Franklin Resources Inc. Has $2.62 Million Stake in COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP)

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP - Free Report) by 357.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 84,789 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 66,270 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.08% of COPT Defense Properties worth $2,624,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 77.8% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,403 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 614 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 21,889 shares of the company's stock worth $677,000 after acquiring an additional 663 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. raised its holdings in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 16,157 shares of the company's stock worth $500,000 after acquiring an additional 905 shares during the period. Spirit of America Management Corp NY boosted its position in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 25.0% during the fourth quarter. Spirit of America Management Corp NY now owns 5,000 shares of the company's stock worth $155,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 33.4% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 5,081 shares of the company's stock worth $157,000 after buying an additional 1,271 shares in the last quarter.

COPT Defense Properties Stock Up 0.6 %

NYSE CDP traded up $0.16 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $26.36. 806,563 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 923,014. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.43 and a beta of 0.92. COPT Defense Properties has a twelve month low of $22.20 and a twelve month high of $34.22. The business's 50-day moving average is $26.73 and its 200-day moving average is $29.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 2.38 and a current ratio of 2.47.

COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.33. COPT Defense Properties had a net margin of 18.44% and a return on equity of 9.07%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that COPT Defense Properties will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current year.

COPT Defense Properties Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 31st were issued a $0.305 dividend. This represents a $1.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.63%. This is a boost from COPT Defense Properties's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 31st. COPT Defense Properties's dividend payout ratio is presently 99.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on COPT Defense Properties in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $31.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $33.43.

COPT Defense Properties Company 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.