Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Monday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Easterly Government Properties from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $15.00 to $12.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 2nd.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Down 1.5 %

NYSE DEA opened at $11.11 on Monday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $11.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.82. The company has a quick ratio of 4.01, a current ratio of 4.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. The firm has a market cap of $1.17 billion, a PE ratio of 61.74 and a beta of 0.69. Easterly Government Properties has a 52 week low of $10.76 and a 52 week high of $14.52.

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.24). Easterly Government Properties had a return on equity of 1.34% and a net margin of 6.25%. The firm had revenue of $74.78 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $74.98 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.29 earnings per share. Easterly Government Properties’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Easterly Government Properties will post 1.16 earnings per share for the current year.

Easterly Government Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a dividend of $0.265 per share. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. Easterly Government Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 588.89%.

Insider Transactions at Easterly Government Properties

In other news, CEO Darrell W. Crate bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $10.91 per share, for a total transaction of $109,100.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 171,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,870,835.89. The trade was a 6.19 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 8.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Easterly Government Properties

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 35.6% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 3,798 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 997 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 29.1% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,881 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 875 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its position in Easterly Government Properties by 62.4% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 5,242 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 2,014 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the third quarter worth $142,000. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA increased its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 29.3% during the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 15,858 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $215,000 after acquiring an additional 3,592 shares during the period. 86.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Easterly Government Properties Company Profile

Easterly Government Properties, Inc (NYSE: DEA) is based in Washington, DC, and focuses primarily on the acquisition, development and management of Class A commercial properties that are leased to the U.S. Government. Easterly’s experienced management team brings specialized insight into the strategy and needs of mission-critical U.S.