W
e're taking a closer look at Public Storage (NYSE:PSA) in the context of our list of the 12 Best Real Estate and Realty Stocks To Buy Now. The US housing market entered 2025 with mixed signals, as supply increased but many homes lingered on the market without selling. Despite rising mortgage rates averaging over 6% for two years, buyers don't expect a significant drop in rates. As mortgage interest rates rose at the end of December, demand declined by 21.9%, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

    Mike Fratantoni, chief economist at the Mortgage Bankers Association, noted that higher rates led to declines in both refinance and purchase applications. Bess Freedman, Brown Harris Stevens CEO, pointed out a trifactor of concern: rising rates, inventory issues, and prices. She expects 2025 to be turbulent for real estate, but notes that homeownership remains an American dream.

    Our methodology involves using a stock screener to identify relevant companies with high market caps, then shortlisting the top 12 stocks with the highest number of hedge fund holders. We arrange these stocks in ascending order of their hedge fund holdings as of Q3. Our quarterly newsletter has returned 275% since May 2014 by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds.