KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Lowers Holdings in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. $DEA

Key Points

• KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS has dramatically reduced its stake in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. by 89.2%, now holding only 7,599 shares after selling 62,701 during the second quarter.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed ratings for the stock, with a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $26.41.
• Easterly Government Properties recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45, which translates to an annual yield of 8.1%, despite a notably high dividend payout ratio of 439.02%.

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS decreased its stake in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA - Free Report) by 89.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,599 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 62,701 shares during the quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS's holdings in Easterly Government Properties were worth $169,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV boosted its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 3.2% in the first quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 15,197 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $161,000 after buying an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 1.4% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 60,740 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $644,000 after acquiring an additional 812 shares during the last quarter. PharVision Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 6.2% during the first quarter. PharVision Advisers LLC now owns 24,913 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $264,000 after acquiring an additional 1,456 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 10.1% during the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 27,217 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $288,000 after acquiring an additional 2,501 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 3.2% during the first quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 89,616 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $950,000 after acquiring an additional 2,798 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.51% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on DEA. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Easterly Government Properties in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. New Street Research set a $20.00 price target on Easterly Government Properties in a report on Monday, October 13th. Compass Point set a $26.45 price target on Easterly Government Properties and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised 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 note on Wednesday, July 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $26.41.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Performance

DEA opened at $22.18 on Tuesday. Easterly Government Properties, Inc. has a 1-year low of $19.33 and a 1-year high of $36.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 3.75 and a quick ratio of 3.75. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $22.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $22.16. The stock has a market cap of $1.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.09 and a beta of 0.95.

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.74 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $80.37 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $81.73 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.29 EPS. Easterly Government Properties's 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, equities analysts anticipate that Easterly Government Properties, Inc. will post 1.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Easterly Government Properties Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 13th were paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 13th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.1%. Easterly Government Properties's dividend payout ratio is presently 439.02%.

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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