Lazard Asset Management LLC Purchases 18,193 Shares of COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP)

Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP - Free Report) by 84.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 39,839 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 18,193 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in COPT Defense Properties were worth $1,233,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FIL Ltd raised its stake in COPT Defense Properties by 17.8% during the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 2,591 shares of the company's stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 391 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp raised its stake in COPT Defense Properties by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 21,889 shares of the company's stock valued at $677,000 after buying an additional 663 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. increased its holdings in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 16,157 shares of the company's stock worth $500,000 after purchasing an additional 905 shares in the last quarter. Spirit of America Management Corp NY increased its holdings in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 25.0% in the 4th quarter. Spirit of America Management Corp NY now owns 5,000 shares of the company's stock worth $155,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its holdings in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 33.4% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 5,081 shares of the company's stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,271 shares in the last quarter.

COPT Defense Properties Stock Performance

Shares of CDP traded down $0.00 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $26.98. 756,776 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 934,265. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a current ratio of 2.47. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $26.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $28.65. COPT Defense Properties has a 1 year low of $23.47 and a 1 year high of $34.22. The stock has a market cap of $3.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.93 and a beta of 0.86.

COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 28th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.65. COPT Defense Properties had a net margin of 18.44% and a return on equity of 9.07%. The firm had revenue of $187.86 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $186.37 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.62 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that COPT Defense Properties will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current year.

COPT Defense Properties Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 30th will be given a dividend of $0.305 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.52%. COPT Defense Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 97.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on CDP. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on COPT Defense Properties in a report on Monday, March 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $31.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of COPT Defense Properties from $36.00 to $30.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, COPT Defense Properties currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $33.14.

Insider Activity at COPT Defense Properties

In related news, Director Robert L. Denton sold 4,398 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.70, for a total transaction of $117,426.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.