Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) Shares Gap Up – Should You Buy?

Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE:CUZ)’s share price gapped up before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $22.46, but opened at $23.57. Cousins Properties shares last traded at $22.7950, with a volume of 479,091 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CUZ has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho set a $29.00 price target on Cousins Properties and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Barclays set a $34.00 target price on shares of Cousins Properties in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Cousins Properties from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 1st. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cousins Properties in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Cousins Properties from $32.00 to $30.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $30.50.

Cousins Properties Stock Up 1.3%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.06 billion, a PE ratio of 100.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.21. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $25.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.56.

Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.71. Cousins Properties had a net margin of 4.08% and a return on equity of 0.85%. The firm had revenue of $255.03 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $252.18 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.69 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Cousins Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.870-2.970 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Cousins Properties Incorporated will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cousins Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 14th. Investors of record on Monday, January 5th were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, January 5th. Cousins Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 533.33%.

Cousins Properties announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 17th that permits the company to buyback $250.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the real estate investment trust to repurchase up to 6.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Cousins Properties

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bell Investment Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of Cousins Properties by 2,539.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 1,003 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 965 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in Cousins Properties by 128.1% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,232 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 692 shares during the last quarter. Arax Advisory Partners bought a new position in Cousins Properties during the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Cousins Properties by 176.1% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 1,803 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 1,150 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Cousins Properties during the 3rd quarter worth about $48,000. 94.38% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Cousins Properties

Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE: CUZ) is a publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in the development, acquisition and management of high-quality office and mixed-use properties. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company focuses on urban infill and suburban markets across the Sun Belt, with a strong presence in metropolitan areas such as Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Nashville, Orlando and Tampa. Its core activities encompass full-service property leasing, asset management and construction oversight, serving a diverse mix of corporate and institutional tenants.

Founded in 1958 as a privately held real estate concern, Cousins Properties completed its initial public offering in 1992.