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

StockNews.com lowered shares of Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Thursday morning.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Performance

Easterly Government Properties stock opened at $13.42 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $12.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $12.11. Easterly Government Properties has a 52 week low of $10.27 and a 52 week high of $15.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 67.10 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a current ratio of 3.57, a quick ratio of 4.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Easterly Government Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st will be given a $0.265 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.90%. Easterly Government Properties’s dividend payout ratio is presently 530.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Easterly Government Properties

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,652,959 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $22,216,000 after buying an additional 140,841 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in Easterly Government Properties by 5.0% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,516,641 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $17,457,000 after acquiring an additional 71,939 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its stake in Easterly Government Properties by 14.3% during the fourth quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 2,567,196 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $34,503,000 after acquiring an additional 320,633 shares during the last quarter. Aurora Investment Managers LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 88.0% in the 1st quarter. Aurora Investment Managers LLC. now owns 204,134 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,350,000 after purchasing an additional 95,526 shares during the period. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 20.3% in the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 2,434,048 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $32,713,000 after purchasing an additional 410,108 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.51% of the company’s stock.

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.