COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $32.78 and last traded at $32.5850, with a volume of 121513 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.45.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Cantor Fitzgerald increased their price target on COPT Defense Properties from $33.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of COPT Defense Properties in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on COPT Defense Properties from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of COPT Defense Properties in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of COPT Defense Properties from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, COPT Defense Properties currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $33.63.

COPT Defense Properties Price Performance

The business has a 50-day moving average price of $30.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.47. The company has a quick ratio of 2.34, a current ratio of 3.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77. The company has a market capitalization of $3.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.60 and a beta of 0.86.

COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.02. COPT Defense Properties had a net margin of 19.94% and a return on equity of 9.82%. The business had revenue of $197.36 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $188.79 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.65 EPS. COPT Defense Properties’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. COPT Defense Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.710-2.790 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.670-0.690 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that COPT Defense Properties will post 2.67 EPS for the current year.

COPT Defense Properties Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is an increase from COPT Defense Properties’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.0%. COPT Defense Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.37%.

Insider Activity at COPT Defense Properties

In other news, Director Philip L. Hawkins sold 5,536 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.71, for a total value of $181,082.56. Following the transaction, the director owned 15,188 shares in the company, valued at $496,799.48. This trade represents a 26.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.42% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On COPT Defense Properties

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CDP. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,127,858 shares of the company’s stock valued at $476,154,000 after acquiring an additional 128,583 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in COPT Defense Properties by 16.8% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 8,457,373 shares of the company’s stock valued at $245,771,000 after purchasing an additional 1,215,936 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,862,294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $107,372,000 after purchasing an additional 296,221 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,149,130 shares of the company’s stock worth $87,558,000 after purchasing an additional 17,049 shares during the period. Finally, Channing Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of COPT Defense Properties by 21.0% in the 3rd quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 2,913,596 shares of the company’s stock worth $84,669,000 after buying an additional 506,593 shares during the last quarter.

About COPT Defense Properties

COPT Defense Properties (NYSE: CDP) is a real estate investment trust organized to own, lease and manage healthcare and life science facilities serving the United States federal government, with a particular focus on Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs tenants. The company was formed in 2016 through a spin-off from Corporate Office Properties Trust, enabling it to concentrate exclusively on medical office buildings and specialized research facilities situated on or near military and federal research campuses.

The company’s portfolio comprises purpose-built, Class A medical office and outpatient specialty clinics, as well as life science laboratories.