AQR Capital Management LLC Grows Stock Position in COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP)

AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP - Free Report) by 32.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,103,627 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 270,508 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.98% of COPT Defense Properties worth $33,981,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in CDP. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in COPT Defense Properties by 813.0% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 6,247,854 shares of the company's stock worth $193,371,000 after purchasing an additional 5,563,548 shares in the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC increased its position in COPT Defense Properties by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 4,795,639 shares of the company's stock valued at $148,425,000 after purchasing an additional 89,571 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 21.9% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,283,383 shares of the company's stock valued at $101,621,000 after purchasing an additional 590,051 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 12.2% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,099,052 shares of the company's stock valued at $95,916,000 after purchasing an additional 335,775 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in COPT Defense Properties by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 2,139,455 shares of the company's stock worth $66,216,000 after buying an additional 24,577 shares in the last quarter.

COPT Defense Properties Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE CDP traded up $0.11 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $26.71. The company had a trading volume of 98,098 shares, compared to its average volume of 912,075. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $26.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.13. The company has a current ratio of 2.47, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. COPT Defense Properties has a 52-week low of $23.47 and a 52-week high of $34.22. The stock has a market cap of $3.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.74 and a beta of 0.86.

COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.65. The firm had revenue of $187.86 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.37 million. COPT Defense Properties had a return on equity of 9.07% and a net margin of 18.44%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.62 earnings per share. Sell-side 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 31st were paid a $0.305 dividend. This represents a $1.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.57%. This is a boost from COPT Defense Properties's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. COPT Defense Properties's dividend payout ratio is presently 97.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

COPT Defense Properties 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.