Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) Downgraded by StockNews.com 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 Tuesday.

Easterly Government Properties Price Performance

Shares of Easterly Government Properties stock opened at $11.50 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $11.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is $12.04. Easterly Government Properties has a 52 week low of $10.27 and a 52 week high of $15.21. The company has a market capitalization of $1.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.50 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a quick ratio of 4.65, a current ratio of 4.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92.

Easterly Government Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 6th were given a $0.265 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.22%. Easterly Government Properties’s dividend payout ratio is currently 557.92%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Easterly Government Properties

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DEA. Foresight Group Ltd Liability Partnership purchased a new position in Easterly Government Properties during the 4th quarter worth $39,948,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 60.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,741,816 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $23,410,000 after purchasing an additional 656,983 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 12.7% during the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,465,836 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $115,548,000 after purchasing an additional 614,888 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 17,482,804 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $253,501,000 after purchasing an additional 508,729 shares during the period. Finally, Intrinsic Edge Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Easterly Government Properties during the 4th quarter worth $6,720,000. 86.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.