COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) and Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) Head to Head Analysis

Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) and COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) are both mid-cap real estate companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, risk and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares Cousins Properties and COPT Defense Properties’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Cousins Properties	0.62%	0.14%	0.07%
COPT Defense Properties	20.94%	10.48%	3.64%

Volatility & Risk

Cousins Properties has a beta of 1.17, indicating that its share price is 17% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, COPT Defense Properties has a beta of 0.76, indicating that its share price is 24% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

94.4% of Cousins Properties shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.8% of Cousins Properties shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.7% of COPT Defense Properties shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Cousins Properties and COPT Defense Properties”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Cousins Properties	$993.82 million	4.62	$40.50 million	$0.04	697.72
COPT Defense Properties	$763.92 million	5.13	$152.32 million	$1.44	23.97

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

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Cousins Properties and COPT Defense Properties, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Cousins Properties	0	3	7	0	2.70
COPT Defense Properties	0	3	5	0	2.62

Cousins Properties presently has a consensus target price of $31.18, indicating a potential upside of 11.73%. COPT Defense Properties has a consensus target price of $37.38, indicating a potential upside of 8.26%. Given Cousins Properties’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Cousins Properties is more favorable than COPT Defense Properties.

Dividends

Cousins Properties pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.6%. COPT Defense Properties pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.7%. Cousins Properties pays out 3,200.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. COPT Defense Properties pays out 88.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

Summary

Cousins Properties beats COPT Defense Properties on 9 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

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 COPT Defense Properties

COPT Defense Properties is a real estate investment trust. It acquires, develops, manages, sells, and leases out office properties and data centers. The firm operates through the following segments: Defense/Information Technology Locations, Regional Office, Wholesale Data Center, and Other. The company was founded on January 22,1988 and is headquartered in Columbia, MD.