COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $27.00.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on CDP shares. Wedbush reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $28.00 price objective (up previously from $27.00) on shares of COPT Defense Properties in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $25.00 price objective (down previously from $29.00) on shares of COPT Defense Properties in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded COPT Defense Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $26.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI upgraded COPT Defense Properties from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $27.00 to $28.00 in a research report on Monday, February 12th.

Institutional Trading of COPT Defense Properties

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Deroy & Devereaux Private Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new position in shares of COPT Defense Properties during the 1st quarter worth approximately $21,211,000. Leeward Investments LLC MA acquired a new position in COPT Defense Properties during the first quarter worth $13,350,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama purchased a new position in COPT Defense Properties during the first quarter valued at $12,119,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties in the first quarter valued at about $10,296,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB purchased a new stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties during the first quarter worth about $10,069,000.

COPT Defense Properties Stock Performance

CDP opened at $24.59 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 3.66, a quick ratio of 3.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58. COPT Defense Properties has a 12-month low of $21.76 and a 12-month high of $26.80. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $23.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $24.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.77 billion, a PE ratio of -22.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.92.

COPT Defense Properties Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 17th. Investors of record on Friday, March 29th were issued a $0.295 dividend. This is a boost from COPT Defense Properties’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 27th. This represents a $1.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.80%. COPT Defense Properties’s dividend payout ratio is presently -109.26%.

COPT Defense Properties Company Profile

COPT Defense, an S&P MidCap 400 Company, is a self-managed REIT focused on owning, operating and developing properties in locations proximate to, or sometimes containing, key U.S. Government (USG) defense installations and missions (referred to as its Defense/IT Portfolio). The Company's tenants include the USG and their defense contractors, who are primarily engaged in priority national security activities, and who generally require mission-critical and high security property enhancements.