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COPT Defense Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
COLUMBIA, Md., April 27, 2026--COPT Defense Properties ("COPT Defense" or the "Company") (NYSE: CDP) announced results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026.
About this update from Copt Defense Properties
EPS of $0.34 FFO per Share, As Adjusted for Comparability, of $0.69 6.2% FFO per Share Growth Year-over-Year 1-cent above the Midpoint of Guidance Increased Midpoint of 2026 FFO per Share Guidance by 1-cent to $2.76 Implies 1.5% FFO per Share Growth for the Year Same Property Cash NOI Increased 5.4% Increased Midpoint of 2026 Guidance by 50 basis points to 3.0% Occupancy and Leased Levels Total Portfolio 94.4% Occupied and 95.2% Leased Defense/IT Portfolio 95.6% Occupied and 96.4% Leased Leasing Activity Total Leasing of 1.6 million SF Vacancy Leasing of 92,000 SF On Track to Achieve Annual Target of 400,000 SF Renewal Leasing of 1.2 million SF Tenant Retention of 91% Increased Midpoint of 2026 Guidance by 250 basis points to 82.5% Investment Leasing of 384,000 SF Investment Activity Committed $201 million of Capital to Two New Investments that are 61% Pre-Leased Increased Midpoint of 2026 Guidance by $40 million to $290 million COLUMBIA, Md., April 27, 2026 --( BUSINESS WIRE )--COPT Defense Properties ("COPT Defense" or the "Company") (NYSE: CDP) announced results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026. Management Comments Stephen E. Budorick, COPT Defense’s President & Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We achieved solid results in the first quarter and our performance is tracking on all aspects of our full year plan. FFO per share exceeded the midpoint of our guidance range by $0.01. Based on this outperformance, and our forecast for the remainder of the year, we increased the midpoint of 2026 FFO per share guidance by $0.01 to $2.76. In terms of our leasing achievements, we are off to a great start, as we have executed over 90,000 square feet of vacancy leasing, over 380,000 square feet of investment leasing, and a record 1.2 million square feet of renewal leasing in the first quarter, which equated to a strong tenant retention rate of 91%. Our strong renewal volume, retention, and cash rent spreads in the quarter were driven by the 953,000 square foot full renewal of our U.S. Government campus near Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. Our Defense/IT Portfolio was 95.6% occupied and 96.4% leased at quarter-end, and marked thirteen consecutive quarters in which our occupancy rate exceeded 94%, highlighting the strength and durability of our portfolio. Over the past 4 months, we committed nearly $250 million to three new investments, consisting of a fully pre-leased build-to-suit development at The National Business Park in Maryland, an inventory building development that is designed for U.S. Government tenancy at Redstone Gateway in Alabama, and an acquisition of 17 acres of strategic land subject to a ground lease on which two fully leased strategic office buildings have been developed in Chantilly, Virginia. These investments serve to enhance and expand our relationships with leading defense contractor and U.S. Government tenants and position the Company to further expand our strategic portfolio in the future and ultimately drive shareholder value. Our outstanding performance in 2025 and expected performance in 2026 led our Board of Trustees to approve a 4.9% increase in our quarterly dividend in February, which marks our fourth consecutive annual increase, amounting to a 16.4% cumulative increase since 2022. Finally, we were very pleased that Moody’s upgraded our investment grade rating by one level to Baa2 with a Stable outlook in March, which reflects the strength and specialized nature of our strategy, platform, and portfolio." Financial Highlights 1st Quarter Financial Results: Operating Performance Highlights Operating Portfolio Summary: Same Property Performance: Leasing: Investment Activity Highlights Balance Sheet and Capital Transaction Highlights Associated Supplemental Presentation Prior to the call, the Company will post a slide presentation to accompany management’s prepared remarks for its first quarter 2026 conference call; the presentation can be viewed and downloaded from the ‘Financial Info – Financial Results’ section of COPT Defense’s Investors website: https://investors.copt.com/financial-information/financial-results 2026 Guidance Management is revising and increasing the midpoint of its full-year guidance for diluted EPS and diluted FFOPS, per Nareit and as adjusted for comparability of $1.21-$1.29 and $2.71-$2.79, respectively, to new ranges of $1.24-$1.30 and $2.73-$2.79, respectively. Management is establishing second quarter guidance for diluted EPS and diluted FFOPS per Nareit and as adjusted for comparability at $0.31-$0.33 and $0.68-$0.70, respectively. Reconciliations of projected diluted EPS to projected diluted FFOPS, in accordance with Nareit and as adjusted for comparability, are as follows: The Company detailed its initial full year guidance, with supporting assumptions, in a separate press release issued February 5, 2026; that release can be found in the ‘News & Events – Press Releases’ section of COPT Defense’s Investors website: https://investors.copt.com/news-events/press-releases Conference Call Information Management will discuss first quarter 2026 results on its conference call tomorrow, details of which are listed below: Participants must register for the conference call at the link below to receive the dial-in number and personal pin. Registering only takes a few moments and provides direct access to the conference call without waiting for an operator. You may register at any time, including up to and after the call start time: https://register-conf.media-server.com/register/BIe115c1b620434f18ba2fd85f99acc54d The conference call will also be available via live webcast in the ‘News & Events – IR Calendar’ section of COPT Defense’s Investors website: https://investors.copt.com/news-events/ir-calendar Replay Information A replay of the conference call will be immediately available via webcast only on COPT Defense’s Investors website and will be maintained on the website for approximately 90 days after the conference call. Definitions For definitions of certain terms used in this press release, please refer to the information furnished in the Company’s Supplemental Information Package furnished on a Form 8-K which can be found on its website ( www.copt.com ). Reconciliations of non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures are included in the attached tables. About COPT Defense COPT Defense, an S&P MidCap 400 Company, is a self-managed REIT focused on owning, operating and developing properties in locations proximate to, or sometimes containing, key U.S. Government ("USG") defense installations and missions (referred to as its Defense/IT Portfolio). The Company’s tenants include the USG and their defense contractors, who are primarily engaged in priority national security activities, and who generally require mission-critical and high security property enhancements. As of March 31, 2026, the Company’s Defense/IT Portfolio of 201 properties, including 24 owned through unconsolidated joint ventures, encompassed 23.2 million square feet and was 96.4% leased. Forward-Looking Information This press release may contain "forward-looking" statements, as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, that are based on the Company’s current expectations, estimates and projections about future events and financial trends affecting the Company. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "may," "will," "should," "could," "believe," "anticipate," "expect," "estimate," "plan," or other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which the Company cannot predict with accuracy and some of which the Company might not even anticipate. Although the Company believes that the expectations, estimates, and projections reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions at the time made, the Company can give no assurance that these expectations, estimates, and projections will be achieved. Future events and actual results may differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements. The areas of risk that may affect these expectations, estimates, and projections include, but are not limited to, those risks described in Item 1A of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025. Source: COPT Defense Properties View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260427049371/en/ Contacts IR Contacts: Venkat Kommineni, CFA 443.285.5587 [email protected] Michelle Layne 443.285.5452 [email protected]
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