Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) Stock Rating Upgraded by Mizuho

Mizuho upgraded shares of Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) from an underperform rating to a neutral rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has $30.00 price target on the real estate investment trust’s stock, up from their previous price target of $22.00.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the company. KeyCorp raised Cousins Properties from a “sector weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $34.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Cousins Properties from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Cousins Properties from $31.00 to $34.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Cousins Properties from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $33.00 to $36.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Cousins Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Cousins Properties has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $33.11.

Cousins Properties Trading Down 0.1 %

Cousins Properties stock opened at $29.59 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $30.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $28.65. Cousins Properties has a 52-week low of $21.58 and a 52-week high of $32.55. 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 company has a market cap of $4.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 89.67, a P/E/G ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 1.29.

Cousins Properties (NYSE:CUZ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.67 by ($0.60). The business had revenue of $209.21 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $212.54 million. Cousins Properties had a net margin of 6.17% and a return on equity of 1.14%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.65 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Cousins Properties will post 2.68 EPS for the current year.

Cousins Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 3rd. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.33%. Cousins Properties’s payout ratio is 387.88%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cousins Properties

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 438 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in Cousins Properties by 30.8% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,765 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $82,000 after purchasing an additional 651 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in Cousins Properties during the second quarter valued at $115,000. Quarry LP grew 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 worth $117,000 after buying an additional 1,697 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Cousins Properties by 168.0% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,057 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $120,000 after buying an additional 2,543 shares during the last quarter. 94.38% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.