Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) Research Coverage Started at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) in a research report released on Monday morning, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $13.00 price objective on the real estate investment trust’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on DEA. StockNews.com raised shares of Easterly Government Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Easterly Government Properties from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered 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.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DEA opened at $10.56 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 58.64 and a beta of 0.73. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $11.04 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.17. Easterly Government Properties has a 52-week low of $10.18 and a 52-week high of $14.53. The company has a quick ratio of 4.01, a current ratio of 4.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07.

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.22. Easterly Government Properties had a return on equity of 1.34% and a net margin of 6.25%. The business had revenue of $78.25 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $79.49 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.28 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Easterly Government Properties will post 1.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Easterly Government Properties Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid a $0.265 dividend. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.04%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. Easterly Government Properties’s dividend payout ratio is currently 557.89%.

Insider Activity at Easterly Government Properties

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Easterly Government Properties

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Easterly Government Properties by 814.7% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,110 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 2,770 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 604.0% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 5,878 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 5,043 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties during the 4th quarter worth $70,000. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 2,014 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parvin Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties during the fourth quarter worth $87,000. 86.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.