Federated Hermes Inc. Raises Stake in Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE:CUZ)

Federated Hermes Inc. increased its position in Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE:CUZ - Free Report) by 164.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 82,220 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after buying an additional 51,148 shares during the quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. owned 0.05% of Cousins Properties worth $2,519,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CUZ. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Cousins Properties during the fourth quarter worth approximately $57,194,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Cousins Properties by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 13,491,300 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $413,375,000 after purchasing an additional 1,350,352 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Cousins Properties by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 24,802,104 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $759,936,000 after purchasing an additional 985,934 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Cousins Properties in the fourth quarter worth $25,148,000. Finally, ExodusPoint Capital Management LP boosted its position in Cousins Properties by 181.1% during the fourth quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP now owns 1,170,067 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $35,851,000 after buying an additional 753,757 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.38% of the company's stock.

Cousins Properties Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:CUZ traded up $0.04 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $26.82. The company had a trading volume of 1,450,223 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,257,982. 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 Incorporated has a 52 week low of $21.77 and a 52 week high of $32.55. The company has a market capitalization of $4.50 billion, a PE ratio of 89.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $28.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.97.

Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.62. Cousins Properties had a net margin of 5.36% and a return on equity of 1.00%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Cousins Properties Incorporated will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cousins Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 3rd were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.77%. Cousins Properties's dividend payout ratio is presently 426.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on CUZ shares. Wolfe Research upgraded Cousins Properties from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $31.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, April 7th. StockNews.com cut Cousins Properties from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Cousins Properties in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $35.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Cousins Properties from $34.00 to $33.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $32.70.

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.