Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) & Whitestone REIT (NYSE:WSR) Head-To-Head Review

Whitestone REIT (NYSE:WSR) and Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) are both finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations, profitability, valuation and dividends.

Dividends

Whitestone REIT pays an annual dividend of $0.54 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.1%. Cousins Properties pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.1%. Whitestone REIT pays out 63.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Cousins Properties pays out 365.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Whitestone REIT has raised its dividend for 5 consecutive years.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Whitestone REIT and Cousins Properties”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Whitestone REIT	$154.28 million	4.38	$36.89 million	$0.85	15.58
Cousins Properties	$856.76 million	4.95	$45.96 million	$0.35	72.10

Cousins Properties has higher revenue and earnings than Whitestone REIT. Whitestone REIT is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Cousins Properties, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

69.5% of Whitestone REIT shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 94.4% of Cousins Properties shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.2% of Whitestone REIT shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.4% of Cousins Properties shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Volatility & Risk

Whitestone REIT has a beta of 0.82, suggesting that its stock price is 18% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Cousins Properties has a beta of 1.21, suggesting that its stock price is 21% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Whitestone REIT and Cousins Properties, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Whitestone REIT	0	0	3	0	3.00
Cousins Properties	0	5	6	0	2.55

Whitestone REIT currently has a consensus price target of $15.50, suggesting a potential upside of 17.03%. Cousins Properties has a consensus price target of $31.09, suggesting a potential upside of 23.21%. Given Cousins Properties’ higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Cousins Properties is more favorable than Whitestone REIT.

Profitability

This table compares Whitestone REIT and Cousins Properties’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Whitestone REIT	28.16%	10.10%	3.89%
Cousins Properties	5.98%	1.20%	0.65%

Summary

Cousins Properties beats Whitestone REIT on 9 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Whitestone REIT

Whitestone REIT (NYSE: WSR) is a community-centered real estate investment trust (REIT) that acquires, owns, operates, and develops open-air, retail centers located in some of the fastest growing markets in the country: Phoenix, Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. Our centers are convenience focused: merchandised with a mix of service-oriented tenants providing food (restaurants and grocers), self-care (health and fitness), services (financial and logistics), education and entertainment to the surrounding communities. The Company believes its strong community connections and deep tenant relationships are key to the success of its current centers and its acquisition strategy.

About Cousins Properties

Cousins Properties Incorporated ("Cousins") is a fully integrated, self-administered, and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company, based in Atlanta and acting through its operating partnership, Cousins Properties LP, primarily invests in Class A office buildings located in high-growth Sun Belt markets. Founded in 1958, Cousins creates shareholder value through its extensive expertise in the development, acquisition, leasing, and management of high-quality real estate assets. The Company has a comprehensive strategy in place based on a simple platform, trophy assets, and opportunistic investments.