Smartstop Self Storage REITSMA +2.01%40 Operating Margin % is 20.07% as of Mar. 2026, which is 10% below its 10-year median of 22.20. GuruFocus rates SMA with a GF Score™ of 40/100. The stock has 6 warning signs investors should review. Among 749 REITs companies, Smartstop Self Storage REIT ranks worse than 81.04% on this metric.
Just like Gross Margin %, it is important to see a company maintains its operating margin over time. Among the same industry, a company with higher operating margin is more efficient in its operation. It is also more stable during industry slowdown or recessions. Peter Lynch prefers those with higher margins than those with lower margins.
Be Aware
Operating Margin % can be manipulated by adjusting the rate of depreciation, depletion and amortization (DDA).
If a company is facing competition, its Operating Margin % may decline. Often the Operating Margin % declines well before the company's Revenue or even profit decline. Therefore, Operating Margin % is a very important indicator of whether the company is facing problems.
For instance, by 2012, Nokia (NOK)'s problems were well known and its stock had lost more than 90% of its market value since 2007. But Nokias Operating Margin % had already been in decline since 2002, although its Earnings per Share (Diluted) were still rising. Investors who paid attention to Operating Margin % would have avoided this huge loss. The same can be said for Research-in-Motion (RIMM).
Therefore, Operating Margin % is a very important screening filter for GuruFocus. GuruFocus's Buffett-Munger screener requires that the profit margin is either consistent or expanding. The Model Portfolio of the Buffett-Munger screener has outperformed the market every year since inception in 2009.
Smartstop Self Storage REIT Operating Margin % Related Terms
Smartstop Self Storage REIT Operating Margin % Historical Data
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
SMA vs IIPR, ILPT, LXP: Operating Margin % Comparison
For the REIT - Industrial subindustry, Smartstop Self Storage REIT's Operating Margin %, along with its competitors' market caps and Operating Margin % data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Smartstop Self Storage REIT Operating Margin % vs REITs Industry
For the REITs industry and Real Estate sector, Smartstop Self Storage REIT's Operating Margin % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Smartstop Self Storage REIT's Operating Margin % falls into.
Operating Margin % - also known as operating income margin, operating profit margin and return on sales (ROS) - is the ratio of Operating Income divided by net sales or Revenue, usually presented in percent.
Smartstop Self Storage REIT's Operating Margin % for the fiscal year that ended in Dec. 2025 is calculated as
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
Smartstop Self Storage REIT (SMA) has a Operating Margin % of 20.07% as of Mar. 2026. Operating margin is the ratio of total operating income to net sales. View historical data on Smartstop Self Storage REIT and its competitors. This is 10% below median its historical median of 22.20. Over the past decade, Smartstop Self Storage REIT's Operating Margin % has ranged from 7.37 to 30.40. According to the industry distribution chart, Smartstop Self Storage REIT ranks #607 out of 749 companies in the REITs industry, placing it in the top 81%.
Is Smartstop Self Storage REIT's Operating Margin % too high?
Smartstop Self Storage REIT's current Operating Margin % of 20.07% is 10% below median its 10-year median of 22.20. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 7.37 to a high of 30.40. The REITs industry median Operating Margin % is 52.71. Smartstop Self Storage REIT's value of 20.07% is 61.9% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Smartstop Self Storage REIT ranks #607 out of 749 companies in the REITs industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Smartstop Self Storage REIT has a GF Score™ of 40/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Smartstop Self Storage REIT's Operating Margin % compare to IIPR and ILPT?
According to the REITs industry distribution chart, Smartstop Self Storage REIT ranks #607 out of 749 companies for Operating Margin %. This places Smartstop Self Storage REIT in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Operating Margin % is 52.71. Smartstop Self Storage REIT's value of 20.07% is 61.9% below this benchmark. Historically, Smartstop Self Storage REIT's own Operating Margin % has ranged from 7.37 to 30.40 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 22.20 vs. the industry median of 52.71, Smartstop Self Storage REIT has consistently been below the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Operating Margin % for a REITs company?
The median Operating Margin % among REITs companies is 52.71, based on 749 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Operating Margin % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Operating Margin % should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Smartstop Self Storage REIT's current Operating Margin % of 20.07% is 61.9% below the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Operating Margin % mean?
A high Operating Margin % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Operating margin is the ratio of total operating income to net sales. View historical data on Smartstop Self Storage REIT and its competitors. For the REITs industry, the median Operating Margin % is 52.71 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Smartstop Self Storage REIT's current Operating Margin % is 20.07%, which is 10% below median its own 10-year median of 22.20. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Smartstop Self Storage REIT stock overvalued right now?
Smartstop Self Storage REIT (SMA) has a current Operating Margin % of 20.07%. The current Operating Margin % is 20.07%, which is 10% below median its 10-year median of 22.20 and 61.9% below the REITs industry median of 52.71. Smartstop Self Storage REIT's overall GF Score™ is 40/100 with 6 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Operating Margin % calculated?
Operating Margin % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Smartstop Self Storage REIT (SMA), the current Operating Margin % is 20.07% as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Smartstop Self Storage REIT Inc operates as a real estate investment trust. The trust owns, acquires, and operates self-storage properties. It operates in two segments, namely, self-storage operations, which generate key revenue, and the managed REIT platform business. The investment objective is to focus on investing in self-storage facilities and related self-storage real estate investments that are expected to support sustainable stockholder distributions over the long term.
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