Barclays PLC Raises Holdings in COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP)

Barclays PLC boosted its stake in COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) by 100.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 438,216 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 219,217 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned about 0.39% of COPT Defense Properties worth $13,563,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CDP. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 77.8% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,403 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. FIL Ltd increased its holdings in COPT Defense Properties by 17.8% during the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 2,591 shares of the company’s stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 391 shares during the period. USA Financial Formulas bought a new position in COPT Defense Properties during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $90,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in COPT Defense Properties in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $91,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties in the 4th quarter worth approximately $110,000.

COPT Defense Properties Price Performance

Shares of CDP opened at $26.36 on Monday. COPT Defense Properties has a fifty-two week low of $22.53 and a fifty-two week high of $34.22. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $26.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.57. The stock has a market cap of $2.98 billion, a PE ratio of 21.43 and a beta of 0.92. 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 (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%. Analysts anticipate that COPT Defense Properties will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

COPT Defense Properties Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

About COPT Defense Properties

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.