COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $30.86.

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of COPT Defense Properties from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of COPT Defense Properties from $26.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of COPT Defense Properties from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Wedbush lifted their target price on shares of COPT Defense Properties from $28.00 to $33.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 5th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their target price on shares of COPT Defense Properties from $27.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th.

COPT Defense Properties Stock Performance

Shares of CDP opened at $32.70 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $31.43 and its 200 day moving average price is $28.39. COPT Defense Properties has a 52 week low of $22.20 and a 52 week high of $34.22. The company has a market capitalization of $3.68 billion, a PE ratio of 26.80 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a current ratio of 2.38.

COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by ($0.32). COPT Defense Properties had a net margin of 18.34% and a return on equity of 8.99%. The company had revenue of $189.23 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $167.37 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that COPT Defense Properties will post 2.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

COPT Defense Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.295 dividend. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. COPT Defense Properties’s payout ratio is 96.72%.

Insider Transactions at COPT Defense Properties

In related news, COO Britt A. Snider bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $29.41 per share, with a total value of $29,410.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 2,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $58,820. The trade was a 100.00 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.06% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On COPT Defense Properties

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. bought a new position in COPT Defense Properties during the first quarter worth $2,498,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD bought a new stake in COPT Defense Properties in the 1st quarter valued at $1,702,000. California State Teachers Retirement System bought a new stake in COPT Defense Properties in the 1st quarter valued at $2,721,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new stake in COPT Defense Properties in the 1st quarter valued at $7,571,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. bought a new stake in COPT Defense Properties in the 1st quarter valued at $407,496,000.

About COPT Defense Properties

COPT Defense, an S&P MidCap 400 Company, is a self-managed REIT focused on owning, operating and developing properties in locations proximate to, or sometimes containing, key U.S. Government (USG) defense installations and missions (referred to as its Defense/IT Portfolio). The Company's tenants include the USG and their defense contractors, who are primarily engaged in priority national security activities, and who generally require mission-critical and high security property enhancements.