LPL Financial LLC Sells 862 Shares of COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP)

LPL Financial LLC lowered its holdings in COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 49,161 shares of the company’s stock after selling 862 shares during the quarter. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in COPT Defense Properties were worth $1,522,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 77.8% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,403 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 614 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in COPT Defense Properties in the 4th quarter worth approximately $90,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in COPT Defense Properties in the third quarter worth approximately $91,000. Spirit of America Management Corp NY grew its position in COPT Defense Properties by 25.0% during the fourth quarter. Spirit of America Management Corp NY now owns 5,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $155,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 33.4% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 5,081 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,000 after acquiring an additional 1,271 shares in the last quarter.

COPT Defense Properties Stock Performance

NYSE:CDP opened at $26.36 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a current ratio of 2.47. COPT Defense Properties has a fifty-two week low of $22.20 and a fifty-two week high of $34.22. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $26.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $29.62. The firm has a market cap of $2.98 billion, a PE ratio of 21.43 and a beta of 0.92.

COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by $0.33. COPT Defense Properties had a net margin of 18.44% and a return on equity of 9.07%. Equities research analysts predict that COPT Defense Properties will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current year.

COPT Defense Properties Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were given a $0.305 dividend. This is a positive change from COPT Defense Properties’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 31st. COPT Defense Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 99.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of COPT Defense Properties in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $31.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $33.43.

COPT Defense Properties Company Profile

COPT Defense Properties is a real estate investment trust. It acquires, develops, manages, sells, and leases out office properties and data centers. The firm operates through the following segments: Defense/Information Technology Locations, Regional Office, Wholesale Data Center, and Other. The company was founded on January 22,1988 and is headquartered in Columbia, MD.