Keynote Financial Services LLC Acquires 3,945 Shares of Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA)

Keynote Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA) by 9.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 44,220 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,945 shares during the quarter. Keynote Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Easterly Government Properties were worth $502,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Easterly Government Properties by 478.8% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 672,306 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $9,130,000 after purchasing an additional 556,148 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the third quarter worth approximately $3,449,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 145.8% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 224,825 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,053,000 after buying an additional 133,367 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 324.6% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 165,212 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,244,000 after acquiring an additional 126,306 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,932,660 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $26,246,000 after acquiring an additional 79,400 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.51% of the company’s stock.

Easterly Government Properties Price Performance

Shares of DEA opened at $11.28 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a PE ratio of 62.67 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 4.01, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. Easterly Government Properties, Inc. has a 1-year low of $10.45 and a 1-year high of $14.52. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $11.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.41.

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 the consensus estimate of $79.49 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.28 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Easterly Government Properties, Inc. will post 1.17 EPS for the current year.

Easterly Government Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be given a $0.265 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.40%. Easterly Government Properties’s payout ratio is presently 557.89%.

Insider Transactions at Easterly Government Properties

In related news, CEO Darrell W. Crate acquired 10,000 shares of Easterly Government Properties stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $10.91 per share, for a total transaction of $109,100.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 171,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,870,835.89. This trade represents a 6.19 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 8.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on DEA. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Easterly Government Properties from $15.00 to $12.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. StockNews.com downgraded Easterly Government Properties from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered 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.

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.