Head-To-Head Survey: Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) & Gaming and Leisure Properties (NASDAQ:GLPI)

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

Institutional and Insider Ownership

94.4% of Cousins Properties shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 91.1% of Gaming and Leisure Properties shares are held by institutional investors. 1.4% of Cousins Properties shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.3% of Gaming and Leisure Properties shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk & Volatility

Cousins Properties has a beta of 1.39, meaning that its share price is 39% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Gaming and Leisure Properties has a beta of 0.73, meaning that its share price is 27% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

Cousins Properties pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.5%. Gaming and Leisure Properties pays an annual dividend of $3.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.8%. Cousins Properties pays out 345.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Gaming and Leisure Properties pays out 120.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Gaming and Leisure Properties has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years. Gaming and Leisure Properties is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Cousins Properties and Gaming and Leisure Properties, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Cousins Properties	0	4	6	0	2.60
Gaming and Leisure Properties	0	6	5	0	2.45

Cousins Properties currently has a consensus price target of $32.50, indicating a potential upside of 13.60%. Gaming and Leisure Properties has a consensus price target of $52.85, indicating a potential upside of 15.55%. Given Gaming and Leisure Properties’ higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Gaming and Leisure Properties is more favorable than Cousins Properties.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Cousins Properties and Gaming and Leisure 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	$856.76 million	5.61	$45.96 million	$0.37	77.32
Gaming and Leisure Properties	$1.53 billion	8.45	$784.62 million	$2.58	17.73

Gaming and Leisure Properties has higher revenue and earnings than Cousins Properties. Gaming and Leisure 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.

Profitability

This table compares Cousins Properties and Gaming and Leisure Properties’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Cousins Properties	6.51%	1.27%	0.70%
Gaming and Leisure Properties	46.32%	15.43%	5.76%

Summary

Gaming and Leisure Properties beats Cousins Properties on 12 of the 17 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 Gaming and Leisure Properties

Gaming & Leisure Properties, Inc. engages in the provision of acquiring, financing, and owning real estate property to be leased to gaming operators in triple-net lease arrangements. The company was founded on February 13, 2013 and is headquartered in Wyomissing, PA.