PLD vs STAG: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

Same yardstick, side by side (as of August 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. PLD and STAG share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined PLD and STAG exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

Prologis (NYSE: PLD) is a self-administered, self-managed real estate investment trust focused exclusively on industrial and logistics properties. The company owns and operates approximately 1.3 billion square feet across roughly 5,882 buildings in 20 countries, with a strong concentration in high-barrier, last-mile markets in North America, Europe, and Asia. Revenue comes primarily from long-term leases on warehouse, distribution center, and fulfillment facility space, supplemented by a Strategic Capital segment that manages approximately $60 billion in third-party assets on behalf of institutional co-investment partners. Rental income is the dominant and most stable revenue stream, while strategic capital fees (including periodic promote income) add a more variable layer of earnings.

Full PLD guide

STAG Industrial is a real estate investment trust that acquires, owns, and operates single-tenant industrial properties, mostly warehouse and distribution buildings, across the United States. As of the end of 2025 the portfolio spanned about 601 buildings and roughly 120 million rentable square feet in 41 states, with a deliberate tilt toward Midwestern and Eastern secondary (CBRE-EA Tier 1) markets rather than the coastal, infill locations favored by peers like Prologis and Rexford. The company grows by buying individual buildings at attractive cap rates, diversifying across tenants and industries, and marking rents higher as leases roll.

Full STAG guide

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

• PLD drivers: E-Commerce as a Structural Tailwind; Reshoring and Supply Chain Reconfiguration.
• STAG drivers: Structural logistics and e-commerce demand; Acquisition-driven external growth in secondary markets.

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: The primary bear case centers on the interest rate environment: Prologis carries a debt-to-EBITDA ratio near 5x, and sustained elevated rates could raise refinancing costs, expand capitalization rates, and compress net asset values even if occupancy holds. For STAG, as a REIT, STAG is sensitive to interest rates: higher long-term yields raise borrowing costs, pressure property values, and make its dividend yield less attractive versus bonds.

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick PLD if you believe its drivers more; STAG if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the PLD and STAG guides.

PLD. For industrial REITs, Core Funds from Operations (Core FFO) is a more relevant cash-flow metric than GAAP net earnings, as GAAP figures are affected by depreciation, gains on property sales, and promote income timing. PLD's trailing GAAP P/E of approximately 37x is roughly 50% above the broader real estate sector average, reflecting the market's premium for its scale, portfolio quality, and long-term demand drivers. The dividend payout ratio on a GAAP earnings basis exceeds 100%, which is normal for REITs given depreciation, but coverage on a Core FFO basis remains comfortable.

STAG. STAG trades at roughly 15x to 16x Core FFO, a reasonable multiple for a diversified mid-cap industrial REIT and typically a discount to premium peers like Prologis, Rexford, and EastGroup. The well-covered payout (under 60% of Core FFO) and mid-single-digit FFO growth frame it as an income-and-modest-growth holding. Note the cadence change described in the FAQs: STAG shifted from its long-standing monthly dividend to a quarterly payout in 2026.

Headline figures (approximate, June 27, 2026 (based on full-year 2025 results reported January 21, 2026, and Q3 2025 quarterly data)): PLD shows revenue (full year 2025) ~$8.79 billion, net earnings attributable to common stockholders (fy2025) ~$3.32 billion, core ffo per diluted share (fy2024, most recent full-year figure) ~$5.56, trailing p/e ratio ~37x (based on TTM EPS of ~$3.45); STAG shows revenue (2025) ~$845M (up ~10% YoY), core ffo per share (2025) ~$2.55, core ffo per share (q1 2026) ~$0.65 (up ~6.6% YoY), annual dividend rate (2026) ~$1.55 per share.

PLD and STAG are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined PLD and STAG exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.