COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $34.3750.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of COPT Defense Properties from $29.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of COPT Defense Properties from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $38.00 price objective on shares of COPT Defense Properties in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of COPT Defense Properties from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $37.00 target price on shares of COPT Defense Properties in a research report on Wednesday.

COPT Defense Properties Trading Down 3.6%

NYSE CDP opened at $30.94 on Thursday. COPT Defense Properties has a 12 month low of $25.21 and a 12 month high of $33.29. The company has a 50-day moving average of $31.83 and a 200-day moving average of $30.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 3.95 and a quick ratio of 3.95. The company has a market cap of $3.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.42 and a beta of 0.86.

COPT Defense Properties (NYSE:CDP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, April 27th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by ($0.34). COPT Defense Properties had a net margin of 20.10% and a return on equity of 10.05%. The company had revenue of $200.64 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $185.41 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.65 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. COPT Defense Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.730-2.790 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.680-0.700 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that COPT Defense Properties will post 2.78 earnings per share for the current year.

COPT Defense Properties Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 31st were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This is a boost from COPT Defense Properties’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 31st. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.1%. COPT Defense Properties’s dividend payout ratio is currently 92.75%.

Insider Transactions at COPT Defense Properties

In related news, Director Philip L. Hawkins sold 5,536 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.71, for a total transaction of $181,082.56. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 15,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $496,799.48. This represents a 26.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of COPT Defense Properties

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its position in COPT Defense Properties by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 23,198 shares of the company’s stock worth $710,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in COPT Defense Properties during the 1st quarter worth approximately $227,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its position in COPT Defense Properties by 20.9% during the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 16,887 shares of the company’s stock worth $517,000 after purchasing an additional 2,924 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in COPT Defense Properties during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,004,000. Finally, Vanderbilt University acquired a new stake in COPT Defense Properties during the 1st quarter worth approximately $241,000.

Key Headlines Impacting COPT Defense Properties

Here are the key news stories impacting COPT Defense Properties this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $37 price target (~19–20% upside from current levels), signaling analyst conviction that shares have upside after the pullback. Cantor Fitzgerald Reaffirms Overweight
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage pieces note COPT’s growth story and rising attention around its role in the NYSE Composite index — potential index-related flows or re-weighting could support demand for the stock over time. COPT Defense Growth Story Gains Attention In NYSE Composite Index
• Positive Sentiment: Post‑quarter commentary highlighted strong FFO growth and strategic positioning that management emphasized on the earnings call — items investors view as supportive for cash flow and dividends longer term. Earnings Call Highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings call transcript and the investor presentation were posted; these provide detail on lease performance, FFO drivers, and capital allocation for investors doing deeper due diligence. Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also released its Q1 earnings presentation/slides — useful for modeling and verifying the drivers behind management’s guidance. Earnings Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: A Reuters note referencing “CDP” (Italy’s Cassa Depositi e Prestiti) is unrelated to COPT but can create ticker‑noise that briefly confuses retail traders; flag for traders monitoring headlines only. Reuters: Italy’s CDP
• Negative Sentiment: Key negative: Q1 EPS came in at $0.34 vs. consensus ~$0.68 (and vs. $0.65 a year earlier), a sizable miss that likely drove the immediate price weakness despite a revenue beat; management issued FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $2.73–2.79, which roughly lines up with analyst expectations but didn’t prevent the selloff after the EPS miss. Q1 Earnings Snapshot

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.