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

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

DEA has been the subject of a number of other reports. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Easterly Government Properties from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 6th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Easterly Government Properties from $15.00 to $12.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 2nd.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Performance

DEA opened at $11.48 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $11.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.45. The company has a current ratio of 4.01, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. The stock has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a PE ratio of 63.75 and a beta of 0.70. Easterly Government Properties has a 1 year low of $10.45 and a 1 year high of $14.52.

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $78.25 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $79.49 million. Easterly Government Properties had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 1.34%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.28 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Easterly Government Properties will post 1.17 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Easterly Government Properties news, CEO Darrell W. Crate bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $10.91 per share, for a total transaction of $109,100.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 171,479 shares in the company, valued at $1,870,835.89. This represents a 6.19 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 8.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Easterly Government Properties

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 814.7% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,110 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 2,770 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 997 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 62.4% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 5,242 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 2,014 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 604.0% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 5,878 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 5,043 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in Easterly Government Properties in the 4th quarter valued at $70,000. 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.