Verdict: Side-by-side breakdown using the Bull Rankings model. CUZ scored 80.0, HIW scored 59.0 — CUZ leads.
Compare another set
Different reporting periods. CUZ's fundamentals are as of June 2026, but HIW's are as of March 2026 — a 3-month gap. Growth, margin and valuation figures below therefore describe different windows and aren't strictly like-for-like.
CUZ
Cousins Properties Incorporated
REIT - Office · Financial strength
69.7Fin
$27.44 · $4.5B
fundamentals as of
Strength gap
10.3
HIW leads
HIW
Highwoods Properties, Inc.
REIT - Office · Financial strength
80Fin
$29.76 · $3.3B
fundamentals as of
At a glance · who leads each dimension, on the model's own rules
Fastest growthCUZ+16.0%
Strongest balance sheetCUZ0.84
Side by side · every name on one set of axes
Fundamentals, head-to-head
CUZ
HIW
4.6%B+
Yield
6.9%A-
+16.0%B+
Rev
-2.4%D+
0.84B+
D/E
1.33C+
Winner per row is the stronger grade; where grades tie, the better figure breaks it. A true tie or a missing value shows no highlight.
The companies
CUZCousins Properties Incorporated
REIT - Office · $27.44 · beta 1.18
Why now
REIT - Office · market cap $4.5b. 17% off the 52-week high of $32.95. Revenue growing +16%, comfortably above the S&P median. 11 sell-side analysts rate this a Strong Buy with a mean 1-yr target of $33.55 (implying +22% upside).
Moat
Higher-variance name — the moat signals on the quantitative card are modest, so the durability case rests on execution (turning current growth into durable earnings power) or an un-monetized asset (IP / network effects / first-mover position) rather than an entrenched competitive position.
Risk
Dividend payout 3200% of earnings on a 4.6% yield — distribution coverage is thin; one earnings stumble could force a dividend cut. Net margin 0.6% is thin — operating leverage cuts both ways; input-cost inflation or pricing pressure hits the bottom line first. ROE 0% is below the long-run sustainable threshold of ~10% — capital efficiency would need to improve for the equity base to compound at the market rate.
HIWHighwoods Properties, Inc.
REIT - Office · $29.76 · beta 1.08
Why now
REIT - Office · market cap $3.3b. 16% off the 52-week high of $35.44. 9 sell-side analysts rate this a Hold with a mean 1-yr target of $32.33 (implying +9% upside).
Moat
Net margin 20% sits well above the S&P median (~11%) — suggests structural pricing advantage or cost discipline competitors can't quickly close.
Risk
Dividend payout 132% of earnings on a 6.9% yield — distribution coverage is thin; one earnings stumble could force a dividend cut. ROE 7% is below the long-run sustainable threshold of ~10% — capital efficiency would need to improve for the equity base to compound at the market rate.
Verdict — model-derived comparison
Generating verdict… typically 5–10 seconds
Not investment advice. The Bull Rankings publishes a quantitative ranking model and accompanying analysis for general informational purposes only. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security; nothing is personalized to your circumstances, risk tolerance, or tax situation. Investing carries the risk of loss — invest at your own risk and consider consulting a licensed financial professional before acting on anything you read here. See terms and methodology for full disclosures.
Common questions
Is CUZ or HIW the better stock?
CUZ scores higher: CUZ 80.0, HIW 59.0 out of 100 on the Bull Rankings quality-growth score, which blends business quality, growth and valuation into one number. A higher score means a stronger business at a more reasonable price — it is not a price target or a recommendation.
How are CUZ and HIW scored?
Each carries the same 0–100 quality-growth score used everywhere on the site, built from three pillars — quality (profitability and returns on capital), growth (revenue and earnings), and value (what you pay for them) — combined as a geometric mean, so a weak pillar cannot be papered over by a strong one.
How current is this comparison?
The whole universe is re-scored every trading day after the US market close, so the scores and fundamentals here reflect the latest published edition.