Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE:CUZ) Receives $23.67 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE:CUZ) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the six analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $23.67.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays lowered their target price on Cousins Properties from $29.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. StockNews.com raised Cousins Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 23rd.

Insider Activity at Cousins Properties

In other news, CFO Gregg D. Adzema sold 71,097 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.31, for a total transaction of $1,657,271.07. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 85,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,001,676.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cousins Properties

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Cousins Properties in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Cousins Properties in the 1st quarter worth $43,000. Cetera Trust Company N.A purchased a new stake in Cousins Properties in the 4th quarter worth $156,000. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. purchased a new stake in Cousins Properties in the 3rd quarter worth $173,000. Finally, Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Cousins Properties in the 1st quarter worth $184,000. 94.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Cousins Properties Price Performance

NYSE:CUZ opened at $22.37 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.65, a P/E/G ratio of 3.77 and a beta of 1.28. Cousins Properties has a 52-week low of $17.40 and a 52-week high of $25.19. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $23.12 and a 200 day moving average of $23.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07.

Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.63 by ($0.54). Cousins Properties had a return on equity of 1.62% and a net margin of 9.15%. The firm had revenue of $209.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $199.35 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.65 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Cousins Properties will post 2.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cousins Properties Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 3rd will be given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 3rd. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.72%. Cousins Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 261.22%.

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.