Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) Stock Price Passes Below Fifty Day Moving Average - What's Next?

Key Points

• Price action: Easterly Government Properties shares fell below their 50-day moving average, trading as low as $21.95 and last at $22.17 versus the 50‑day MA of $22.82, on volume of about 531,044 shares.
• Earnings and payout risks: The REIT reported a large quarterly EPS miss ($0.10 vs. $0.77 expected) with thin margins, yet pays a high quarterly dividend that implies an 8.1% yield
• Analyst view and ownership: Analysts hold a consensus "Hold" rating with a $23.49 price target amid mixed analyst actions, and institutional investors own about 86.5% of the stock, including sizable positions by Vanguard, State Street and recent heavy buying by Millennium Management.

Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report) shares passed below its 50-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 50-day moving average of $22.82 and traded as low as $21.95. Easterly Government Properties shares last traded at $22.17, with a volume of 531,044 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on DEA shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Easterly Government Properties from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on Easterly Government Properties from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Easterly Government Properties from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Easterly Government Properties from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock an "underperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $23.49.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $1.03 billion, a PE ratio of 79.18 and a beta of 0.98. The firm's fifty day moving average is $22.82 and its 200-day moving average is $22.27. The company has a current ratio of 3.87, a quick ratio of 3.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22.

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.10 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.77 by ($0.67). The firm had revenue of $87.04 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $87.73 million. Easterly Government Properties had a net margin of 3.87% and a return on equity of 0.94%. The business's revenue was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.29 earnings per share. Easterly Government Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.050-3.120 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Easterly Government Properties, Inc. will post 1.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Easterly Government Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 5th were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 5th. Easterly Government Properties's payout ratio is currently 642.86%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Easterly Government Properties

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,831,169 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $102,372,000 after buying an additional 167,092 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,497,275 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $52,917,000 after buying an additional 13,200 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,139,044 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $24,141,000 after buying an additional 9,577 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 1,759.2% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,000,176 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $10,602,000 after buying an additional 946,381 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 4.4% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 962,687 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $20,399,000 after buying an additional 40,451 shares in the last quarter. 86.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Easterly Government Properties Company Profile

Easterly Government Properties, Inc is a real estate investment trust that specializes in the acquisition, development and management of commercial properties leased to U.S. government agencies. Structured as a triple-net lease REIT, the company focuses on single-tenant assets with long-term, credit-backed leases that transfer most property-level responsibilities—including taxes, insurance and maintenance—to its government tenants.

The firm’s portfolio encompasses a variety of facility types, including office buildings, training centers, laboratories and mission-critical installations used by federal agencies.

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