COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) Shares Up 0.1% – Should You Buy?

Shares of COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) were up 0.1% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $31.36 and last traded at $30.95. Approximately 78,960 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average daily volume of 887,086 shares. The stock had previously closed at $30.93.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on CDP shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on COPT Defense Properties from $26.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. BTIG Research increased their price objective on COPT Defense Properties from $33.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of COPT Defense Properties from $33.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of COPT Defense Properties from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of COPT Defense Properties from $33.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.00.

COPT Defense Properties Trading Up 0.5 %

The company has a quick ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.56. The company’s 50-day moving average is $32.00 and its 200-day moving average is $29.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.49 and a beta of 0.98.

COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) last posted its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.64 by ($0.32). The business had revenue of $189.23 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.37 million. COPT Defense Properties had a return on equity of 8.99% and a net margin of 18.34%. COPT Defense Properties’s revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.60 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that COPT Defense Properties will post 2.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

COPT Defense Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.295 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 31st. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.79%. COPT Defense Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 96.72%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CDP. Spirit of America Management Corp NY acquired a new position in COPT Defense Properties during the 2nd quarter worth about $50,000. Quarry LP increased its stake in COPT Defense Properties by 711.4% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,481 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 3,052 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties during the third quarter worth about $91,000. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 28.3% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 840 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in COPT Defense Properties by 34.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 4,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $134,000 after buying an additional 1,130 shares during the period.

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.