Vanderbilt University Buys 11,465 Shares of Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE:CUZ)

Vanderbilt University raised its holdings in Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE:CUZ - Free Report) by 83.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 25,134 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after acquiring an additional 11,465 shares during the period. Vanderbilt University's holdings in Cousins Properties were worth $770,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Cousins Properties by 67.4% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 981 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 395 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in Cousins Properties by 49.7% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,319 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 438 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in Cousins Properties by 30.8% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,765 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 651 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its stake in shares of Cousins Properties by 74.5% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,976 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 1,697 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Cousins Properties by 168.0% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,057 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $120,000 after buying an additional 2,543 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.38% of the company's stock.

Cousins Properties Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:CUZ traded up $0.56 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $31.22. 1,625,736 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,031,112. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 104.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.95 and a beta of 1.29. Cousins Properties Incorporated has a 12 month low of $21.58 and a 12 month high of $32.55. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $30.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.64.

Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.62. Cousins Properties had a net margin of 5.36% and a return on equity of 1.03%. On average, equities analysts expect that Cousins Properties Incorporated will post 2.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Cousins Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 3rd were issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.10%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 3rd. Cousins Properties's payout ratio is currently 426.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Cousins Properties from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Cousins Properties from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. BMO Capital Markets cut Cousins Properties from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $31.00 to $32.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised Cousins Properties from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $33.00 to $36.00 in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Cousins Properties from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Cousins Properties has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $33.11.

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.