StockNews.com Downgrades Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) to Sell

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

DEA has been the subject of several other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $15.00 to $12.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Truist Financial reduced 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 note on Friday, December 6th.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Up 0.4 %

Easterly Government Properties stock opened at $11.52 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 4.01, a current ratio of 4.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. The company has a market capitalization of $1.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 64.00 and a beta of 0.69. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $12.22 and a 200-day moving average price of $12.95. Easterly Government Properties has a twelve month low of $10.76 and a twelve month high of $14.52.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Darrell W. Crate purchased 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $10.91 per share, with a total value of $109,100.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 171,479 shares in the company, valued at $1,870,835.89. This trade represents a 6.19 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 8.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Easterly Government Properties

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DEA. Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 47.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 30,100 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $409,000 after acquiring an additional 9,700 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Easterly Government Properties by 0.4% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,552,691 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $34,671,000 after purchasing an additional 9,248 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Easterly Government Properties by 324.6% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 165,212 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,244,000 after buying an additional 126,306 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the 3rd quarter worth $856,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 430.2% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 49,905 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $678,000 after buying an additional 40,492 shares in the last quarter. 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.