CXW vs. IRM

Last updated Jun 3, 2026

CXW (CoreCivic, Inc.) and IRM (Iron Mountain Incorporated) are both stocks. Both operate in the REIT - Specialty industry within the Real Estate sector. Over the past 10 years, CXW returned -1.25%/yr vs 19.57%/yr for IRM. At a 0.26 correlation, their price movements are largely independent.

Performance

CXW vs. IRM - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in CoreCivic, Inc. (CXW) and Iron Mountain Incorporated (IRM). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

Returns By Period

In the year-to-date period, CXW achieves a 11.72% return, which is significantly lower than IRM's 55.51% return. Over the past 10 years, CXW has underperformed IRM with an annualized return of -1.25%, while IRM has yielded a comparatively higher 19.57% annualized return.

CXW

• 1D: 0.66%
• 1M: 3.74%
• YTD: 11.72%
• 6M: 16.79%
• 1Y: -2.60%
• 3Y*: 33.82%
• 5Y*: 18.67%
• 10Y*: -1.25%

IRM

• 1D: -0.40%
• 1M: -0.21%
• YTD: 55.51%
• 6M: 54.66%
• 1Y: 32.49%
• 3Y*: 36.93%
• 5Y*: 27.93%
• 10Y*: 19.57%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

CXW vs. IRM - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
CXW CoreCivic, Inc.	11.72%	-12.10%	49.62%	25.69%	15.95%	52.21%	-59.85%	4.44%	-13.99%	-1.98%
IRM Iron Mountain Incorporated	55.51%	-18.24%	54.48%	46.52%	-0.08%	87.74%	0.98%	5.87%	-7.97%	23.56%

Correlation

The correlation between CXW and IRM is 0.13, which is low. Their price movements are largely independent, making them effective diversification partners.

	Correlation
Correlation (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.13
Correlation (3Y) Calculated over the trailing 3-year period	0.21
Correlation (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.26
Correlation (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.29
Correlation (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history since Jul 16, 1997	0.26

The correlation between CXW and IRM shifts across timeframes, from 0.13 (1 year) to 0.29 (10 years), reflecting how their relationship changes across market environments.

Fundamentals

EPS CXW : $1.60 IRM : $0.91
PE Ratio CXW : 13.31 IRM : 139.85
PS Ratio CXW : 0.74 IRM : 5.26
Total Revenue (TTM) CXW : $2.34B IRM : $7.25B
Gross Profit (TTM) CXW : $404.76M IRM : $2.94B
EBITDA (TTM) CXW : $309.65M IRM : $2.40B

Return for Risk

CXW vs. IRM — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

CXW

CXW Risk / Return Rank: 35
CXW Sharpe Ratio Rank: 37
CXW Sortino Ratio Rank: 33
CXW Omega Ratio Rank: 33
CXW Calmar Ratio Rank: 36
CXW Martin Ratio Rank: 36

IRM

IRM Risk / Return Rank: 67
IRM Sharpe Ratio Rank: 72
IRM Sortino Ratio Rank: 66
IRM Omega Ratio Rank: 65
IRM Calmar Ratio Rank: 66
IRM Martin Ratio Rank: 66

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

CXW vs. IRM - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for CoreCivic, Inc. (CXW) and Iron Mountain Incorporated (IRM). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	CXW	IRM	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	-0.07	1.04	-1.11
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.16	1.59	-1.43
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.02	1.20	-0.18
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	-0.10	1.30	-1.40
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	-0.20	3.12	-3.32
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

CXW vs. IRM - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current CXW Sharpe Ratio is -0.07, which is lower than the IRM Sharpe Ratio of 1.04. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of CXW and IRM, calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months. A higher Sharpe Ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance relative to the risk-free rate.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	CXW	IRM	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	-0.07	1.04	-1.11
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	0.43	0.95	-0.52
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	-0.03	0.66	-0.69
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.01	0.50	-0.49

Drawdowns

CXW vs. IRM - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum CXW drawdown since its inception was -98.54%, which is greater than IRM's maximum drawdown of -55.71%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for CXW and IRM.

Drawdown Indicators

	CXW	IRM	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-98.54%	-55.71%	-42.83%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-28.41%	-25.15%	-3.26%
Max Drawdown (3Y) Largest decline over 3 years	-32.62%	-39.03%	+6.41%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-39.68%	-39.03%	-0.65%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-77.93%	-39.03%	-38.90%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-27.26%	-3.11%	-24.15%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-56.73%	-13.17%	-43.56%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	14.06%	10.43%	+3.63%

Volatility

CXW vs. IRM - Volatility Comparison

CoreCivic, Inc. (CXW) has a higher volatility of 15.50% compared to Iron Mountain Incorporated (IRM) at 7.78%. This indicates that CXW's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than IRM based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	CXW	IRM	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	15.50%	7.78%	+7.72%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	28.09%	23.40%	+4.69%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	36.70%	31.50%	+5.20%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	44.11%	29.59%	+14.52%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	49.21%	29.59%	+19.62%

Dividends

CXW vs. IRM - Dividend Comparison

CXW has not paid dividends to shareholders, while IRM's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 2.58%.

Position	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
CXW CoreCivic, Inc.	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	13.44%	7.59%	9.65%	7.47%	8.34%	8.15%
IRM Iron Mountain Incorporated	2.58%	3.88%	2.60%	3.63%	4.96%	4.73%	8.39%	7.69%	7.32%	5.93%	6.17%	7.07%

Financials

CXW vs. IRM - Profitability Comparison

The chart below illustrates the profitability comparison between CoreCivic, Inc. and Iron Mountain Incorporated over time, highlighting three key metrics: Gross Profit Margin, Operating Margin, and Net Profit Margin.

CXW - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, CoreCivic, Inc. reported a gross profit of 0.00 and revenue of 614.73M. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 0.0%.

IRM - Gross Margin

Gross margin is calculated as gross profit divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Iron Mountain Incorporated reported a gross profit of 0.00 and revenue of 1.94B. Therefore, the gross margin over that period was 0.0%.

CXW - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, CoreCivic, Inc. reported an operating income of 0.00 and revenue of 614.73M, resulting in an operating margin of 0.0%.

IRM - Operating Margin

Operating margin is calculated as operating income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Iron Mountain Incorporated reported an operating income of 395.23M and revenue of 1.94B, resulting in an operating margin of 20.4%.

CXW - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, CoreCivic, Inc. reported a net income of 37.92M and revenue of 614.73M, resulting in a net margin of 6.2%.

IRM - Net Margin

Net margin is calculated as net income divided by revenue. For the three months ending on Jun 2026, Iron Mountain Incorporated reported a net income of 143.67M and revenue of 1.94B, resulting in a net margin of 7.4%.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hold both CXW and IRM in my portfolio?

CXW and IRM have a correlation of 0.13, meaning they provide meaningful diversification benefit when combined. Depending on your allocation goals, holding both could reduce overall portfolio risk.

Which is riskier, CXW or IRM?

CXW has higher volatility (15.50%) compared to IRM (7.78%). In terms of maximum drawdown, CXW dropped -98.54% vs IRM's -55.71%.

Which has better risk-adjusted returns?

IRM currently has the higher Sharpe Ratio (1.04 vs -0.07), meaning it's delivered slightly more return per unit of risk over the trailing 12 months. However, this ranking shifts over time - use the Risk/Return Score above for a more comprehensive view that combines Sharpe, Sortino, and other measures used by quantitative funds.