Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC Makes New Investment in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA)

Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 37,157 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $394,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 814.7% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,110 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 2,770 shares during the period. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 604.0% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 5,878 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 5,043 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the fourth quarter worth $70,000. Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the fourth quarter worth $87,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the fourth quarter worth $97,000. 86.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on DEA shares. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $27.50 to $22.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Easterly Government Properties from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, June 6th. Compass Point reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $23.75 target price (down previously from $37.50) on shares of Easterly Government Properties in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Easterly Government Properties in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $32.50 target price for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $27.69.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Performance

Shares of DEA traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $22.91. 450,951 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 526,660. Easterly Government Properties, Inc. has a 1-year low of $19.33 and a 1-year high of $36.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.03 billion, a PE ratio of 54.55 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 4.90 and a current ratio of 4.90. The business's 50 day moving average price is $21.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.72.

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.73. Easterly Government Properties had a net margin of 5.86% and a return on equity of 1.30%. The company had revenue of $78.68 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $80.67 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.29 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Easterly Government Properties, Inc. will post 1.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Easterly Government Properties Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Saturday, May 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 6th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 8.92%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, May 5th. Easterly Government Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 171.43%.

Easterly Government Properties 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.