Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) Upgraded to Hold at StockNews.com

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

Easterly Government Properties Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of Easterly Government Properties stock traded down $0.07 on Friday, hitting $11.88. The stock had a trading volume of 827,968 shares, compared to its average volume of 918,946. The company has a quick ratio of 4.65, a current ratio of 4.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. Easterly Government Properties has a one year low of $10.27 and a one year high of $15.21. The stock has a market cap of $1.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.40 and a beta of 0.65. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $11.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $11.98.

Easterly Government Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 9th will be given a dividend of $0.265 per share. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 8th. Easterly Government Properties’s dividend payout ratio is currently 530.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Easterly Government Properties

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DEA. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in Easterly Government Properties by 197.3% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 72,259 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $826,000 after buying an additional 47,954 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 1,490,744 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $17,039,000 after purchasing an additional 13,960 shares during the last quarter. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 44.5% in the 3rd quarter. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. now owns 262,077 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $2,996,000 after purchasing an additional 80,740 shares during the last quarter. GraniteShares Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 6.0% in the 3rd quarter. GraniteShares Advisors LLC now owns 106,674 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $1,219,000 after purchasing an additional 6,016 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Verus Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 29.3% in the 3rd quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,061 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $149,000 after purchasing an additional 2,957 shares during 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.