COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) Holdings Trimmed by Westwood Holdings Group Inc.

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. cut its stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP - Free Report) by 11.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,885,343 shares of the company's stock after selling 380,401 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. owned about 2.56% of COPT Defense Properties worth $89,301,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties in the 4th quarter worth approximately $414,000. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 41.3% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 36,970 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,144,000 after purchasing an additional 10,801 shares during the period. Man Group plc grew its position in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 31.7% in the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 126,659 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,920,000 after purchasing an additional 30,491 shares during the period. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV grew its position in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 16,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $515,000 after purchasing an additional 635 shares during the period. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties in the fourth quarter valued at $461,000.

Insider Transactions at COPT Defense Properties

In other news, Director Robert L. Denton sold 4,398 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.70, for a total value of $117,426.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.42% of the company's stock.

COPT Defense Properties Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE:CDP traded down $0.00 on Friday, hitting $26.98. 756,776 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 932,751. The stock has a market cap of $3.05 billion, a PE ratio of 21.93 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 2.47, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $26.52 and a 200-day moving average of $28.70. COPT Defense Properties has a fifty-two week low of $23.47 and a fifty-two week high of $34.22.

COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, April 28th. The company reported $0.65 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.65. The company had revenue of $187.86 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $186.37 million. COPT Defense Properties had a return on equity of 9.07% and a net margin of 18.44%. The firm's revenue was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.62 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that COPT Defense Properties will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

COPT Defense Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.305 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 30th. This represents a $1.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.52%. COPT Defense Properties's dividend payout ratio is presently 97.60%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on CDP shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on COPT Defense Properties in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $31.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on COPT Defense Properties from $36.00 to $30.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Two 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 presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $33.14.

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.