Van ECK Associates Corp Purchases 4,376 Shares of Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA)

Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA) by 23.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,442 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,376 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Easterly Government Properties were worth $266,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Creative Planning raised its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 23.4% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 29,657 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $403,000 after acquiring an additional 5,616 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 10.8% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 28,117 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $382,000 after acquiring an additional 2,745 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 35.6% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 3,798 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 997 shares during the last quarter. abrdn plc raised its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. abrdn plc now owns 19,047 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 1,818 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in Easterly Government Properties by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 258,216 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $3,507,000 after buying an additional 4,123 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.51% of the company’s stock.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Up 1.0 %

DEA opened at $10.80 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $11.19 and a 200 day moving average of $12.48. 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 $14.52. The company has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a PE ratio of 59.97 and a beta of 0.70.

Easterly Government Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be issued a $0.265 dividend. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. Easterly Government Properties’s payout ratio is 588.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on DEA. StockNews.com raised shares of Easterly Government Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Jefferies Financial Group cut 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 report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Truist Financial cut 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 report on Friday, December 6th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Easterly Government Properties

In other news, CEO Darrell W. Crate purchased 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $10.91 per share, with a total value of $109,100.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 171,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,870,835.89. This trade represents a 6.19 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 8.10% of the company’s stock.

Easterly Government Properties 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.