Robert W. Baird Boosts Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) Price Target to $31.00

Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) had its target price increased by Robert W. Baird from $29.00 to $31.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Cousins Properties from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, May 23rd. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Cousins Properties from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $25.43.

Cousins Properties Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CUZ opened at $26.68 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $4.06 billion, a PE ratio of 54.45, a PEG ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. Cousins Properties has a 1-year low of $17.40 and a 1-year high of $27.97. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $23.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $23.35.

Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by ($0.61). Cousins Properties had a return on equity of 1.31% and a net margin of 7.25%. The company had revenue of $212.98 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $208.18 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.75 earnings per share. Cousins Properties’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Cousins Properties will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cousins Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 3rd were issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 3rd. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.80%. Cousins Properties’s dividend payout ratio is currently 261.22%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in Cousins Properties by 221.1% in the 2nd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 143,200 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,278,000 after acquiring an additional 98,600 shares during the period. Wolverine Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Cousins Properties in the 2nd quarter valued at about $517,000. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in Cousins Properties by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 452,191 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $10,468,000 after acquiring an additional 2,972 shares during the period. Versor Investments LP bought a new position in Cousins Properties in the 2nd quarter valued at about $949,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in Cousins Properties by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 26,243 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $608,000 after acquiring an additional 1,579 shares during the period. 94.38% of the stock is owned by 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.