Aigen Investment Management LP Makes New Investment in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA)

Key Points

• Aigen Investment Management LP acquired 50,070 shares of Easterly Government Properties, valued at approximately $531,000, representing around 0.11% of the company's stock.
• Easterly Government Properties recently cut its dividend payout ratio to 175.61%, with a quarterly dividend of $0.45, translating to an annual yield of 8.0%.
• The company reported $0.74 EPS for the last quarter, meeting analysts' expectations, but revenue was slightly below estimates at $80.37 million.

Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new stake in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 50,070 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $531,000. Aigen Investment Management LP owned about 0.11% of Easterly Government Properties as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Montag A & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Easterly Government Properties during the first quarter worth $129,000. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Easterly Government Properties in the first quarter valued at $394,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 2.7% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 494,419 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $5,241,000 after purchasing an additional 12,863 shares during the period. Penserra Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 21.0% in the first quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 89,816 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $952,000 after purchasing an additional 15,599 shares during the period. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Easterly Government Properties in the first quarter valued at $223,000. Institutional investors own 86.51% of the company's stock.

Easterly Government Properties Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:DEA traded down $0.23 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $21.95. The company's stock had a trading volume of 518,946 shares, compared to its average volume of 475,445. The firm has a market capitalization of $995.43 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.54 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 3.75 and a current ratio of 3.75. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $22.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $23.57. Easterly Government Properties, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $19.33 and a fifty-two week high of $36.31.

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74. Easterly Government Properties had a return on equity of 1.26% and a net margin of 5.54%. The business had revenue of $80.37 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $81.73 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.29 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Easterly Government Properties, Inc. will post 1.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Easterly Government Properties Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 13th. Easterly Government Properties's dividend payout ratio is 439.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Easterly Government Properties from $27.50 to $22.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Easterly Government Properties from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Easterly Government Properties from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $25.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $27.15.

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.