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

COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $33.43.

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on COPT Defense Properties in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $31.00 target price on the stock.

COPT Defense Properties Stock Up 0.6 %

CDP opened at $26.36 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 2.47 and a quick ratio of 2.38. COPT Defense Properties has a 12 month low of $22.53 and a 12 month high of $34.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.43 and a beta of 0.92. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $26.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $29.57.

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

COPT Defense Properties Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.305 dividend. This is an increase from COPT Defense Properties’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. This represents a $1.22 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.63%. COPT Defense Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 99.19%.

Institutional Trading of COPT Defense Properties

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new position in COPT Defense Properties in the 1st quarter worth approximately $810,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 28.3% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 17,517 shares of the company’s stock worth $478,000 after purchasing an additional 3,866 shares in the last quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH increased its holdings in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 11.0% during the first quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 763,547 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,822,000 after purchasing an additional 75,390 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties during the first quarter valued at about $926,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in COPT Defense Properties by 321.7% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,071 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 817 shares during the period.

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.