Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE:CUZ) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Cousins Properties Incorporated (NYSE:CUZ) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nine analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $32.89.

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Cousins Properties in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $35.00 price target on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on Cousins Properties from $36.00 to $35.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Cousins Properties from $34.00 to $33.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 24th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Cousins Properties from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $31.00 to $32.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Cousins Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th.

Cousins Properties Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE:CUZ opened at $29.51 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $29.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $30.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market cap of $4.96 billion, a PE ratio of 98.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 1.28. Cousins Properties has a fifty-two week low of $21.58 and a fifty-two week high of $32.55.

Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.62. Cousins Properties had a net margin of 5.36% and a return on equity of 1.00%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Cousins Properties will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cousins Properties Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 3rd. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.34%. Cousins Properties’s payout ratio is currently 426.67%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cousins Properties

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CUZ. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its stake in shares of Cousins Properties by 1,609.3% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 923 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 869 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Cousins Properties by 67.4% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 981 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 395 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in Cousins Properties by 49.7% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,319 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 438 shares during the period. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new position in shares of Cousins Properties during the fourth quarter worth approximately $85,000. Finally, FIL Ltd boosted its position in shares of Cousins Properties by 24.6% in the fourth quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 3,262 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $100,000 after acquiring an additional 643 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.38% of the company’s stock.

Cousins Properties Company Profile

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.