COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) Shares Purchased by Natixis Advisors LLC

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in COPT Defense Properties by 8.4%, owning 285,366 shares worth approximately $7.78 million as of its latest SEC filing.
• COPT Defense Properties reported $0.68 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, with a revenue of $175.60 million which was below analyst expectations.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.305 per share, representing an annualized yield of 4.4%, with a relatively high dividend payout ratio of 95.31%.

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its stake in COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP - Free Report) by 8.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 285,366 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 22,016 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.25% of COPT Defense Properties worth $7,782,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its position in COPT Defense Properties by 43.6% during the first quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 11,575 shares of the company's stock valued at $316,000 after acquiring an additional 3,515 shares during the last quarter. Vestcor Inc raised its stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 7.7% in the first quarter. Vestcor Inc now owns 108,993 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,972,000 after acquiring an additional 7,828 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP raised its stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 70.1% in the first quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 91,881 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,506,000 after acquiring an additional 37,864 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 33.4% in the first quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 17,232 shares of the company's stock valued at $470,000 after acquiring an additional 4,319 shares during the period. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 2.4% in the first quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 80,707 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,201,000 after acquiring an additional 1,866 shares during the period.

Insider Transactions at COPT Defense Properties

In other news, Director Robert L. Denton sold 4,398 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

COPT Defense Properties Stock Performance

NYSE CDP traded down $0.40 on Friday, hitting $27.78. 190,715 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 950,038. The company has a current ratio of 2.96, a quick ratio of 2.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58. COPT Defense Properties has a 1-year low of $23.92 and a 1-year high of $34.22. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $28.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $27.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.14 billion, a PE ratio of 21.71 and a beta of 0.87.

COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, July 28th. The company reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $175.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.55 million. COPT Defense Properties had a net margin of 19.23% and a return on equity of 9.38%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that COPT Defense Properties will post 2.67 EPS for the current year.

COPT Defense Properties Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th were paid a dividend of $0.305 per share. This represents a $1.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 30th. COPT Defense Properties's payout ratio is 95.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of COPT Defense Properties from $36.00 to $30.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $33.17.

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.