Financial Survey: Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) & Uniti Group (NASDAQ:UNIT)

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

Profitability

This table compares Uniti Group and Cousins Properties’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Uniti Group	97.46%	-1.71%	0.78%
Cousins Properties	6.51%	1.27%	0.70%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Uniti Group 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
Uniti Group	$1.17 billion	0.81	$93.41 million	$5.11	1.25
Cousins Properties	$964.11 million	4.49	$45.96 million	$0.35	73.68

Uniti Group has higher revenue and earnings than Cousins Properties. Uniti Group 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 breakdown of current ratings for Uniti Group and Cousins Properties, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Uniti Group	0	7	0	1	2.25
Cousins Properties	0	6	6	0	2.50

Uniti Group presently has a consensus target price of $6.55, indicating a potential upside of 2.91%. Cousins Properties has a consensus target price of $31.64, indicating a potential upside of 22.67%. Given Cousins Properties’ stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Cousins Properties is more favorable than Uniti Group.

Risk and Volatility

Uniti Group has a beta of 1.52, meaning that its share price is 52% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Cousins Properties has a beta of 1.36, meaning that its share price is 36% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

87.5% of Uniti Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 94.4% of Cousins Properties shares are held by institutional investors. 2.7% of Uniti Group shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.4% of Cousins Properties shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Uniti Group beats Cousins Properties on 8 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Uniti Group

Uniti Group, Inc. is a real estate investment trust company, which engages in the acquisition, construction, and leasing of properties. It operates through the following business segments: Uniti Leasing, Uniti Fiber, and Corporate. The Uniti Leasing segment involves mission-critical communications assets on exclusive or shared-tenant basis, and dark fiber network. The Uniti Fiber segment includes the operation of infrastructure solutions, cell site backhauls, and dark fiber. The Corporate segment consists of office and shared service functions. The company was founded in February 2014 and is headquartered in Little Rock, AR.

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.