Head-To-Head Contrast: Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) vs. Empire State Realty OP (NYSE:ESBA)

Empire State Realty OP (NYSE:ESBA) and Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) are both real estate companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations, profitability, earnings and valuation.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Empire State Realty OP and Cousins Properties, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Empire State Realty OP	0	0	0	0	0.00
Cousins Properties	0	3	7	0	2.70

Cousins Properties has a consensus price target of $31.09, suggesting a potential upside of 4.79%. Given Cousins Properties’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Cousins Properties is more favorable than Empire State Realty OP.

Profitability

This table compares Empire State Realty OP and Cousins Properties’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Empire State Realty OP	N/A	N/A	N/A
Cousins Properties	0.62%	0.14%	0.07%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Empire State Realty OP and Cousins Properties”s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Empire State Realty OP	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Cousins Properties	$993.82 million	4.91	$40.50 million	$0.04	741.75

Cousins Properties has higher revenue and earnings than Empire State Realty OP.

Dividends

Empire State Realty OP pays an annual dividend of $0.14 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.0%. Cousins Properties pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.3%. 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.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

94.4% of Cousins Properties shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.8% of Cousins Properties shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Cousins Properties beats Empire State Realty OP on 10 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Empire State Realty OP

Empire State Realty OP, L.P. operates as a subsidiary of Empire State Realty Trust, 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.