Short Interest in COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) Rises By 34.9%

COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 6,761,614 shares, a growth of 34.9% from the February 26th total of 5,011,698 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,026,445 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 6.6 days. Approximately 6.1% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling at COPT Defense Properties

In related news, Director Philip L. Hawkins sold 5,536 shares of the company’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 sale, the director owned 15,188 shares in the company, valued at $496,799.48. This represents a 26.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.42% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On COPT Defense Properties

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of COPT Defense Properties during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Financial Consulate Inc. acquired a new stake in COPT Defense Properties in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in COPT Defense Properties by 1,176.5% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,685 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,553 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in COPT Defense Properties by 31.2% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,973 shares of the company’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optima Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of COPT Defense Properties during the fourth quarter worth $63,000.

COPT Defense Properties Price Performance

Shares of COPT Defense Properties stock traded down $0.69 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $30.63. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,116,007 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,086,661. The company has a market cap of $3.47 billion, a PE ratio of 22.69 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a quick ratio of 3.95 and a current ratio of 3.95. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $31.54 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $29.93. COPT Defense Properties has a 12-month low of $23.92 and a 12-month high of $32.82.

COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.02. COPT Defense Properties had a return on equity of 9.82% and a net margin of 19.94%.The firm had revenue of $197.36 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $188.79 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.65 earnings per share. The firm’s 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. Analysts expect that COPT Defense Properties will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

COPT Defense Properties Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st will be given a $0.32 dividend. This is an increase from COPT Defense Properties’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.2%. COPT Defense Properties’s dividend payout ratio is currently 90.37%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of COPT Defense Properties from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of COPT Defense Properties in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of COPT Defense Properties in a report on Friday, February 6th. Citigroup increased their target price on COPT Defense Properties from $29.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald upped their price objective on COPT Defense Properties from $33.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $33.88.

COPT Defense Properties Company Profile

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.