Sifting through countless of stocks in the Office REITs industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Cousins Properties Incorporated or SL Green Realty Corp. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Cousins Properties Incorporated and SL Green Realty Corp. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Cousins Properties Incorporated and SL Green Realty Corp.

Cousins Properties Incorporated 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 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 based on a simple platform, trophy assets, and opportunistic investments. Cousins Properties Incorporated was founded in 1958 and is based in Georgia.

SL Green Realty Corp., Manhattan's largest office landlord, is a fully integrated real estate investment trust, or REIT, that is focused primarily on acquiring, managing and maximizing the value of Manhattan commercial properties. As of June 30, 2026, SL Green held interests in 54 buildings totaling 30.6 million square feet, which included ownership interests in 29.2 million square feet and 1.4 million square feet securing debt and preferred equity investments, excluding fund investments, and managed 4 buildings totaling 0.9 million square feet owned by third parties. SL Green Realty Corp. was incorporated in 1980 in Maryland and is based in New York.

Latest Office REITs and Cousins Properties Incorporated, SL Green Realty Corp. Stock News

As of August 18, 2026, Cousins Properties Incorporated had a $4.8 billion market capitalization, compared to the Office REITs median of $985.6 million. Cousins Properties Incorporated’s stock is up 13.8% in 2026, down 0.5% in the previous five trading days and up 5.88% in the past year.

Currently, Cousins Properties Incorporated’s price-earnings ratio is 763.2. Cousins Properties Incorporated’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.0 billion with a 0.6% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 11.7%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $0.140 per share for the current fiscal year. Cousins Properties Incorporated currently has a 4.4% dividend yield.

As of August 18, 2026, SL Green Realty Corp. had a $4.0 billion market cap, putting it in the 64th percentile of all stocks. SL Green Realty Corp.’s stock is up 25.7% in 2026, up 2.1% in the previous five trading days and up 4.81% in the past year.

Currently, SL Green Realty Corp. does not have a price-earnings ratio. SL Green Realty Corp.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $998.0 million with a -16.7% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 27.3%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $-1.747 per share for the current fiscal year. SL Green Realty Corp. currently has a 5.4% dividend yield.

How We Compare Cousins Properties Incorporated and SL Green Realty Corp. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Cousins Properties Incorporated and SL Green Realty Corp.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Cousins Properties Incorporated and SL Green Realty Corp. Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Cousins Properties Incorporated	CUZ	B
SL Green Realty Corp.	SLG	D

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Cousins Properties Incorporated has a Growth Score of 78, which is Strong. SL Green Realty Corp. has a Growth Score of 25, which is Weak.

The Growth Grade Winner: Cousins Properties Incorporated

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Cousins Properties Incorporated has a more attractive growth grade than SL Green Realty Corp.. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Cousins Properties Incorporated could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Cousins Properties Incorporated and SL Green Realty Corp.’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
Cousins Properties Incorporated	CUZ	C
SL Green Realty Corp.	SLG	D

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Cousins Properties Incorporated has a Quality Score of 46, which is Average. SL Green Realty Corp. has a Quality Score of 26, which is Weak.

The Quality Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Cousins Properties Incorporated or SL Green Realty Corp. has a high enough Quality Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Cousins Properties Incorporated or SL Green Realty Corp. is the better investment when it comes to quality.

Cousins Properties Incorporated and SL Green Realty Corp.’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Cousins Properties Incorporated	CUZ	C
SL Green Realty Corp.	SLG	B

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Cousins Properties Incorporated has a Momentum Score of 49, which is Average. SL Green Realty Corp. has a Momentum Score of 71, which is Strong.

The Momentum Grade Winner: SL Green Realty Corp.

As you can clearly see from the Momentum Grade breakdown above, SL Green Realty Corp. is considered to have stronger momentum compared to Cousins Properties Incorporated. For those specifically looking for companies that have stronger momentum compared to other companies in the same industry, SL Green Realty Corp. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Cousins Properties Incorporated and SL Green Realty Corp. Grades

In addition to Growth, Momentum and Quality, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Estimate Revisions.

Earnings estimate revisions scores take into account the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, surprises beget further surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Cousins Properties Incorporated and SL Green Realty Corp. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Cousins Properties Incorporated or SL Green Realty Corp. Stock?

Overall, Cousins Properties Incorporated stock has a Growth Score of 78, Momentum Score of 49 and Quality Score of 46.

SL Green Realty Corp. stock has a Growth Score of 25, Momentum Score of 71 and Quality Score of 26.

Comparing Cousins Properties Incorporated and SL Green Realty Corp.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.