Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) Hits New 52-Week Low - What's Next?

Shares of Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $8.03 and last traded at $20.93, with a volume of 1349782 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.19.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on DEA. Compass Point reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $23.75 target price (down from $37.50) on shares of Easterly Government Properties in a report on Thursday, April 10th. StockNews.com downgraded Easterly Government Properties from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Easterly Government Properties in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $32.50 price target for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Easterly Government Properties from $30.00 to $27.50 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $29.06.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Performance

The company's 50 day simple moving average is $24.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $28.06. 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 stock has a market cap of $2.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 114.83 and a beta of 0.87.

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

Easterly Government Properties Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, May 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a yield of 8.92%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 5th. Easterly Government Properties's payout ratio is 378.95%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 324.6% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 165,212 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $2,244,000 after buying an additional 126,306 shares during the period. Kempner Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 23.7% in the fourth quarter. Kempner Capital Management Inc. now owns 317,980 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $3,612,000 after buying an additional 60,840 shares during the period. Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the fourth quarter valued at about $514,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 143,148 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $1,600,000 after buying an additional 3,310 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 66,071 shares during the period. 86.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.