Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE:CUZ) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

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

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

Insider Activity at Cousins Properties

In related news, CFO Gregg D. Adzema sold 71,097 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.31, for a total transaction of $1,657,271.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 85,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,001,676.32. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cousins Properties

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CUZ. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Cousins Properties in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Cousins Properties in the 1st quarter worth approximately $43,000. Cetera Trust Company N.A purchased a new position in Cousins Properties in the 4th quarter worth approximately $156,000. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. purchased a new position in Cousins Properties in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $173,000. Finally, Westend Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Cousins Properties in the 1st quarter worth approximately $184,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.38% of the company’s stock.

Cousins Properties Stock Performance

NYSE CUZ opened at $23.14 on Monday. Cousins Properties has a 52-week low of $17.40 and a 52-week high of $25.19. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $23.15 and a 200 day simple 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. The company has a market capitalization of $3.52 billion, a PE ratio of 47.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 1.28.

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

Cousins Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 3rd. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.53%. Cousins Properties’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.