Public Storage Inc. (PSA) Annual Valuation – 2014

REITs often attract a great deal of investors because of their strong cash flows and dividends, and those investors often overlook other parts of the business, choosing to analyze the company under a different set of criteria than companies in other sectors.  This can create a problem in that it becomes difficult to compare a REIT to an industrial, which is fine if you use the typical top-down approach to stock selection; however, a top-down approach invites speculation in the fact that you are theorizing which sector will perform well going forward.  Benjamin Graham taught that we should avoid speculation as much as possible, which is why it is critical to develop a system for analyzing companies that will allow them to be compared across industries.  This is best done by utilizing a systematic approach to analysis that will provide investors with a sense of how a specific company compares to another investment opportunity.  By using the ModernGraham method one can review a company’s historical accomplishments and determine an intrinsic value that can be compared across industries.  What follows is a specific look at how Public Storage fares in the ModernGraham valuation model.

Company Profile (obtained from Google Finance): Public Storage (the Trust) is a real estate investment trust (REIT). As of December 31, 2012, the Trust’s principal business activities included: Domestic Self-Storage, European Self-Storage and Commercial. The Trust acquires, develops, owns, and operates self-storage facilities which offer storage spaces for lease, on a month-to-month basis, for personal and business use. It is a owner and operator of self-storage facilities in the United States. It has direct and indirect equity interests in 2,078 self-storage facilities (132 million net rentable square feet of space) located in 38 states within the United States operating under the Public Storage brand name. The Trust has a 49% equity interest in Shurgard Europe, with an institutional investor owning the remaining 51% interest. It has a 41% equity interest in PS Business Parks, Inc. (PSB), which owns and operates 28.3 million net rentable square feet of commercial space.

PSA data by YCharts

Defensive Investor – must pass at least 6 of the following 7 tests: Score = 4/7

1. Adequate Size of Enterprise – market capitalization of at least $2 billion – PASS
2. Sufficiently Strong Financial Condition – current ratio greater than 2 – FAIL
3. Earnings Stability – positive earnings per share for at least 10 straight years – PASS
4. Dividend Record – has paid a dividend for at least 10 straight years – PASS
5. Earnings Growth – earnings per share has increased by at least 1/3 over the last 10 years using 3 year averages at beginning and end of period – PASS
6. Moderate PEmg ratio – PEmg is less than 20 – FAIL
7. Moderate Price to Assets – PB ratio is less than 2.5 or PB x PEmg is less than 50 – FAIL

Enterprising Investor – must pass at least 4 of the following 5 tests or be suitable for a defensive investor: Score = 3/5

1. Sufficiently Strong Financial Condition, Part 1 – current ratio greater than 1.5 – FAIL
2. Sufficiently Strong Financial Condition, Part 2 – Debt to Net Current Assets ratio less than 1.1 – FAIL
3. Earnings Stability – positive earnings per share for at least 5 years – PASS
4. Dividend Record – currently pays a dividend – PASS
5. Earnings growth – EPSmg greater than 5 years ago – PASS

Valuation Summary

Key Data:

Recent Price	$168.36
MG Value	$82.04
MG Opinion	Overvalued
Value Based on 3% Growth	$55.83
Value Based on 0% Growth	$32.73
Market Implied Growth Rate	17.61%
Net Current Asset Value (NCAV)	-$6.20
PEmg	43.73
Current Ratio	0.09
PB Ratio	3.29

Balance Sheet – 12/31/2013

Current Assets	$19,200,000
Current Liabilities	$218,400,000
Total Debt	$839,100,000
Total Assets	$9,876,300,000
Intangible Assets	$246,900,000
Total Liabilities	$1,084,500,000
Outstanding Shares	171,780,000

Earnings Per Share

2013	$4.89
2012	$3.83
2011	$3.28
2010	$2.31
2009	$3.52
2008	$4.20
2007	$1.17
2006	$0.32
2005	$1.92
2004	$1.39
2003	$1.27

Earnings Per Share – ModernGraham

2013	$3.85
2012	$3.36
2011	$3.05
2010	$2.73
2009	$2.70
2008	$2.12

Dividend History

PSA Dividend data by YCharts

Conclusion:

Public Storage does not qualify for either the Defensive Investor or the Enterprising Investor.  For the Defensive Investor, the turn offs are the low current ratio and the high PEmg and PB ratios.  For the Enterprising Investor, the issue is the high level of debt relative to the current assets.  As a result, value investors seeking to follow the ModernGraham approach based on Benjamin Graham’s methods should explore opportunities through a review of 5 Undervalued Companies for the Defensive Investor or 5 Low PEmg Companies for the Enterprising Investor.  From a valuation perspective, the company appears to be overvalued after only growing its EPSmg (normalized earnings) from $2.70 in 2009 to $3.85 for 2013.  This demonstrated level of growth does not support the market’s implied estimate of 17.61% earnings growth, and leads the ModernGraham valuation model to return an estimate of intrinsic value that falls well below the price.

The next part of the analysis is up to individual investors, and requires discussion of the company’s prospects.  What do you think?  What value would you put on Public Storage Inc. (PSA)?  Where do you see the company going in the future?  Is there a company you like better?  Leave a comment on our Facebook page or mention @ModernGraham on Twitter to discuss.

If you like our valuations, why not check out ModernGraham Stocks & Screens?  It’s a great way to review the valuations while screening for things like low PE ratio, undervalued companies, etc.!

Disclaimer:  The author did not hold a position in Public Storage Inc. (PSA) or any of the other companies listed in this article at the time of publication and had no intention of changing that position within the next 72 hours.

Logo taken from the Wikipedia; this article is not affiliated with the company in any manner.