Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) Cut to Sell at StockNews.com

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report issued on Friday.

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

Easterly Government Properties Stock Performance

NYSE:DEA opened at $11.52 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 4.01 and a quick ratio of 4.01. The company has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 64.00 and a beta of 0.69. Easterly Government Properties has a 1 year low of $10.76 and a 1 year high of $14.52. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $12.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.95.

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

Easterly Government Properties Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. Easterly Government Properties’s payout ratio is 588.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Easterly Government Properties

In other Easterly Government Properties news, CEO Darrell W. Crate purchased 10,000 shares of Easterly Government Properties stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $10.91 per share, with a total value of $109,100.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 171,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,870,835.89. This trade represents a 6.19 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 8.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Easterly Government Properties

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 35.6% during 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 in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Easterly Government Properties by 29.1% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,881 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 875 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings 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 worth $71,000 after buying an additional 2,014 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new stake in Easterly Government Properties during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $115,000. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Easterly Government Properties during the second quarter valued at approximately $128,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.51% of the company’s stock.

About Easterly Government Properties

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.