Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE:CUZ) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts give Cousins Properties a consensus rating of Moderate Buy (7 buys, 2 holds, 1 sell) with an average 12‑month price target of $28.92, though recent analyst targets have ranged from $24 to $33 amid several downgrades and cuts.
• The stock trades around $22.47 (50‑day/200‑day averages $23.47/$25.34) and carries a high trailing P/E of ~93.6; the company reported Q4 EPS of $0.71, saw revenue rise 13.2% YoY, and issued FY2026 EPS guidance of 2.87–2.97 (analysts average 2.76).
• Cousins declared a quarterly dividend of $0.32 (a 5.7% yield) despite a stated payout ratio of 533%, and its board authorized a $250 million share buyback program to repurchase up to 6.6% of shares.

Shares of Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE:CUZ - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $28.9167.

CUZ has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Capital One Financial set a $27.00 target price on Cousins Properties in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Robert W. Baird set a $33.00 price target on Cousins Properties in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Barclays lowered their price target on Cousins Properties from $34.00 to $28.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Cousins Properties from $28.00 to $24.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Cousins Properties from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd.

Cousins Properties Stock Performance

Cousins Properties stock opened at $22.47 on Friday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $23.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The company has a market cap of $3.73 billion, a PE ratio of 93.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.18. Cousins Properties has a twelve month low of $21.03 and a twelve month high of $30.81.

Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.71. Cousins Properties had a net margin of 4.08% and a return on equity of 0.85%. The firm had revenue of $255.03 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $252.18 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.69 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Cousins Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.870-2.970 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Cousins Properties will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cousins Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 7th. Cousins Properties's dividend payout ratio is presently 533.33%.

Cousins Properties declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 17th that allows the company to buyback $250.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the real estate investment trust to reacquire up to 6.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cousins Properties

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CUZ. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its position in Cousins Properties by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 30,730 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $792,000 after acquiring an additional 483 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of Cousins Properties by 9.6% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 5,781 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $167,000 after purchasing an additional 505 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Cousins Properties by 25.0% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,634 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 526 shares during the last quarter. DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP boosted its stake in shares of Cousins Properties by 5.3% during the third quarter. DoubleLine ETF Adviser LP now owns 10,461 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $303,000 after purchasing an additional 531 shares during the period. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its stake in shares of Cousins Properties by 1.3% during the third quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 41,753 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,208,000 after purchasing an additional 552 shares during the period. 94.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Cousins Properties

Cousins Properties Incorporated NYSE: CUZ is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in the development, acquisition and management of high-quality office and mixed-use properties. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company focuses on urban infill and suburban markets across the Sun Belt, with a strong presence in metropolitan areas such as Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Nashville, Orlando and Tampa. Its core activities encompass full-service property leasing, asset management and construction oversight, serving a diverse mix of corporate and institutional tenants.

Founded in 1958 as a privately held real estate concern, Cousins Properties completed its initial public offering in 1992.

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