Geode Capital Management LLC Decreases Holdings in COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP)

Geode Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP - Free Report) by 0.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,915,717 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,491 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned approximately 2.59% of COPT Defense Properties worth $90,260,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of CDP. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 50.0% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 358,026 shares of the company's stock worth $10,859,000 after acquiring an additional 119,316 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 140,780 shares of the company's stock worth $4,270,000 after purchasing an additional 1,890 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 87.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 218,999 shares of the company's stock worth $6,643,000 after buying an additional 102,280 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp boosted its position in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 3.4% in the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 21,226 shares of the company's stock worth $644,000 after buying an additional 701 shares during the period. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its stake in COPT Defense Properties by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 42,381 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,349,000 after buying an additional 4,885 shares during the period.

COPT Defense Properties Stock Performance

NYSE:CDP traded up $0.22 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $26.49. 45,090 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 922,992. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.99 billion, a PE ratio of 21.46 and a beta of 0.92. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $26.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.67. COPT Defense Properties has a one year low of $22.20 and a one year high of $34.22. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The company reported $0.65 EPS 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%. Analysts anticipate that COPT Defense Properties will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

COPT Defense Properties Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 31st will be paid a $0.305 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 31st. This is a positive change from COPT Defense Properties's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.61%. COPT Defense Properties's payout ratio is 99.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.