Boston Partners Reduces Position in Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE:CUZ)

Boston Partners cut its stake in shares of Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE:CUZ - Free Report) by 3.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 882,604 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 36,192 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners owned approximately 0.58% of Cousins Properties worth $21,390,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CUZ. Gotham Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Cousins Properties by 10.0% in the third quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 53,547 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,091,000 after purchasing an additional 4,884 shares in the last quarter. PGGM Investments raised its holdings in Cousins Properties by 2.6% during the third quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 2,046,403 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $41,685,000 after acquiring an additional 50,956 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cousins Properties in the third quarter valued at about $1,538,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Cousins Properties by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 84,730 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,063,000 after acquiring an additional 3,592 shares during the period. Finally, Kennedy Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Cousins Properties by 31.0% during the third quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 235,515 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $4,797,000 after purchasing an additional 55,783 shares in the last quarter. 94.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cousins Properties Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CUZ traded down $0.14 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $23.91. 786,161 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,551,928. The company's 50 day moving average is $23.16 and its 200 day moving average is $22.64. Cousins Properties Incorporated has a one year low of $17.40 and a one year high of $25.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.64 billion, a PE ratio of 48.79, a P/E/G ratio of 5.14 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.63 by ($0.54). The business had revenue of $209.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $199.35 million. Cousins Properties had a return on equity of 1.62% and a net margin of 9.15%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.65 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Cousins Properties Incorporated will post 2.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Cousins Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 4th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 3rd. Cousins Properties's payout ratio is 261.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Cousins Properties from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Cousins Properties from $29.00 to $25.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cousins Properties has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $23.67.

Insider Transactions at Cousins Properties

In related news, CFO Gregg D. Adzema sold 71,097 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.31, for a total transaction of $1,657,271.07. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 85,872 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,001,676.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Cousins Properties Company Profile

Cousins Properties Incorporated ("Cousins") is a fully integrated, self-administered, and self-managed real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company, based in Atlanta and acting through its operating partnership, Cousins Properties LP, primarily invests in Class A office buildings located in high-growth Sun Belt markets.