Key Reasons to Add Cousins Properties to Your Portfolio Now

Cousins Properties’ CUZ portfolio of Class A office assets in high-growth Sun Belt markets is witnessing higher leasing activity due to tenants’ preference for premium office spaces with class-apart amenities. A diverse tenant base assures steady cash flows. Its capital-recycling efforts are encouraging and a healthy balance sheet aids financial flexibility.

Last month, this office real estate investment trust (REIT) reported fourth-quarter 2025 funds from operations (FFO) per share of 71 cents, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. The figure increased 2.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Results reflected healthy leasing activity in the quarter. However, the weighted average occupancy decreased, while interest expenses increased and marred the growth tempo.

Analysts seem positive about this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CUZ’s 2026 FFO per share has moved 1 cent northward over the past month to $2.93.

However, shares of the company have declined 7.2% over the past three months against the industry’s growth of 5.5%.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Factors That Make Cousins Properties Stock a Solid Pick

Solid Portfolio and Diversified Tenant Base: Cousins Properties has an unmatched portfolio of Class A office assets concentrated in the high-growth Sun Belt markets. This region is experiencing a population influx. Amid favorable migration trends and a pro-business environment, corporate relocations and expansions in the Sun Belt markets have gained pace, and this is driving the demand for office space. During 2025, the second-generation net rent per square foot on a cash basis climbed 3.5%.

Moreover, the company has a well-diversified, high-end tenant roster with less dependence on a single industry. This enables it to enjoy steady revenues over different economic cycles.

Healthy Leasing Activity: Cousins Properties is seeing a recovery in demand for its high-quality, well-placed office properties, as highlighted by a rebound in new leasing volume. During 2025, the company executed 167 leases for a total of 2.1 million square feet of office space with a weighted average lease term of 8.5 years.

Going forward, with the continuation of inbound migration and significant investments being announced by office occupiers to expand the footprint in the Sun Belt regions, Cousins Properties’ leading trophy portfolio of class A and highly amenitized office realties across the region is well-positioned to reap benefits.

Capital-Recycling Efforts: Cousins Properties’ capital-recycling moves to enhance its portfolio quality with trophy asset acquisitions seem encouraging for long-term growth. In February 2026, Cousins Properties acquired 300 South Tryon, spanning 638,000 square feet for $317.5 million. Apart from the TIER REIT transaction, from 2020 through 2025, the company acquired 3.7 million square feet of operating properties for $1.84 billion.

Moreover, timely dispositions have helped CUZ shed slow-growth assets from its portfolio and redeploy the proceeds for developing and acquiring highly differentiated amenitized properties in the Sun Belt submarkets.

Balance Sheet Strength: Cousins Properties focuses on maintaining a robust balance sheet, with ample liquidity to capitalize on improving market fundamentals. Its debt maturity schedule is well-laddered to efficiently access the unsecured bond market. The company exited the fourth quarter of 2025 with cash and cash equivalents of $5.7 million. As of Dec. 31, 2025, Cousins Properties had a net debt-to-annualized EBITDAre ratio of 5.30. As of the same date, the company had $116 million drawn under its $1 billion credit facility. Thus, with considerable liquidity and access to capital markets, it enjoys ample flexibility to pursue compelling growth opportunities.

Other Stocks to Consider

Some other top-ranked stocks from the broader REIT sector are Digital Realty Trust DLR and W.P. Carey WPC, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DLR’s 2026 FFO per share is pegged at $7.96, which indicates year-over-year growth of 7.7%.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WPC’s full-year FFO per share is pinned at $5.16, which calls for an increase of 3.8% from the year-ago period.

Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO) — a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.

5 Stocks Set to Double

Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in the coming year. While not all picks can be winners, previous recommendations have soared +112%, +171%, +209% and +232%.

Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.

Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

Cousins Properties Incorporated (CUZ): Free Stock Analysis Report

Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (DLR): Free Stock Analysis Report

W.P. Carey Inc. (WPC): Free Stock Analysis Report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research