Ballentine Partners LLC Takes Position in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA)

Ballentine Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 21,031 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $223,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 814.7% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,110 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 2,770 shares during the period. Quarry LP grew its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 604.0% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 5,878 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 5,043 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the 4th quarter valued at about $70,000. Parvin Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the 4th quarter valued at about $87,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties during the 4th quarter worth about $97,000. 86.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Easterly Government Properties from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $25.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Easterly Government Properties from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $27.50 to $22.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 2nd. Finally, Compass Point reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $23.75 target price (down previously from $37.50) on shares of Easterly Government Properties in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Easterly Government Properties presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $27.15.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Performance

Easterly Government Properties stock traded down $0.22 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $22.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 348,398 shares, compared to its average volume of 530,914. Easterly Government Properties, Inc. has a 1-year low of $19.33 and a 1-year high of $36.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 4.90 and a quick ratio of 4.90. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $22.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.54. The company has a market cap of $1.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.90 and a beta of 0.94.

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting 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 business had revenue of $78.68 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $80.67 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.29 EPS. The business's revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict 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 announced a dividend, which was paid on Saturday, May 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 6th were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 8.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 5th. Easterly Government Properties's payout ratio is presently 171.43%.

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.