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

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on CUZ. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Cousins Properties from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on Cousins Properties from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Cousins Properties from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Barclays upped their price objective on Cousins Properties from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Cousins Properties from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cousins Properties has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.50.

Cousins Properties Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE CUZ opened at $31.58 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $29.82 and its 200-day moving average is $26.28. Cousins Properties has a one year low of $17.85 and a one year high of $32.17. The firm has a market cap of $4.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 95.70, a P/E/G ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 1.29.

Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.07 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.60). Cousins Properties had a return on equity of 1.14% and a net margin of 6.17%. The firm had revenue of $209.21 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $212.54 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.65 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Cousins Properties will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cousins Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 3rd were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 3rd. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.05%. Cousins Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 387.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cousins Properties

In related news, CAO Jeffrey D. Symes sold 5,997 shares of Cousins Properties stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.13, for a total transaction of $168,695.61. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 12,529 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $352,440.77. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CUZ. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Cousins Properties by 130.8% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,514 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 858 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Cousins Properties by 3,236.7% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,635 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 1,586 shares in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Cousins Properties during the first quarter worth about $43,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in Cousins Properties by 30.8% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,765 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 651 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC increased its holdings in Cousins Properties by 74.6% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,298 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $127,000 after buying an additional 1,836 shares during the period. 94.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Cousins Properties

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.