Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE:CUZ) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE:CUZ - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $30.67.

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Cousins Properties from $29.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Cousins Properties from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Cousins Properties from $26.00 to $31.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 11th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Cousins Properties from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an "in-line" rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Cousins Properties from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Jeffrey D. Symes sold 5,997 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.13, for a total value of $168,695.61. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 12,529 shares of the company's stock, valued at $352,440.77. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cousins Properties

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Cousins Properties by 130.8% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,514 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 858 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Cousins Properties by 3,236.7% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,635 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 1,586 shares in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Cousins Properties during the 1st quarter worth $43,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Cousins Properties in the second quarter valued at about $115,000. 94.38% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Cousins Properties Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:CUZ traded up $0.17 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $31.54. 1,625,314 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,303,659. The firm has a market cap of $4.80 billion, a PE ratio of 64.37, a P/E/G ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 1.30. Cousins Properties has a fifty-two week low of $17.40 and a fifty-two week high of $32.17. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $29.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58.

Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.60). The firm had revenue of $209.21 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $212.54 million. Cousins Properties had a net margin of 7.25% and a return on equity of 1.31%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.65 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Cousins Properties will post 2.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Cousins Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 3rd. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.06%. Cousins Properties's dividend payout ratio 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.