Vanguard Group Inc. Raises Position in COPT Defense Properties $CDP

Key Points

• Vanguard Group increased its stake in COPT Defense Properties by 0.8% in Q4 to 17,127,858 shares, representing about 15.13% ownership and roughly $476.2 million.
• COPT reported quarterly EPS of $0.34 (missing estimates of $0.68) while revenue beat at $200.6 million and the company set FY2026 EPS guidance of 2.730–2.790 (analysts expect ~2.78); it also raised the quarterly dividend to $0.32, an annualized yield of ~4.1% with a payout ratio near 92.8%.
• Analysts are broadly positive, assigning a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $34.38, and several firms have recently raised price targets (Evercore $38, Cantor Fitzgerald $37, Citigroup $34).

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP - Free Report) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,127,858 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 128,583 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 15.13% of COPT Defense Properties worth $476,154,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of CDP. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its holdings in COPT Defense Properties by 16.8% during the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 8,457,373 shares of the company's stock valued at $245,771,000 after buying an additional 1,215,936 shares during the period. GRS Advisors LLC purchased a new position in COPT Defense Properties during the third quarter worth $28,399,000. Two Sigma Investments LP increased its position in COPT Defense Properties by 289.9% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 900,047 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,155,000 after acquiring an additional 669,181 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its position in COPT Defense Properties by 323.0% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 791,867 shares of the company's stock valued at $23,013,000 after acquiring an additional 604,670 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 60.0% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,472,046 shares of the company's stock valued at $40,393,000 after acquiring an additional 551,863 shares during the period.

COPT Defense Properties Trading Up 1.1%

NYSE:CDP opened at $30.97 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $31.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $30.36. COPT Defense Properties has a one year low of $25.99 and a one year high of $33.29. The firm has a market cap of $3.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.44 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 3.95 and a current ratio of 2.85.

COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.68 by ($0.34). The business had revenue of $200.64 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $185.10 million. COPT Defense Properties had a net margin of 20.10% and a return on equity of 10.02%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.65 earnings per share. COPT Defense Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.730-2.790 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.680-0.700 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that COPT Defense Properties will post 2.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

COPT Defense Properties Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is an increase from COPT Defense Properties's previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.1%. COPT Defense Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 92.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at COPT Defense Properties

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 sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on CDP. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of COPT Defense Properties from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of COPT Defense Properties from $29.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and set a $38.00 target price on shares of COPT Defense Properties in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $37.00 target price on shares of COPT Defense Properties in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded COPT Defense Properties from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, COPT Defense Properties presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $34.38.

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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