Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) Rating Lowered to Sell at StockNews.com

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

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Easterly Government Properties in a report on Monday, March 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $32.50 price target for the company. Compass Point reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $23.75 price target (down previously from $37.50) on shares of Easterly Government Properties in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target 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 assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Easterly Government Properties presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $29.06.

Easterly Government Properties Trading Up 2.8%

NYSE:DEA traded up $0.57 on Wednesday, reaching $20.71. The stock had a trading volume of 75,959 shares, compared to its average volume of 488,441. The company has a market cap of $929.89 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 115.26 and a beta of 0.90. 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 fifty day moving average is $23.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.34. Easterly Government Properties has a 12-month low of $19.33 and a 12-month high of $36.31.

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73. The company had revenue of $78.68 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $80.67 million. Easterly Government Properties had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 1.34%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.29 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Easterly Government Properties will post 1.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Easterly Government Properties

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Swiss National Bank lifted its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 194,410 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $2,061,000 after purchasing an additional 3,100 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in Easterly Government Properties by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,001,924 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $21,220,000 after buying an additional 26,596 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Easterly Government Properties by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,221,717 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $118,950,000 after buying an additional 62,164 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Easterly Government Properties in the 1st quarter worth approximately $120,000. Finally, Advyzon Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Easterly Government Properties in the 1st quarter worth approximately $214,000. 86.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.