Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. Purchases 7,854 Shares of Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. increased its position in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA) by 7.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 112,938 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after buying an additional 7,854 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. owned about 0.12% of Easterly Government Properties worth $1,518,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of DEA. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 2,550.6% in the fourth quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 2,200 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 2,117 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Easterly Government Properties in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $103,000. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC grew its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 24.5% during the 4th quarter. Trivant Custom Portfolio Group LLC now owns 8,712 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $117,000 after buying an additional 1,712 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the fourth quarter worth $136,000. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Easterly Government Properties during the third quarter worth $141,000. Institutional investors own 86.51% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Easterly Government Properties from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Performance

NYSE DEA opened at $11.87 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 4.65 and a quick ratio of 4.65. Easterly Government Properties, Inc. has a 1-year low of $10.27 and a 1-year high of $15.21. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $11.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a PE ratio of 62.45 and a beta of 0.67.

Easterly Government Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 6th were given a $0.265 dividend. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.93%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 5th. Easterly Government Properties’s dividend payout ratio is presently 557.92%.

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.