Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Thursday.

Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on CUZ. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Cousins Properties in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $35.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Cousins Properties from $34.00 to $33.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Cousins Properties from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Cousins Properties from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $31.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.70.

Cousins Properties Price Performance

Shares of CUZ opened at $28.09 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $27.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.67. The stock has a market cap of $4.72 billion, a PE ratio of 93.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.34. Cousins Properties has a 1-year low of $22.01 and a 1-year high of $32.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The real estate investment trust reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.03. Cousins Properties had a return on equity of 1.00% and a net margin of 5.36%. The firm had revenue of $6.81 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $238.49 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.65 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Cousins Properties will post 2.76 EPS for the current year.

Cousins Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.56%. Cousins Properties’s dividend payout ratio is presently 387.88%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cousins Properties

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Spire Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Cousins Properties in the first quarter worth $25,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of Cousins Properties by 1,609.3% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 923 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Cousins Properties by 67.4% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 981 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 395 shares in the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Cousins Properties during the 1st quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Cousins Properties by 579.7% in the first quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 2,712 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 2,313 shares in the last quarter. 94.38% of the stock is currently 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.