Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) Downgraded to Sell Rating by StockNews.com

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $30.00 to $27.50 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Compass Point reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $23.75 price target (down from $37.50) on shares of Easterly Government Properties in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Easterly Government Properties in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $32.50 price objective for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Easterly Government Properties has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $29.06.

Easterly Government Properties Price Performance

Shares of DEA stock traded up $0.58 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $21.21. 833,810 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 482,338. The firm has a market cap of $2.29 billion, a PE ratio of 117.83 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 4.01 and a quick ratio of 4.01. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $24.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $28.06. Easterly Government Properties has a 1-year low of $19.33 and a 1-year high of $36.31.

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.73. The firm had revenue of $78.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $80.67 million. Easterly Government Properties had a return on equity of 1.34% and a net margin of 6.25%. Easterly Government Properties's revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.29 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Easterly Government Properties will post 1.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Easterly Government Properties

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Easterly Government Properties by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,159,553 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $126,773,000 after acquiring an additional 44,202 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,572,549 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $29,230,000 after acquiring an additional 19,858 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,258,518 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $25,657,000 after purchasing an additional 97,286 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,056,248 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $23,359,000 after purchasing an additional 673,270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,975,328 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $22,440,000 after purchasing an additional 66,071 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.51% of the company's stock.

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.