Head to Head Analysis: Global Medical REIT (NYSE:XRN) and Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ)

Global Medical REIT (NYSE:XRN) and Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) are both finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, risk, profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, valuation and institutional ownership.

Profitability

This table compares Global Medical REIT and Cousins Properties’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Global Medical REIT	-6.06%	-2.19%	-0.73%
Cousins Properties	-0.52%	-0.11%	-0.06%

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Global Medical REIT and Cousins Properties”s top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Global Medical REIT	$151.11 million	3.16	-$5.84 million	($1.11)	-32.52
Cousins Properties	$993.82 million	4.83	$40.50 million	($0.03)	-972.50

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

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Global Medical REIT and Cousins Properties, as reported by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Global Medical REIT	1	4	2	1	2.38
Cousins Properties	1	2	6	0	2.56

Global Medical REIT presently has a consensus target price of $40.00, indicating a potential upside of 10.81%. Cousins Properties has a consensus target price of $28.73, indicating a potential downside of 1.53%. Given Global Medical REIT’s higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Global Medical REIT is more favorable than Cousins Properties.

Volatility and Risk

Global Medical REIT has a beta of 1.11, suggesting that its stock price is 11% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Cousins Properties has a beta of 1.21, suggesting that its stock price is 21% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

Global Medical REIT pays an annual dividend of $1.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.3%. Cousins Properties pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.4%. Global Medical REIT pays out -173.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Cousins Properties pays out -4,266.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

57.5% of Global Medical REIT shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 94.4% of Cousins Properties shares are held by institutional investors. 8.9% of Global Medical REIT shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.8% of Cousins Properties shares are held 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.

Summary

Cousins Properties beats Global Medical REIT on 12 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Global Medical REIT

Global Medical REIT Inc. (GMRE) is a net-lease medical office real estate investment trust (REIT) that owns and acquires healthcare facilities and leases those facilities to physician groups and regional and national healthcare systems.

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.