COPT Defense Properties $CDP Shares Acquired by Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank

Key Points

• Zurcher Kantonalbank boosted its stake in COPT Defense Properties by 48.2% in Q4 to 117,017 shares (≈$3.25M), joining other large institutions (Vanguard, AllianceBernstein, JPMorgan) that have recently increased positions.
• COPT beat Q4 expectations with $0.70 EPS and $197.36M revenue, issued FY2026 EPS guidance of 2.710–2.790 (Q1 guidance 0.670–0.690), with analysts projecting ~2.78 EPS for the year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.32 (annualized $1.28) for a ~4.0% yield95%, while analysts hold a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of about $33.88.

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in shares of COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP - Free Report) by 48.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 117,017 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 38,070 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank owned about 0.10% of COPT Defense Properties worth $3,253,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 1.2% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,999,275 shares of the company's stock worth $493,999,000 after purchasing an additional 205,143 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 16.8% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 8,457,373 shares of the company's stock worth $245,771,000 after purchasing an additional 1,215,936 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 7.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,566,073 shares of the company's stock worth $103,630,000 after purchasing an additional 253,558 shares in the last quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 21.0% during the third quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 2,913,596 shares of the company's stock worth $84,669,000 after purchasing an additional 506,593 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 5.4% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,577,065 shares of the company's stock worth $71,075,000 after purchasing an additional 131,287 shares in the last quarter.

COPT Defense Properties Stock Performance

NYSE CDP opened at $32.08 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.95, a current ratio of 3.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. COPT Defense Properties has a 52-week low of $25.21 and a 52-week high of $32.96. The business's 50-day moving average price is $31.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $30.22. The firm has a market cap of $3.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.76 and a beta of 0.86.

COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.02. COPT Defense Properties had a return on equity of 9.82% and a net margin of 19.94%.The firm had revenue of $197.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.79 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.65 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. COPT Defense Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.710-2.790 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.670-0.690 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that COPT Defense Properties will post 2.78 earnings per share for the current year.

COPT Defense Properties Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is an increase from COPT Defense Properties's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. COPT Defense Properties's dividend payout ratio is 94.81%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Philip L. Hawkins sold 5,536 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.71, for a total transaction of $181,082.56. Following the transaction, the director owned 15,188 shares of the company's stock, valued at $496,799.48. This trade represents a 26.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.66% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CDP has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of COPT Defense Properties in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Truist Financial lifted their target price on COPT Defense Properties from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on COPT Defense Properties from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on COPT Defense Properties from $33.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on COPT Defense Properties from $29.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, COPT Defense Properties currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $33.88.

About COPT Defense Properties

COPT Defense Properties NYSE: CDP is a real estate investment trust organized to own, lease and manage healthcare and life science facilities serving the United States federal government, with a particular focus on Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs tenants. The company was formed in 2016 through a spin-off from Corporate Office Properties Trust, enabling it to concentrate exclusively on medical office buildings and specialized research facilities situated on or near military and federal research campuses.

The company's portfolio comprises purpose-built, Class A medical office and outpatient specialty clinics, as well as life science laboratories.

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