Alliancebernstein L.P. Acquires 546,486 Shares of Cousins Properties Incorporated $CUZ

Key Points

• Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in Cousins Properties Incorporated by 236.3%, acquiring an additional 546,486 shares during the first quarter, bringing its total ownership to 777,722 shares valued at approximately $22.9 million.
• Cousins Properties has a current market cap of $4.91 billion and recently reported quarterly earnings of $0.70 EPS, matching analyst expectations.
• Analyst ratings vary, with six analysts rating the stock as a Buy and a consensus target price of $32.40, reflecting a generally favorable outlook despite some recent rating downgrades.

Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE:CUZ - Free Report) by 236.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 777,722 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 546,486 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned about 0.46% of Cousins Properties worth $22,943,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of CUZ. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. grew its stake in shares of Cousins Properties by 14.8% in the 1st quarter. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. now owns 3,175 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $94,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in Cousins Properties by 2.7% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 16,377 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $483,000 after buying an additional 427 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Cousins Properties by 16.5% in the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,374 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $100,000 after buying an additional 477 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in shares of Cousins Properties by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 110,867 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $3,397,000 after buying an additional 521 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Cousins Properties by 1.5% in the first quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 40,144 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,184,000 after buying an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. 94.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Cousins Properties

In other Cousins Properties news, CAO Jeffrey D. Symes sold 4,612 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.30, for a total value of $135,131.60. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 13,518 shares in the company, valued at $396,077.40. The trade was a 25.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.47% of the company's stock.

Cousins Properties Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE:CUZ traded up $0.09 on Tuesday, hitting $29.28. 1,596,802 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,450,500. The company has a market cap of $4.92 billion, a PE ratio of 79.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.39. Cousins Properties Incorporated has a 1 year low of $24.07 and a 1 year high of $32.55. The company has a current ratio of 2.45, a quick ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $28.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $28.42.

Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.70. The business had revenue of $237.72 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $243.73 million. Cousins Properties had a net margin of 6.51% and a return on equity of 1.27%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.68 earnings per share. Cousins Properties has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.790-2.850 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Cousins Properties Incorporated will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cousins Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 17th. Investors of record on Monday, July 7th were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, July 7th. Cousins Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 345.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on CUZ. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Cousins Properties from $31.00 to $30.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Mizuho increased their price target on Cousins Properties from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Cousins Properties from $34.00 to $32.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 19th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Cousins Properties from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, September 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Cousins Properties from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Monday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $32.50.

About Cousins Properties

Cousins Properties Incorporated ("Cousins") is a fully integrated, self-administered, and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company, based in Atlanta and acting through its operating partnership, Cousins Properties LP, primarily invests in Class A office buildings located in high-growth Sun Belt markets.