter core FFO per share has been revised southward marginally to $4.13 over the past week. It indicates a marginal increase year over year.

Here Is What Our Quantitative Model Predicts for PSA:

Our proven model does not conclusively predict a surprise in terms of FFO per share for Public Storage this season. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an FFO beat, which is not the case here.

Public Storage currently carries a Zacks Rank of 3 and has an Earnings ESP of -1.41%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Stocks That Warrant a Look

Here are two stocks from the broader REIT sector — BXP, Inc. (BXP - Free Report) and Cousins Properties (CUZ - Free Report) — you may want to consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to report a surprise this quarter.

BXP, scheduled to report quarterly numbers on April 28, has an Earnings ESP of +0.17% and carries a Zacks Rank of 3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Cousins Properties, slated to release quarterly numbers on April 29, has an Earnings ESP of +0.94% and carries a Zacks Rank of 3 at present.

Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO), a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.

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