Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) Rating Increased to Buy at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have $36.00 price objective on the real estate investment trust’s stock, up from their prior price objective of $33.00.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on CUZ. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Cousins Properties from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Cousins Properties from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Cousins Properties from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Cousins Properties from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Cousins Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $33.50.

Cousins Properties Trading Down 1.2 %

NYSE CUZ opened at $30.55 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $4.83 billion, a PE ratio of 92.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 1.29. Cousins Properties has a 1-year low of $21.58 and a 1-year high of $32.55. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $30.88 and a 200-day moving average of $28.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by ($0.60). Cousins Properties had a net margin of 6.17% and a return on equity of 1.14%. The company had revenue of $209.21 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $212.54 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.65 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Cousins Properties will post 2.68 EPS for the current year.

Cousins Properties Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 3rd. Cousins Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 387.88%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Cousins Properties by 49.7% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,319 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 438 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Cousins Properties by 30.8% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,765 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 651 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its stake in Cousins Properties by 74.5% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,976 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 1,697 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Cousins Properties by 168.0% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,057 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $120,000 after buying an additional 2,543 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cousins Properties by 74.6% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,298 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $127,000 after buying an additional 1,836 shares in the last quarter. 94.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.