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 released on Friday morning.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Performance

NYSE DEA opened at $11.88 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $11.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.00. The company has a market capitalization of $1.22 billion, a PE ratio of 59.40 and a beta of 0.65. Easterly Government Properties has a 1 year low of $10.27 and a 1 year high of $15.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 4.31 and a quick ratio of 4.31.

Easterly Government Properties Announces Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Easterly Government Properties

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DEA. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 197.3% in 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 acquiring an additional 47,954 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 0.9% during 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 buying an additional 13,960 shares in the last quarter. Punch & Associates Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings 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 valued at $2,996,000 after buying an additional 80,740 shares during the period. GraniteShares Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 6.0% in the third quarter. GraniteShares Advisors LLC now owns 106,674 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,219,000 after buying an additional 6,016 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Verus Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 29.3% during the third quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 13,061 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $149,000 after acquiring an additional 2,957 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.51% of the company’s stock.

About Easterly Government Properties

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.