Sifting through countless of stocks in the Office REITs industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Highwoods Properties, Inc. or COPT Defense Properties because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Highwoods Properties, Inc. and COPT Defense Properties compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Highwoods Properties, Inc. and COPT Defense Properties

Highwoods Properties, Inc. is a publicly traded fully integrated office real estate investment trust that owns, develops, acquires, leases and manages properties primarily in the best business districts (BBDs) of Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Nashville, Orlando, Raleigh, Richmond and Tampa. The firm’s vision is to be a leader in the evolution of commercial real estate for the benefit of customers, their communities and those who invest with them. Highwood Properties’ mission is to create environments and experiences that inspire their teammates and their customers to achieve more together. They are in the work-placemaking business and believe that by creating exceptional environments and experiences, they can deliver greater value to customers, their teammates and, in turn, their shareholders. Highwoods Properties, Inc., is headquarters in Raleigh. Highwoods Properties, Inc. was incorporated in 1978 in Maryland, USA.

COPT Defense Properties, 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 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 June 30, 2026, the Company’s Defense/IT Portfolio of 202 properties, including 24 owned through unconsolidated joint ventures, encompassed 23.3 million square feet and was 96.4% leased. COPT Defense Properties was incorporated in 1988 and is based in Columbia, United States.

Latest Office REITs and Highwoods Properties, Inc., COPT Defense Properties Stock News

As of October 9, 2026, Highwoods Properties, Inc. had a $3.2 billion market capitalization, compared to the Office REITs median of $946.0 million. Highwoods Properties, Inc.’s stock is up 12.5% in 2026, down 2.1% in the previous five trading days and down 8.04% in the past year.

Currently, Highwoods Properties, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 19.1. Highwoods Properties, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $838.9 million with a 20.1% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 7.5%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $0.590 per share for the current fiscal year. Highwoods Properties, Inc. currently has a 6.9% dividend yield.

As of October 9, 2026, COPT Defense Properties had a $3.8 billion market cap, putting it in the 64th percentile of all stocks. COPT Defense Properties’s stock is up 20.4% in 2026, down 0.3% in the previous five trading days and up 18.1% in the past year.

Currently, COPT Defense Properties’s price-earnings ratio is 23.3. COPT Defense Properties’s trailing 12-month revenue is $788.1 million with a 20.8% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 3.9%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $1.445 per share for the current fiscal year. COPT Defense Properties currently has a 3.8% dividend yield.

How We Compare Highwoods Properties, Inc. and COPT Defense Properties Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Highwoods Properties, Inc. and COPT Defense Properties’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Highwoods Properties, Inc. and COPT Defense Properties Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Highwoods Properties, Inc.	HIW	C
COPT Defense Properties	CDP	B

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a Growth Score of 56, which is Average. COPT Defense Properties has a Growth Score of 73, which is Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: COPT Defense Properties

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, COPT Defense Properties has a more attractive growth grade than Highwoods Properties, Inc.. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, COPT Defense Properties could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Highwoods Properties, Inc. and COPT Defense Properties’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
Highwoods Properties, Inc.	HIW	D
COPT Defense Properties	CDP	C

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a Quality Score of 37, which is Weak. COPT Defense Properties has a Quality Score of 48, which is Average.

The Quality Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Highwoods Properties, Inc. or COPT Defense Properties has a high enough Quality Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Highwoods Properties, Inc. or COPT Defense Properties is the better investment when it comes to quality.

Highwoods Properties, Inc. and COPT Defense Properties’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Highwoods Properties, Inc.	HIW	D
COPT Defense Properties	CDP	na

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Highwoods Properties, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 30, which is Negative. COPT Defense Properties does not have a meaningful Earnings Estimate Score.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Highwoods Properties, Inc. or COPT Defense Properties has an Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade that could be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Highwoods Properties, Inc. or COPT Defense Properties is the better investment when it comes to estimate revisions.

Other Highwoods Properties, Inc. and COPT Defense Properties Grades

In addition to Growth, Estimate Revisions and Quality, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Momentum.

Momentum grades help uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Highwoods Properties, Inc. and COPT Defense Properties pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Highwoods Properties, Inc. or COPT Defense Properties Stock?

Overall, Highwoods Properties, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 56, Estimate Revisions Score of 30 and Quality Score of 37.

COPT Defense Properties stock has a Growth Score of 73, Estimate Revisions Score of and Quality Score of 48.

Comparing Highwoods Properties, Inc. and COPT Defense Properties’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.