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Is Extra Space Storage (EXR) the Best Warehouse and Self-Storage Stock to Buy Now?

We recently published a list of 12 Best Warehouse and Self-Storage Stocks to Buy Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Extra Space Storage Inc. (NYSE:EXR) stands against other best warehouse and self-storage stocks to buy now.

A Quick Look at the Warehousing and Storage Market

The warehouse and self-storage sector plays a vital role in the global economy. This sector is expected to see significant growth and transformation in the coming years. According to a report by The Business Research Company, the warehousing and storage market was estimated to have reached a value of $798.45 billion in 2024. The market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.5% during 2025-2029 to reach a value of $1.159 trillion by the end of the forecast period. In 2024, Asia-Pacific was the largest region in the global warehousing and storage industry while North America came in as the second largest region.

This growth is driven by a number of factors including urbanization, growing population, and the rise of e-commerce. There is a rising demand for secure storage solutions as both individuals and businesses downsize their spaces and require additional space for inventory. Warehouses and self-storage facilities are becoming the most feasible solutions for those looking to declutter their homes or store goods for their online businesses.

READ ALSO: 12 Best Land and Timber Stocks to Buy According to Analysts and 12 Best RV and Camping Stocks To Buy Now.

However, according to the 2024 Self-Storage Market Report by Storeganise, public awareness of self-storage services still remains low. Only 43% of the population knows about these services and only 8.7% of the population is actively considering using self-storage solutions. Those who do use self-storage solutions are highly satisfied with the services. Nevertheless, 39% of customers think that the costs are high. These trends highlight an opportunity for self-storage providers to improve their outreach and marketing efforts while also addressing concerns about pricing to attract a wider audience.

Another key trend in the world of warehousing and self-storage is the integration of advanced technologies. As the demand for storage services rises with the growing logistics needs of retailers and manufacturers, companies offering warehousing and self-storage solutions are adopting new and innovative technologies to improve customer experience and operational efficiency. Technological innovations like smart security solutions and automation are helping facilities modernize and improve their services.

With rising urbanization, technological advancements, and a booming e-commerce sector, the warehouse and self-storage market is expected to continue growing in the foreseeable future.

A wide-angle shot of a large warehouse, filled with numerous self-storage units.

Methodology

To compile our list of the 12 best warehouse and self-storage stocks to buy now, we looked for the largest warehouse and self-storage companies. We reviewed our own rankings, financial media reports, and various online resources including ETFs to compile a list of the best warehouse and self-storage stocks. Next, we focused on the top 12 stocks most favored by institutional investors. Data for the hedge fund sentiment surrounding each stock was taken from Insider Monkey’s Q3 2024 database of 900 elite hedge funds. The 12 best warehouse and self-storage stocks to buy now are ranked in ascending order based on the number of hedge funds holding stakes in them as of Q3 2024.

Why do we care about what hedge funds do? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

An aerial view of a self-storage facility, its parking lot full with cars and RV’s.

Extra Space Storage Inc. (NYSE:EXR)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 28

Extra Space Storage Inc. (NYSE:EXR) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns and operates self-storage properties. As the largest operator of self-storage properties in the United States, the company’s portfolio includes more than 3,800 self-storage stores totaling over 296 million square feet of rentable storage space. Extra Space Storage Inc. (NYSE:EXR) offers a wide range of conveniently located and secure storage units across the US, including boat storage, RV storage, and business storage.

In July 2023, Extra Space Storage Inc. (NYSE:EXR) merged with Life Storage to create the largest storage operator in the United States. With this merger, the company is on track to unlock at least $100 million in annual synergies and deliver strong financial performance in the future. In August 2024, Extra Space Storage Inc. (NYSE:EXR) started rebranding Life Storage stores as Extra Space Storage facilities. The company expects to see the complete benefits of a single brand soon.

The company is also focused on expanding its store network. In Q3 2024, Extra Space Storage Inc. (NYSE:EXR) added 63 third-party managed stores, resulting in a net addition of 38 stores. On the acquisition side, the company had invested $334 million in wholly-owned and joint venture acquisitions year-to-date by the end of Q3 2024.

Overall, EXR ranks 6th on our list of best warehouse and self-storage stocks to buy now. While we acknowledge the potential of warehouse and self-storage companies, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than EXR but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and Complete List of 59 AI Companies Under $2 Billion in Market Cap

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.

AI, Tariffs, Nuclear Power: One Undervalued Stock Connects ALL the Dots (Before It Explodes!)

Artificial intelligence is the greatest investment opportunity of our lifetime. The time to invest in groundbreaking AI is now, and this stock is a steal!

AI is eating the world—and the machines behind it are ravenous.

Each ChatGPT query, each model update, each robotic breakthrough consumes massive amounts of energy. In fact, AI is already pushing global power grids to the brink.

Wall Street is pouring hundreds of billions into artificial intelligence—training smarter chatbots, automating industries, and building the digital future. But there’s one urgent question few are asking:

Where will all of that energy come from?

AI is the most electricity-hungry technology ever invented. Each data center powering large language models like ChatGPT consumes as much energy as a small city. And it’s about to get worse.

Even Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI, issued a stark warning:

“The future of AI depends on an energy breakthrough.”

Elon Musk was even more blunt:

“AI will run out of electricity by next year.”

As the world chases faster, smarter machines, a hidden crisis is emerging behind the scenes. Power grids are strained. Electricity prices are rising. Utilities are scrambling to expand capacity.

And that’s where the real opportunity lies…

One little-known company—almost entirely overlooked by most AI investors—could be the ultimate backdoor play. It’s not a chipmaker. It’s not a cloud platform. But it might be the most important AI stock in the US owns critical energy infrastructure assets positioned to feed the coming AI energy spike.

As demand from AI data centers explodes, this company is gearing up to profit from the most valuable commodity in the digital age: electricity.

The “Toll Booth” Operator of the AI Energy Boom

  • It owns critical nuclear energy infrastructure assets, positioning it at the heart of America’s next-generation power strategy.
  • It’s one of the only global companies capable of executing large-scale, complex EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) projects across oil, gas, renewable fuels, and industrial infrastructure.
  • It plays a pivotal role in U.S. LNG exportation—a sector about to explode under President Trump’s renewed “America First” energy doctrine.

Trump has made it clear: Europe and U.S. allies must buy American LNG.

And our company sits in the toll booth—collecting fees on every drop exported.

But that’s not all…

As Trump’s proposed tariffs push American manufacturers to bring their operations back home, this company will be first in line to rebuild, retrofit, and reengineer those facilities.

AI. Energy. Tariffs. Onshoring. This One Company Ties It All Together.

While the world is distracted by flashy AI tickers, a few smart investors are quietly scooping up shares of the one company powering it all from behind the scenes.

AI needs energy. Energy needs infrastructure.

And infrastructure needs a builder with experience, scale, and execution.

This company has its finger in every pie—and Wall Street is just starting to notice.

Wall Street is noticing this company also because it is quietly riding all of these tailwinds—without the sky-high valuation.

While most energy and utility firms are buried under mountains of debt and coughing up hefty interest payments just to appease bondholders…

This company is completely debt-free.

In fact, it’s sitting on a war chest of cash—equal to nearly one-third of its entire market cap.

It also owns a huge equity stake in another red-hot AI play, giving investors indirect exposure to multiple AI growth engines without paying a premium.

And here’s what the smart money has started whispering…

The Hedge Fund Secret That’s Starting to Leak Out

This stock is so off-the-radar, so absurdly undervalued, that some of the most secretive hedge fund managers in the world have begun pitching it at closed-door investment summits.

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Why? Because excluding cash and investments, this company is trading at less than 7 times earnings.

And that’s for a business tied to:

  • The AI infrastructure supercycle
  • The onshoring boom driven by Trump-era tariffs
  • A surge in U.S. LNG exports
  • And a unique footprint in nuclear energy—the future of clean, reliable power

You simply won’t find another AI and energy stock this cheap… with this much upside.

This isn’t a hype stock. It’s not riding on hope.

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This is your chance to get in before the rockets take off!

Disruption is the New Name of the Game: Let’s face it, complacency breeds stagnation.

AI is the ultimate disruptor, and it’s shaking the foundations of traditional industries.

The companies that embrace AI will thrive, while the dinosaurs clinging to outdated methods will be left in the dust.

As an investor, you want to be on the side of the winners, and AI is the winning ticket.

The Talent Pool is Overflowing: The world’s brightest minds are flocking to AI.

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A New Dawn is Coming to U.S. Stocks

I work for one of the largest independent financial publishers in the world – representing over 1 million people in 148 countries.

We’re independently funding today’s broadcast to address something on the mind of every investor in America right now…

Should I put my money in Artificial Intelligence?

Here to answer that for us… and give away his No. 1 free AI recommendation… is 50-year Wall Street titan, Marc Chaikin.

Marc’s been a trader, stockbroker, and analyst. He was the head of the options department at a major brokerage firm and is a sought-after expert for CNBC, Fox Business, Barron’s, and Yahoo! Finance…

But what Marc’s most known for is his award-winning stock-rating system. Which determines whether a stock could shoot sky-high in the next three to six months… or come crashing down.

That’s why Marc’s work appears in every Bloomberg and Reuters terminal on the planet…

And is still used by hundreds of banks, hedge funds, and brokerages to track the billions of dollars flowing in and out of stocks each day.

He’s used this system to survive nine bear markets… create three new indices for the Nasdaq… and even predict the brutal bear market of 2022, 90 days in advance.

Click to continue reading…