AlphaQuest LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA)

AlphaQuest LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA) by 59.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 104,200 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 149,777 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC’s holdings in Easterly Government Properties were worth $1,184,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of DEA. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Easterly Government Properties by 478.8% during the third 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 Easterly Government Properties during the third quarter valued at $3,449,000. Barclays PLC lifted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 126,306 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Easterly Government Properties by 4.3% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,932,660 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $26,246,000 after purchasing an additional 79,400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versor Investments LP lifted its position in Easterly Government Properties by 165.3% during the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 124,546 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,691,000 after purchasing an additional 77,600 shares during the last quarter. 86.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on DEA shares. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $15.00 to $12.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 2nd. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Easterly Government Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th.

Easterly Government Properties Price Performance

Easterly Government Properties stock opened at $11.15 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $11.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $12.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.20 billion, a PE ratio of 61.92 and a beta of 0.73. 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 12-month low of $10.45 and a 12-month high of $14.53.

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

Easterly Government Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.51%. Easterly Government Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 557.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Easterly Government Properties

In related news, CEO Darrell W. Crate acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $10.91 per share, with a total value of $109,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 171,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,870,835.89. This represents a 6.19 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 8.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.