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

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

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

Easterly Government Properties Trading Up 2.8 %

Shares of DEA stock traded up $0.58 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $21.21. 833,810 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 482,910. 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 has a market cap of $2.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 117.83 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $24.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.97. Easterly Government Properties has a fifty-two week low of $19.33 and a fifty-two week high of $36.31.

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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. Easterly Government Properties had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 1.34%. The firm had revenue of $78.68 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $80.67 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.29 EPS. The business's revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Easterly Government Properties will post 1.17 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Easterly Government Properties

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Dakota Wealth Management grew its position in Easterly Government Properties by 14.2% during the 1st quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 81,002 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $859,000 after purchasing an additional 10,093 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties during the first quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 12.8% in the 1st quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 35,994 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $382,000 after acquiring an additional 4,077 shares during the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Easterly Government Properties by 21.0% in the 1st quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 89,816 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $952,000 after acquiring an additional 15,599 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Easterly Government Properties by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 862,800 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $9,146,000 after purchasing an additional 18,776 shares during the last quarter. 86.51% of the stock is currently owned by 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.