Compass Point Reiterates Neutral Rating for Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA)

Compass Point reaffirmed their neutral rating on shares of Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) in a research report sent to investors on Thursday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Compass Point currently has a $9.50 target price on the real estate investment trust’s stock, down from their previous target price of $15.00.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Easterly Government Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Easterly Government Properties from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Easterly Government Properties in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $13.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.63.

Easterly Government Properties Trading Down 13.9 %

DEA opened at $8.20 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $884.82 million, a PE ratio of 45.53 and a beta of 0.87. Easterly Government Properties has a twelve month low of $7.89 and a twelve month high of $14.53. 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 firm’s fifty day moving average is $10.56 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.75.

Easterly Government Properties’s stock is going to reverse split on the morning of Monday, April 28th. The 2-5 reverse split was announced on Wednesday, April 9th. The number of shares owned by shareholders will be adjusted after the market closes on Friday, April 25th.

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.22. Easterly Government Properties had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 1.34%. The firm had revenue of $78.25 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $79.49 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.28 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Easterly Government Properties will post 1.17 EPS for the current year.

Easterly Government Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were issued a dividend of $0.265 per share. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 12.93%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. Easterly Government Properties’s dividend payout ratio is currently 557.89%.

Institutional Trading of Easterly Government Properties

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DEA. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 814.7% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,110 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 2,770 shares during the period. Quarry LP lifted its stake in Easterly Government Properties by 604.0% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 5,878 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 5,043 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in Easterly Government Properties during the fourth quarter valued at $70,000. Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties during the 4th quarter valued at about $87,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in Easterly Government Properties in the 4th quarter worth approximately $97,000. 86.51% of the stock is 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.