CBL & Associates Properties (OTCMKTS:CBLAQ) versus Arbor Realty Trust (NYSE:ABR) Financial Review

CBL & Associates Properties (OTCMKTS:CBLAQ) and Arbor Realty Trust (NYSE:ABR) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, profitability, risk and dividends.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for CBL & Associates Properties and Arbor Realty Trust, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
CBL & Associates Properties	0	0	0	0	N/A
Arbor Realty Trust	2	2	2	0	2.00

Arbor Realty Trust has a consensus target price of $14.71, suggesting a potential upside of 9.27%. Given Arbor Realty Trust’s higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Arbor Realty Trust is more favorable than CBL & Associates Properties.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

57.3% of Arbor Realty Trust shares are held by institutional investors. 20.1% of CBL & Associates Properties shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 3.7% of Arbor Realty Trust shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares CBL & Associates Properties and Arbor Realty Trust’s gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
CBL & Associates Properties	$535.29 million	N/A	$6.55 million	N/A	N/A
Arbor Realty Trust	$1.33 billion	1.92	$371.43 million	$1.61	8.39

Arbor Realty Trust has higher revenue and earnings than CBL & Associates Properties.

Profitability

This table compares CBL & Associates Properties and Arbor Realty Trust’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
CBL & Associates Properties	1.22%	0.95%	0.13%
Arbor Realty Trust	26.05%	17.04%	2.81%

Summary

Arbor Realty Trust beats CBL & Associates Properties on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About CBL & Associates Properties

CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. is a real estate investment trust, which owns and operates retail properties. The firm engages in owning, developing, acquiring, leasing, managing and operating regional shopping malls, open-air centers, community centers and office properties. It operates through Malls and All Other segments. Its properties include Malls, Associated Centers, Community Centers, Office Buildings, Construction Properties and Mortgages. The company was founded on July 13, 1993 and is headquartered in Chattanooga, TN.

About Arbor Realty Trust

Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. invests in a diversified portfolio of structured finance assets in the multifamily, single-family rental, and commercial real estate markets in the United States. The company operates through Structured Business and Agency Business segments. It primarily invests in bridge and mezzanine loans, including junior participating interests in first mortgages, and preferred and direct equity, as well as real estate-related joint ventures, real estate-related notes, and various mortgage-related securities. In addition, the company offers bridge financing products to borrowers who seek short-term capital to be used in an acquisition of property; financing by making preferred equity investments in entities that directly or indirectly own real property; mezzanine financing in the form of loans that are subordinate to a conventional first mortgage loan and senior to the borrower's equity in a transaction; junior participation financing in the form of a junior participating interest in the senior debt; and financing products to borrowers who are looking to acquire conventional, workforce, and affordable single-family housing. Further, it underwrites, originates, sells, and services multifamily mortgage loans through conduit/commercial mortgage-backed securities programs. The company qualifies as a real estate investment trust for federal income tax purposes. It generally would not be subject to federal corporate income taxes if it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its stockholders. Arbor Realty Trust, Inc. was incorporated in 2003 and is headquartered in Uniondale, New York.