COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP - Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $33.14.

CDP has been the subject of several analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on COPT Defense Properties in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $31.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on COPT Defense Properties from $36.00 to $30.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 19th.

Insider Buying and Selling at COPT Defense Properties

In other news, Director Robert L. Denton sold 4,398 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.70, for a total transaction of $117,426.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in COPT Defense Properties by 321.7% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,071 shares of the company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 817 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 102.0% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,186 shares of the company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 599 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group raised its holdings in COPT Defense Properties by 9,030.4% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 2,100 shares of the company's stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 2,077 shares in the last quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. purchased a new position in COPT Defense Properties in the fourth quarter worth approximately $63,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in COPT Defense Properties in the first quarter worth approximately $74,000.

COPT Defense Properties Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of CDP stock opened at $28.39 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 3.21, a quick ratio of 3.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. COPT Defense Properties has a twelve month low of $23.92 and a twelve month high of $34.22. The company's 50-day moving average price is $27.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $27.89. The stock has a market cap of $3.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.71 and a beta of 0.87.

COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.65. The company had revenue of $187.86 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $186.37 million. COPT Defense Properties had a net margin of 18.86% and a return on equity of 9.19%. COPT Defense Properties's quarterly revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.62 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that COPT Defense Properties will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current year.

COPT Defense Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.305 per share. This represents a $1.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. COPT Defense Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.60%.

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.

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