CubeSmart vs Yum! Brands, Inc. — how do they compare? CubeSmart trades at $40.86 (market cap $9.23B), while Yum! Brands, Inc. trades at $144.74 (market cap $39.66B). The key difference: Yum! Brands, Inc. is far larger — about 4.3× CubeSmart's market cap, and CubeSmart pays the higher dividend (5.17%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| CUBE | YUM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $9.23B | $39.66B |
Sector | Real Estate | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $42.50 | $168.16 |
52-Week Low | $35.36 | $138.21 |
Enterprise Value | $12.76B | $51.26B |
Dividend Yield | 5.17% | 2.06% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
CubeSmart (CUBE) trades at $41.77, down slightly (-0.19%) on the day, with a bullish technical signal from moving averages and a consensus analyst price target of $43.86 offering modest upside. The REIT has demonstrated consistent earnings beats in recent quarters and maintains strong profitability with a 29.41% net income margin. Recent news highlights improving operational trends, including higher occupancy and a raised full-year revenue outlook for 2026, suggesting a potential inflection point.
The outlook is cautiously optimistic, supported by operational momentum and a solid 5% dividend yield. Key risks include a high debt load, with long-term debt of $2.99 billion, and sensitivity to interest rate changes. While analyst sentiment is mixed (44.83% Buy, 51.72% Hold), the stock presents a value opportunity if operational improvements continue, though investors should weigh the debt burden against the stable income profile.
YUM trades at $150.76, down 0.95% on the day, amid a bearish technical signal and recent sales headwinds from a parasite outbreak affecting Taco Bell. The company reported Q2 2026 EPS of $1.62, beating estimates, and completed the $1.2 billion sale of Pizza Hut China. Revenue growth is steady, with 2025 revenue at $8.21 billion and net income margin of 25.4%, though debt remains elevated. Analyst consensus is a Buy with a $174.60 price target, but legal investigations and food safety concerns present near-term risks.
The outlook is mixed: strong digital growth and portfolio streamlining offer upside, but the stock faces pressure from the cyclospora outbreak's impact on sales and ongoing fraud probes. Investors should weigh solid fundamentals against sentiment-driven volatility and high leverage.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
CubeSmart is a real estate investment trust that acquires, owns, and manages self-storage facilities throughout the United States. The company's real estate portfolio is composed of buildings with numerous enclosed storage areas for both residential and commercial customers to rent mainly on a month-by-month basis. Most of CubeSmart's facilities are located in Florida, Texas, California, New York, and Illinois. Cumulatively, these states account for both the majority of the square footage in the company's real estate portfolio and the majority of its revenue. CubeSmart derives nearly all of its revenue from rental income from tenants utilizing its storage facilities.
Read more on CUBE →Yum Brands is a U.S.-based restaurant operator featuring a portfolio of four brands: KFC (26,930 global units), Pizza Hut (18,380 units), Taco Bell (7,790 units), and The Habit Burger (310 units) at year-end 2021. With $58 billion in 2021 systemwide sales, the firm is the second-largest restaurant company in the world, behind McDonald's ($112.5 billion) but ahead of Restaurant Brands International ($36 billion) and Starbucks ($25 billion). Yum is 98% franchised, with the largest franchisee, Yum China, created via a 2016 spinoff transaction (after which Yum China agreed to pay 3% royalties to Yum Brands in perpetuity). Yum is the newest evolution of Tricon Brands, formerly a division of PepsiCo, and generates the bulk of its revenue from franchise royalties and marketing contributions.
Read more on YUM →