Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) vs. Smartstop Self Storage REIT (NYSE:SMA) Head-To-Head Comparison

Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) and Smartstop Self Storage REIT (NYSE:SMA) are both finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, profitability and earnings.

Dividends

Cousins Properties pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.8%. Smartstop Self Storage REIT pays an annual dividend of $1.63 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.3%. Cousins Properties pays out -4,266.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Smartstop Self Storage REIT pays out 1,086.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

Profitability

This table compares Cousins Properties and Smartstop Self Storage REIT’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Cousins Properties	-0.52%	-0.11%	-0.06%
Smartstop Self Storage REIT	4.38%	1.00%	0.54%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Cousins Properties and Smartstop Self Storage REIT, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Cousins Properties	1	2	6	0	2.56
Smartstop Self Storage REIT	1	3	5	2	2.73

Cousins Properties currently has a consensus target price of $28.73, suggesting a potential upside of 8.73%. Smartstop Self Storage REIT has a consensus target price of $37.17, suggesting a potential upside of 21.12%. Given Smartstop Self Storage REIT’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Smartstop Self Storage REIT is more favorable than Cousins Properties.

Risk & Volatility

Cousins Properties has a beta of 1.21, suggesting that its share price is 21% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Smartstop Self Storage REIT has a beta of 0.69, suggesting that its share price is 31% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

94.4% of Cousins Properties shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.8% of Cousins Properties shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 5.5% of Smartstop Self Storage REIT shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Cousins Properties and Smartstop Self Storage REIT”s gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Cousins Properties	$993.82 million	4.37	$40.50 million	($0.03)	-880.70
Smartstop Self Storage REIT	$281.14 million	6.04	-$1.55 million	$0.15	204.57

Cousins Properties has higher revenue and earnings than Smartstop Self Storage REIT. Cousins Properties is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Smartstop Self Storage REIT, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Smartstop Self Storage REIT beats Cousins Properties on 11 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 Smartstop Self Storage REIT

Symmetry Medical Inc. (Symmetry) is a medical device solutions company, including surgical instruments, orthopedic implants, and sterilization cases and trays. The Company designs, develops and offers worldwide production and supply chain capabilities for these products to customers in the orthopedic industry, and other medical device markets (including but not limited to arthroscopy, dental, laparoscopy, osteobiologic, and endoscopy segments). It also manufactures specialized non-healthcare products, primarily in the aerospace industry. The Company operates in two segments: original equipment manufacturer (OEM) solutions and symmetry surgical. On August 15, 2011, the Company acquired PSC Industries, Inc’s Olsen Medical division. On December 29, 2011 it acquired the surgical instruments product portfolio from Codman & Shurtleff, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson Company.