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

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Friday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on DEA. Truist Financial reduced their price target 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. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price 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 Up 0.4 %

Shares of DEA traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $11.52. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,832,487 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,331,194. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 4.01 and a quick ratio of 4.01. Easterly Government Properties has a 12-month low of $10.76 and a 12-month high of $14.52. The stock has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a PE ratio of 64.00 and a beta of 0.69. The company’s 50 day moving average is $12.22 and its 200 day moving average is $12.94.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Darrell W. Crate purchased 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $10.91 per share, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 6.19 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 8.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Easterly Government Properties

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of DEA. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 9.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,144,075 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $14,152,000 after purchasing an additional 102,521 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Easterly Government Properties by 2.7% in the second quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 507,486 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $6,278,000 after acquiring an additional 13,133 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 17,370 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $215,000 after purchasing an additional 1,237 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 69,882 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $864,000 after purchasing an additional 3,161 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc purchased a new position in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the 2nd quarter valued at about $128,000. 86.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.