Comparing Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) & Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:PECO)

Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) and Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:PECO) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk, institutional ownership and dividends.

Dividends

Cousins Properties pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.4%. Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. pays an annual dividend of $1.23 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.4%. Cousins Properties pays out 426.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. pays out 246.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

Profitability

This table compares Cousins Properties and Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Cousins Properties	5.36%	1.00%	0.58%
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.	9.48%	2.40%	1.27%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Cousins Properties and Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Cousins Properties	$856.76 million	5.72	$45.96 million	$0.30	97.38
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.	$661.39 million	6.80	$62.69 million	$0.50	71.90

Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Cousins Properties. Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. 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

94.4% of Cousins Properties shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 80.7% of Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.4% of Cousins Properties shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 8.0% of Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Volatility & Risk

Cousins Properties has a beta of 1.28, indicating that its stock price is 28% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. has a beta of 0.57, indicating that its stock price is 43% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Cousins Properties and Phillips Edison & Company, Inc., as provided by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Cousins Properties	0	3	6	0	2.67
Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.	0	3	3	0	2.50

Cousins Properties currently has a consensus target price of $33.00, indicating a potential upside of 12.96%. Phillips Edison & Company, Inc. has a consensus target price of $39.00, indicating a potential upside of 8.48%. Given Cousins Properties’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts clearly believe Cousins Properties is more favorable than Phillips Edison & Company, Inc..

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.

About Phillips Edison & Company, Inc.

Phillips Edison & Co., Inc. is a real estate investment trust, which engages in the ownership and operation of shopping centers. It also offers an investment management business providing property management and advisory services. Its portfolio consists of well-occupied, grocery-anchored neighborhood and community shopping centers having a mix of national, regional, and local retailers offering necessity-based goods and services. The company was founded by Jeffrey S. Edison and Michael C. Phillips in 1991 and is headquartered in Cincinnati, OH.