Company Description
Cohen & Steers, Inc. (NYSE: CNS) is a global investment manager that focuses on real assets and alternative income. According to company disclosures, it specializes in listed and private real estate, preferred securities, infrastructure, resource equities, commodities and multi-strategy solutions. The firm is classified in the finance and insurance sector and operates in the securities and commodity exchanges industry. Cohen & Steers was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in New York City, reflecting its roots in one of the world’s largest financial centers.
The company describes itself as a global investment manager, with offices in London, Dublin, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore. This footprint supports its activities across multiple regions and markets. Its shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CNS, as confirmed in its SEC filings.
Business focus and investment capabilities
Cohen & Steers states that it specializes in real assets and alternative income. The areas it highlights include:
- Listed and private real estate
- Preferred securities
- Infrastructure
- Resource equities
- Commodities
- Multi-strategy solutions that combine these areas
Company communications also reference a dedicated Private Real Estate Group, which manages a private real estate portfolio and focuses on asset management and operational alignment. This indicates that, in addition to listed securities, Cohen & Steers is active in private real estate investing and asset management.
Assets under management and vehicles
Cohen & Steers regularly reports its assets under management (AUM) and net flows. For example, it reported preliminary AUM of $91.9 billion as of November 30, 2025 and $90.5 billion as of December 31, 2025, noting the impact of market appreciation or depreciation, net flows and distributions. These disclosures show that AUM is spread across several investment vehicles:
- Institutional accounts, including advisory and subadvisory mandates
- Open-end funds
- Closed-end funds
In the AUM reports, the firm breaks out institutional advisory and subadvisory accounts, as well as open-end and closed-end funds, and attributes changes in AUM to net flows, market movements and distributions. This provides insight into how its business is structured across client types and product formats.
Closed-end and other listed funds
Press releases show that Cohen & Steers serves as the investment manager for several closed-end funds listed on the NYSE, including:
- Cohen & Steers Infrastructure Fund, Inc. (UTF)
- Cohen & Steers Quality Income Realty Fund, Inc. (RQI)
- Cohen & Steers Total Return Realty Fund, Inc. (RFI)
- Cohen & Steers REIT and Preferred and Income Fund, Inc. (RNP)
- Cohen & Steers Closed-End Opportunity Fund, Inc. (FOF)
Company notices for these funds describe managed distribution policies that seek to deliver long-term total return potential through regular monthly distributions declared at a fixed rate per common share. The disclosures explain that monthly distributions may include net investment income, short-term capital gains, long-term capital gains and/or return of capital, and that the mix can change over time based on portfolio and market conditions.
These fund notices also discuss concepts such as net asset value (NAV), year-to-date cumulative total return, cumulative distribution rate, average annual total return and current annualized distribution rate. While these metrics are specific to the funds and time periods referenced, they illustrate how Cohen & Steers communicates performance and distribution characteristics for its closed-end products.
Corporate structure and financing
Cohen & Steers is organized as a corporation with common stock registered under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CNS, as noted in its Form 8-K filings. The company has disclosed that it maintains a senior unsecured revolving credit facility. In an 8-K filed in August 2025, it reported entering into a First Amendment to its Credit Agreement, providing for a $100 million senior unsecured revolving credit facility maturing in 2029 with a syndicate of banks. The company states that borrowings under this facility may be used for working capital and other general corporate purposes and that the facility includes financial covenants related to leverage and interest coverage, as well as customary affirmative and negative covenants.
Management and governance disclosures
Through its SEC filings, Cohen & Steers provides information about governance and key management changes. For example, a Form 8-K dated September 2025 reports the resignation of the company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and the appointment of an Interim Chief Financial Officer, along with related compensation arrangements. These filings indicate that the company uses standard SEC reporting channels to communicate material changes in senior leadership and compensation structures.
Other 8-K filings describe the release of quarterly financial results, with press releases and earnings materials furnished as exhibits. The company notes when such information is furnished rather than filed, clarifying how it is treated under securities law.
Global presence and regional leadership
Company press releases state that Cohen & Steers has offices in London, Dublin, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore in addition to its New York City headquarters. In Japan, the firm operates through Cohen & Steers Japan Limited and has appointed a Representative Director to lead its operations in that market. The company highlights its long-standing relationships with investors in Japan and its focus on institutional and wealth investors there.
Within its private real estate activities, Cohen & Steers has appointed senior leaders to oversee operations and asset management for its private real estate portfolio. These roles are described as responsible for strategic asset management and for aligning operations across key functions within the Private Real Estate platform.
Investor communications and earnings
Cohen & Steers regularly announces the timing of its quarterly and full-year earnings releases and related conference calls. In its announcements, the company explains that earnings materials are made available through its investor relations channels and that conference calls are accessible via webcast and telephone, with replays available for a limited period. These practices show how the firm communicates operating results and outlook to investors and analysts.
In addition, the company and its funds direct investors to regulatory filings and periodic reports available through the Securities and Exchange Commission’s EDGAR database and through their own investor communications. They emphasize that investors should review these documents carefully and that certain distribution notices are not intended for tax reporting purposes, with final tax information provided on Form 1099-DIV after year-end.
Role in the finance and insurance sector
Within the broader finance and insurance sector, Cohen & Steers positions itself as a specialist in real assets and alternative income. Its product range, as described in company materials, spans listed and private real estate, preferred securities, infrastructure, resource equities, commodities and multi-strategy solutions. The firm’s use of institutional accounts, open-end funds and closed-end funds, along with its global office network, reflects a business model centered on managing assets for a variety of client types through multiple vehicles.