Aberdeen Group plc Cuts Position in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. $DEA

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc has reduced its stake in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (DEA) by 53.5%, owning 11,574 shares after selling 13,305 shares.
• Recent analyst reports set price targets for DEA ranging from $20.00 to $26.45, with a consensus rating of "Hold" among analysts.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45, translating to an annual yield of 8.2%, despite a high dividend payout ratio of 439.02%.

Aberdeen Group plc decreased its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA - Free Report) by 53.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,574 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 13,305 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc's holdings in Easterly Government Properties were worth $257,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in DEA. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System purchased a new stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $275,000. Abel Hall LLC bought a new stake in Easterly Government Properties in the second quarter worth $349,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC boosted its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 944.3% in the second quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 10,443 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $232,000 after acquiring an additional 9,443 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the first quarter worth $193,000. Finally, Foresight Group Ltd Liability Partnership increased its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 0.9% during the first quarter. Foresight Group Ltd Liability Partnership now owns 1,012,520 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $10,705,000 after acquiring an additional 8,900 shares in the last quarter. 86.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DEA has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. New Street Research set a $20.00 price target on Easterly Government Properties in a research report on Monday, October 13th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Easterly Government Properties from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $25.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Easterly Government Properties in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Compass Point set a $26.45 price target on shares of Easterly Government Properties and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Easterly Government Properties presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $26.41.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DEA opened at $21.97 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $22.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.21. Easterly Government Properties, Inc. has a 52-week low of $19.33 and a 52-week high of $36.31. The company has a market cap of $996.34 million, a PE ratio of 53.59 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a quick ratio of 3.75, a current ratio of 3.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.74. Easterly Government Properties had a net margin of 5.54% and a return on equity of 1.26%. The firm had revenue of $80.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $81.73 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.29 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. Easterly Government Properties has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.980-3.030 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Easterly Government Properties, Inc. will post 1.17 EPS for the current year.

Easterly Government Properties Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.2%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 13th. Easterly Government Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 439.02%.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DEA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.