Principal Financial Group Inc. Sells 73,284 Shares of Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its holdings in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA) by 12.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 494,353 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 73,284 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.48% of Easterly Government Properties worth $5,690,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of DEA. Intrinsic Edge Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Easterly Government Properties in the fourth quarter worth $6,720,000. Abacus Planning Group Inc. bought a new stake in Easterly Government Properties in the fourth quarter worth $6,555,000. GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its position in Easterly Government Properties by 20.3% during the fourth quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 2,434,048 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $32,713,000 after acquiring an additional 410,108 shares during the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its position in Easterly Government Properties by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 2,567,196 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,503,000 after acquiring an additional 320,633 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Easterly Government Properties by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,652,959 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $22,216,000 after acquiring an additional 140,841 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.51% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Easterly Government Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Up 0.2 %

NYSE:DEA traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $12.37. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 117,050 shares, compared to its average volume of 888,225. Easterly Government Properties, Inc. has a 1 year low of $10.27 and a 1 year high of $15.21. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $12.00 and a 200-day moving average of $12.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.27 billion, a PE ratio of 61.55 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 4.31, a current ratio of 4.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98.

Easterly Government Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 9th were paid a $0.265 dividend. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.57%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 8th. Easterly Government Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 530.00%.

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.