Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) Sets New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $24.96 and last traded at $24.90, with a volume of 77280 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $24.90.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on DEA. Weiss Ratings raised Easterly Government Properties from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Easterly Government Properties from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price target on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $23.49.

Easterly Government Properties Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a current ratio of 4.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a PE ratio of 104.13 and a beta of 0.98. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $23.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $22.97.

Easterly Government Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 7th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 7th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.2%. Easterly Government Properties’s dividend payout ratio is presently 750.00%.

Institutional Trading of Easterly Government Properties

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DEA. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in Easterly Government Properties by 1,759.2% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,000,176 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $10,602,000 after purchasing an additional 946,381 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Easterly Government Properties during the 4th quarter worth $8,409,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 92.4% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 488,303 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $10,347,000 after buying an additional 234,517 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,831,169 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $102,372,000 after buying an additional 167,092 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 92.2% in the fourth quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 232,350 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $4,923,000 after buying an additional 111,447 shares during the last quarter. 86.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Easterly Government Properties Company Profile

Easterly Government Properties, Inc is a real estate investment trust that specializes in the acquisition, development and management of commercial properties leased to U.S. government agencies. Structured as a triple-net lease REIT, the company focuses on single-tenant assets with long-term, credit-backed leases that transfer most property-level responsibilities—including taxes, insurance and maintenance—to its government tenants.

The firm’s portfolio encompasses a variety of facility types, including office buildings, training centers, laboratories and mission-critical installations used by federal agencies.