Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC Makes New $120,000 Investment in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA)

Key Points

• Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC invested $120,000 in Easterly Government Properties by acquiring 11,360 shares during the first quarter.
• Easterly Government Properties reported quarterly earnings of $0.74 per share, matching analysts' expectations, with a revenue of $80.37 million.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, reflecting an annual yield of 8.1%, despite a high dividend payout ratio of 171.43%.

Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position 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 & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 11,360 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $120,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Arrow Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Easterly Government Properties by 14.2% in the 1st quarter. Arrow Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,548 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $144,000 after buying an additional 1,686 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 14,214 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $161,000 after buying an additional 1,806 shares in the last quarter. Accel Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 20.0% during the 1st quarter. Accel Wealth Management now owns 12,000 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $127,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. grew its position in Easterly Government Properties by 9.7% in the fourth quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. now owns 28,250 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $321,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in Easterly Government Properties by 10.1% in the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 27,217 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $288,000 after acquiring an additional 2,501 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.51% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Easterly Government Properties from $27.50 to $22.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered Easterly Government Properties from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research 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 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $27.15.

Easterly Government Properties Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE:DEA traded down $0.27 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $22.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 374,781 shares, compared to its average volume of 433,757. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 4.90 and a current ratio of 3.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 53.92 and a beta of 0.94. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $22.60 and a 200-day simple moving average of $23.83. Easterly Government Properties, Inc. has a 1 year low of $19.33 and a 1 year high of $36.31.

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 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.74. Easterly Government Properties had a return on equity of 1.26% and a net margin of 5.54%. The firm had revenue of $80.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $81.73 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.29 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Easterly Government Properties, Inc. will post 1.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Easterly Government Properties Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 13th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.1%. Easterly Government Properties's payout ratio is presently 175.61%.

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.