Van ECK Associates Corp Grows Stock Holdings in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA)

Van ECK Associates Corp grew 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. The institutional investor owned 23,442 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,376 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Easterly Government Properties were worth $266,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,839,318 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $79,298,000 after purchasing an additional 66,663 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 0.4% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,932,660 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $26,246,000 after purchasing an additional 79,400 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,909,257 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $25,928,000 after purchasing an additional 15,868 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in Easterly Government Properties by 478.8% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 672,306 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $9,130,000 after acquiring an additional 556,148 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.51% of the company’s stock.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of Easterly Government Properties stock opened at $10.80 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a current ratio of 4.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.14 billion, a PE ratio of 59.97 and a beta of 0.70. Easterly Government Properties, Inc. has a 52-week low of $10.45 and a 52-week high of $14.52. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $11.19 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.48.

Easterly Government Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.82%. Easterly Government Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 588.89%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Darrell W. Crate acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 171,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,870,835.89. This trade represents a 6.19 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 8.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on DEA shares. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $15.00 to $12.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Easterly Government Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th.

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.