EastGroup Properties (EGP) Competitors

First Industrial Realty Trust (NYSE:FR) and EastGroup Properties (NYSE:EGP) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, risk, valuation, media sentiment, dividends, analyst recommendations, community ranking, institutional ownership and profitability.

Which has higher earnings and valuation, FR or EGP?

First Industrial Realty Trust has higher revenue and earnings than EastGroup Properties. First Industrial Realty Trust is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than EastGroup Properties, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
First Industrial Realty Trust	$669.64M	10.74	$287.55M	$2.18	24.91
EastGroup Properties	$640.23M	14.33	$227.75M	$4.65	37.92

Does the MarketBeat Community favor FR or EGP?

EastGroup Properties received 32 more outperform votes than First Industrial Realty Trust when rated by MarketBeat users. However, 58.33% of users gave First Industrial Realty Trust an outperform vote while only 57.66% of users gave EastGroup Properties an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
First Industrial Realty Trust	Outperform Votes 427 58.33%	Underperform Votes 305 41.67%
EastGroup Properties	Outperform Votes 459 57.66%	Underperform Votes 337 42.34%

Which has more volatility & risk, FR or EGP?

First Industrial Realty Trust has a beta of 1.07, suggesting that its stock price is 7% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, EastGroup Properties has a beta of 0.99, suggesting that its stock price is 1% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do analysts rate FR or EGP?

First Industrial Realty Trust presently has a consensus target price of $58.31, indicating a potential upside of 7.37%. EastGroup Properties has a consensus target price of $190.47, indicating a potential upside of 8.03%. Given EastGroup Properties' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe EastGroup Properties is more favorable than First Industrial Realty Trust.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
First Industrial Realty Trust	0 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	7 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
EastGroup Properties	0 Sell rating(s)	8 Hold rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.59

Is FR or EGP more profitable?

First Industrial Realty Trust has a net margin of 42.94% compared to EastGroup Properties' net margin of 35.57%. First Industrial Realty Trust's return on equity of 10.64% beat EastGroup Properties' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
First Industrial Realty Trust	42.94%	10.64%	5.51%
EastGroup Properties	35.57%	7.89%	4.76%

Does the media refer more to FR or EGP?

In the previous week, EastGroup Properties had 2 more articles in the media than First Industrial Realty Trust. MarketBeat recorded 14 mentions for EastGroup Properties and 12 mentions for First Industrial Realty Trust. First Industrial Realty Trust's average media sentiment score of 1.72 beat EastGroup Properties' score of 1.01 indicating that First Industrial Realty Trust is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
First Industrial Realty Trust	11 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
EastGroup Properties	8 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is FR or EGP a better dividend stock?

First Industrial Realty Trust pays an annual dividend of $1.78 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.3%. EastGroup Properties pays an annual dividend of $5.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.2%. First Industrial Realty Trust pays out 81.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. EastGroup Properties pays out 120.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. First Industrial Realty Trust has increased its dividend for 12 consecutive years. First Industrial Realty Trust is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of FR or EGP?

99.8% of First Industrial Realty Trust shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.1% of EastGroup Properties shares are held by institutional investors. 0.9% of First Industrial Realty Trust shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.0% of EastGroup Properties shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

First Industrial Realty Trust beats EastGroup Properties on 12 of the 22 factors compared between the two stocks.