Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Sells 30,393 Shares of COPT Defense Properties $CDP

Key Points

• Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio reduced its COPT Defense Properties stake by 12.1%, selling 30,393 shares and retaining 220,381 shares valued at approximately $6.7 million. Several other institutional investors, including Norges Bank and Two Sigma, increased their positions.
• COPT Defense Properties reported quarterly EPS of $0.40, exceeding the $0.33 analyst consensus, while revenue of $197.4 million also topped expectations. The company issued full-year 2026 EPS guidance of $1.39–$1.43 and pays an annualized $1.28 dividend yielding about 3.4%.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $35.50, although the stock recently traded at $38.16. A company director also sold 3,922 shares, reducing his position by roughly 50.8%.

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lessened its position in shares of COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP - Free Report) by 12.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 220,381 shares of the company's stock after selling 30,393 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio owned 0.19% of COPT Defense Properties worth $6,744,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in COPT Defense Properties during the fourth quarter valued at $39,685,000. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its position in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 289.9% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 900,047 shares of the company's stock worth $26,155,000 after acquiring an additional 669,181 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 51.8% in the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,896,161 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,713,000 after purchasing an additional 647,449 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 323.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 791,867 shares of the company's stock valued at $23,013,000 after purchasing an additional 604,670 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 60.0% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,472,046 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,393,000 after purchasing an additional 551,863 shares in the last quarter.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other COPT Defense Properties news, Director Robert L. Denton sold 3,922 shares of COPT Defense Properties stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.38, for a total transaction of $126,994.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,803 shares in the company, valued at approximately $123,141.14. The trade was a 50.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.66% of the company's stock.

COPT Defense Properties Stock Performance

CDP opened at $38.16 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.85, a quick ratio of 2.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63. The company's fifty day moving average price is $34.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $32.71. COPT Defense Properties has a 1-year low of $26.91 and a 1-year high of $38.86. The company has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.50 and a beta of 0.76.

COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, July 27th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.33 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $197.39 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $189.36 million. COPT Defense Properties had a net margin of 20.94% and a return on equity of 10.52%. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.34 earnings per share. COPT Defense Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.390-1.430 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.370-0.390 EPS. On average, analysts expect that COPT Defense Properties will post 2.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

COPT Defense Properties Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, June 30th were given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, June 30th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. COPT Defense Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 92.75%.

More COPT Defense Properties News

Here are the key news stories impacting COPT Defense Properties this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results exceeded expectations. COPT Defense reported $0.40 in second-quarter EPS versus the $0.33 consensus estimate, while revenue of $197.4 million topped forecasts of $189.4 million. Funds from operations (FFO) reached $0.71 per share, up from $0.68 a year earlier and above the $0.68 consensus. COPT Defense Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Operating momentum remains strong. Management said first-half performance exceeded expectations across financial results, occupancy, leasing activity and investment commitments. Demand for mission-critical properties serving U.S. defense and government tenants continues to support the company’s growth outlook. COPT Defense Properties Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Redstone Gateway and the development pipeline add longer-term upside. Expansion at Redstone Gateway is increasing demand coverage, while the defense-focused development pipeline supports expectations for higher occupancy, leasing growth and valuation. BTIG analyst Tom Catherwood initiated coverage with a Buy rating, citing the FFO beat, raised outlook and defense-driven pipeline. COPT Defense Targets 2026 FFO Midpoint
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance requires careful interpretation. COPT Defense set third-quarter GAAP EPS guidance at $0.37-$0.39 and full-year GAAP EPS guidance at $1.39-$1.43, while its full-year FFO outlook centers on approximately $2.78 per share. Differences between these measures and consensus estimates may have created some headline uncertainty for investors. COPT Defense Properties Q2 Earnings Highlights

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CDP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of COPT Defense Properties in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $37.00 price target on shares of COPT Defense Properties in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on COPT Defense Properties from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of COPT Defense Properties from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of COPT Defense Properties from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $35.50.

COPT Defense Properties Profile

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CDP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.