Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA) Given Average Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA) have received an average recommendation of “Hold” from the five ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation and one has issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $23.49.

Several brokerages have commented on DEA. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Easterly Government Properties from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Easterly Government Properties from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Easterly Government Properties

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DEA. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 39,660 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $840,000 after buying an additional 471 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 5.4% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 12,623 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $289,000 after purchasing an additional 651 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 215.6% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 772 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 16,427 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $348,000 after purchasing an additional 822 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec raised its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 32.0% during the fourth quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 3,391 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 822 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.51% of the company’s stock.

Easterly Government Properties Price Performance

DEA stock opened at $23.92 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $23.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $22.75. Easterly Government Properties has a 12-month low of $20.56 and a 12-month high of $24.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 99.67 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 4.01, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Easterly Government Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 7th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 7th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.5%. Easterly Government Properties’s payout ratio is presently 750.00%.

Easterly Government Properties Company Profile

Easterly Government Properties, Inc is a real estate investment trust that specializes in the acquisition, development and management of commercial properties leased to U.S. government agencies. Structured as a triple-net lease REIT, the company focuses on single-tenant assets with long-term, credit-backed leases that transfer most property-level responsibilities—including taxes, insurance and maintenance—to its government tenants.

The firm’s portfolio encompasses a variety of facility types, including office buildings, training centers, laboratories and mission-critical installations used by federal agencies.