Cousins Properties (CUZ) AI Stock Analysis

• Market Cap: $3.88B
• Dividend Yield: 5.08%
• Average Volume (3M): 2.10M
• Price to Earnings (P/E): 96.1
• Beta (1Y): 0.82
• Revenue Growth: 16.38%
• EPS Growth: 3.60%
• Country: US
• Employees: 306
• Sector: Real Estate
• Sector Strength: 53
• Industry: REIT - Office
• EPS (TTM): -0.02
• Shares Outstanding: 167,982,000
• 10 Day Avg. Volume: 3,225,074
• 30 Day Avg. Volume: 2,095,677
• PEG Ratio: -5.34
• Price to Book (P/B): 0.93
• Price to Sales (P/S): 4.36
• P/FCF Ratio: 32.06
• Enterprise Value/Market Cap: 1.97
• Enterprise Value/Revenue: 7.66
• Enterprise Value/Gross Profit: 13.31
• Enterprise Value/Ebitda: 12.05
• 1Y Price Target: $29.83
• Price Target Upside: 24.45% Upside
• Rating Consensus: Strong Buy
• Number of Analyst Covering: 7
• EPS Forecast (FY): 0.3
• Revenue Forecast (FY): $1.03B

• Rating: 53 Neutral
• Price Target: $24.50 ▲(2.21% Upside)
• Action: Reiterated Date: 02/21/26
• Date: Action: Reiterated 02/21/26

The score is held back primarily by weakening profitability, inconsistent free cash flow, and a bearish technical trend. Offsetting this are steady operating cash flow, moderate REIT leverage, constructive earnings-call fundamentals (ongoing FFO growth and leasing momentum), and supportive capital actions, while valuation remains pressured by a very high P/E despite an attractive dividend yield.

Positive Factors

Leasing Momentum

Sustained high leasing velocity and a large late-stage pipeline provide multi-quarter visibility into occupancy and cash rent roll. This durable demand reduces vacancy risk, supports FFO stability, and underpins revenue growth as leases commence and backfill maturities over the next 2–6 months.

Second-Generation Rent Roll-Up

Consistent positive second-generation rent roll-ups demonstrate the portfolio's ability to lift cash rents on turnovers and renewals. That persistent rent reversion is a structural margin driver, improving same-store NOI and FFO per share over time independent of short-term market swings.

Balance Sheet and Capital Access

Relative balance-sheet strength and clear access to public debt and equity markets provide durable financing optionality. This flexibility supports opportunistic acquisitions, refinancings and buybacks while helping manage maturities; thus capital strategy can sustain growth and shareholder actions over multiple quarters.

Negative Factors

Profitability Deterioration

Declining profitability and compressed net margins reduce internal cash generation and strain returns on equity. Sustained weak profitability limits room for dividend coverage and reinvestment, increasing sensitivity to leasing setbacks and undermining the long-term ability to fund growth without asset sales or higher leverage.

Reliance on Asset Dispositions

Dependence on selling noncore assets to fund strategic deals creates execution and timing risk. Asset markets can be cyclical; forced or poorly timed dispositions can depress proceeds, impair NOI retention, and create volatility in FFO and balance-sheet metrics over the next several quarters.

Rising Debt Levels

Increasing debt levels heighten refinancing and interest-rate exposure ahead of sizeable maturities. With elevated leverage versus prior years, cash flow volatility from leasing or dispositions could stress coverage metrics, restrict capital flexibility, and raise execution risk on planned acquisitions or repurchases.

Cousins Properties Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description

Cousins Properties is a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company, based in Atlanta, GA and acting through its operating partnership, Cousins Properties LP, primarily invests in Class A office towers 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.

How the Company Makes Money

Cousins Properties generates revenue primarily through leasing its commercial properties to tenants, which includes long-term leases with office users, retail clients, and other businesses. The company earns rental income, which constitutes a significant portion of its revenue. Additionally, Cousins engages in property development, allowing it to capitalize on rising property values and generate additional income through the sale or leasing of newly developed spaces. The company may also benefit from strategic partnerships with other developers and businesses, enhancing its market presence and access to capital. Other revenue streams can include property management fees and ancillary services related to their real estate portfolio.

Cousins Properties Financial Statement Overview

Summary

Operating cash flow has been relatively steady and leverage is moderate for a REIT, but profitability has weakened into a small loss in 2025, debt has risen in recent years, and free cash flow has been inconsistent—raising sensitivity to leasing headwinds and capital needs.

Income Statement

Revenue grew steadily from 2020–2024, but profitability weakened meaningfully over time, with net margin compressing sharply (2021–2024) and turning slightly negative in 2025. EBITDA margins have remained high for the sector, but the 2025 annual revenue figure appears unusually low versus prior years, signaling either a one-time distortion or elevated volatility that reduces confidence in the current run-rate.

Balance Sheet

The balance sheet is supported by sizable equity relative to assets, and leverage has been moderate for a REIT with debt-to-equity generally in the ~0.5–0.65 range (2020–2024). However, total debt has risen in recent years (notably 2023–2025), while returns on equity have trended down to low-single-digits, suggesting the company is carrying more leverage without generating commensurate profitability.

Cash Flow

Operating cash flow has been relatively stable (roughly mid-$300M to ~$400M across 2020–2025), indicating resilient cash generation. That said, free cash flow has been inconsistent, including a sharp drop in 2022 and negative growth in 2024–2025, pointing to higher capital spending and/or less favorable working-capital dynamics that can pressure dividend capacity and financial flexibility.

Breakdown	Dec 2025	Dec 2024	Dec 2023	Dec 2022	Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue	993.82M	856.76M	802.87M	762.29M	755.07M
Gross Profit	263.42M	576.10M	536.44M	503.92M	495.61M
EBITDA	638.33M	534.10M	504.18M	535.57M	634.12M
Net Income	40.50M	45.96M	82.96M	166.79M	278.59M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets	8.89B	8.80B	7.63B	7.54B	7.31B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments	5.72M	7.35M	6.05M	5.14M	8.94M
Total Debt	3.68B	3.15B	2.51B	2.39B	2.29B
Total Liabilities	4.19B	3.93B	3.09B	2.89B	2.71B
Stockholders Equity	4.68B	4.85B	4.52B	4.63B	4.57B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow	135.04M	147.50M	368.36M	22.93M	389.48M
Operating Cash Flow	402.27M	400.23M	368.36M	365.17M	389.48M
Investing Cash Flow	-425.66M	-1.31B	-295.74M	-334.50M	-191.07M
Financing Cash Flow	21.76M	906.47M	-71.72M	-35.69M	-194.38M

Cousins Properties Technical Analysis

• Technical Analysis Sentiment: Negative
• Last Price: 23.97
• 50DMA: Negative
• 100DMA: Negative
• 200DMA: Negative
• MACD: Positive
• RSI: Neutral
• STOCH: Neutral

Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For CUZ, the sentiment is Negative. The current price of 23.97 is below the 20-day moving average (MA) of 24.31, below the 50-day MA of 25.18, and below the 200-day MA of 26.64, indicating a bearish trend. The MACD of -0.61 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 42.70 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 58.25 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Negative sentiment for CUZ.

Cousins Properties Peers Comparison

Name	Overall Rating	Market Cap	P/E Ratio	ROE	Dividend Yield	Revenue Growth	EPS Growth
CDP	71 Outperform	$7.29B	24.07	10.13%	4.30%	0.06%	8.88%
Sector *	65 Neutral	$2.17B	12.19	3.79%	4.94%	3.15%	1.96%
KRC	57 Neutral	$3.71B	13.39	5.09%	5.75%	0.77%	62.58%
HIW	56 Neutral	$2.54B	16.22	6.73%	7.83%	-2.10%	-13.30%
CUZ	53 Neutral	$3.88B	96.08	0.85%	5.08%	16.38%	3.60%
SLG	48 Neutral	$2.78B	-23.45	-2.25%	6.95%	8.60%	―
DEI	45 Neutral	$1.69B	114.03	1.03%	6.45%	-0.12%	―

Cousins Properties Corporate Events

Cousins Properties Issues New Senior Notes for Financing

On February 10, 2026, Cousins Properties LP and Cousins Properties Incorporated entered into an underwriting agreement with J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, BofA Securities, Inc., Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and PNC Capital Markets LLC for the sale and purchase of senior notes, under specified terms and conditions. The company filed a Form 8-K, dated February 20, 2026, to furnish this agreement and related indenture and opinion documents for incorporation into an existing shelf registration, signaling an organized step in its ongoing capital-raising activities.

The filing includes references to an existing base indenture dated May 8, 2024, a fourth supplemental indenture dated February 20, 2026, and the form of 4.875% senior notes due 2033, along with legal and tax opinions from external advisers. These actions formalize the structure and documentation around the new notes issuance, reinforcing Cousins Properties’ access to public debt markets and providing greater transparency for investors in its real estate financing strategy.

The most recent analyst rating on (CUZ) stock is a Hold with a $22.50 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Cousins Properties stock, see the CUZ Stock Forecast page.

Cousins Properties Authorizes $250 Million Share Repurchase Program

On February 17, 2026, Cousins Properties announced that its board had authorized a new share repurchase program allowing the company to buy back up to $250 million of its outstanding common stock. The move underscores management’s willingness to deploy capital toward shareholder returns while maintaining flexibility on timing, size and pricing of purchases, which may be executed in the open market, through private transactions or other legally permitted methods.

Cousins plans to fund the buybacks using a mix of proceeds from non-core asset sales, retained cash, debt financing and settlement of previously issued forward equity under its at-the-market program. The authorization, which has no expiration date and can be suspended or discontinued at any time, signals a potentially more active capital management stance that could influence the company’s share count, balance sheet structure and perceived valuation in the public markets.

The most recent analyst rating on (CUZ) stock is a Hold with a $23.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Cousins Properties stock, see the CUZ Stock Forecast page.

Cousins Properties Expands Charlotte Portfolio With Major Acquisition

On February 5, 2026, Cousins Properties announced that it acquired 300 South Tryon, a 638,000-square-foot lifestyle office tower in the Uptown submarket of Charlotte, for $317.5 million, with the transaction having closed on February 2, 2026. Built in 2017, the property is 100% leased with a weighted average lease term of six years, and Cousins plans to fund the purchase through a mix of proceeds from non-core asset sales, debt financing and/or settlement of previously issued common shares, including $63.2 million in expected proceeds from pending sales of Harborview Plaza in Tampa and a land parcel at 303 Tremont in Charlotte. Management described the off‑market deal as immediately accretive to earnings and strengthening future cash flows, highlighting that tightening supply and rising demand in Charlotte’s lifestyle office segment are supporting rapid rent growth and reinforcing the company’s strategy to expand its presence in high-growth Sun Belt markets with premier assets.

The most recent analyst rating on (CUZ) stock is a Buy with a $31.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Cousins Properties stock, see the CUZ Stock Forecast page.

Cousins Properties Highlights Strategy at REITWorld 2025

On December 9, 2025, Cousins Properties presented an investor presentation at the Nareit’s REITWorld: 2025 Annual Conference in Dallas, Texas. The presentation highlighted the company’s focus on premium office assets that offer modern amenities and are located in vibrant markets, contrasting them with older, less desirable properties. This strategic emphasis on high-quality office spaces is aimed at enhancing recruitment, retention, and corporate culture, reflecting a broader industry trend towards quality and adaptability in office real estate.

The most recent analyst rating on (CUZ) stock is a Hold with a $28.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Cousins Properties stock, see the CUZ Stock Forecast page.