Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. Purchases Shares of 88,244 Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA)

Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 88,244 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $935,000. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. owned approximately 0.20% of Easterly Government Properties at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of DEA. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Easterly Government Properties during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $252,000. LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 12.9% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 136,476 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,550,000 after acquiring an additional 15,635 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,159,553 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $126,773,000 after acquiring an additional 44,202 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 67.6% in the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 762,183 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $8,658,000 after acquiring an additional 307,369 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,572,549 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $29,230,000 after acquiring an additional 19,858 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.51% of the company's stock.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Performance

NYSE:DEA opened at $22.25 on Tuesday. The company's 50-day moving average price is $22.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.95. The company has a current ratio of 4.90, a quick ratio of 4.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $999.07 million, a P/E ratio of 52.98 and a beta of 0.94. Easterly Government Properties, Inc. has a twelve month low of $19.33 and a twelve month high of $36.31.

Easterly Government Properties Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 13th. Easterly Government Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 171.43%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DEA has been the topic of a number of research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $27.50 to $22.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. Compass Point reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $23.75 price objective (down previously from $37.50) on shares of Easterly Government Properties in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. 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 on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target 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.

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