Natixis Advisors LLC Makes New $236,000 Investment in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA)

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC made a new investment of approximately $236,000 in Easterly Government Properties by acquiring 22,308 shares during the first quarter.
• Easterly Government Properties' stock recently increased by 2.2% and has a market cap of $1.02 billion, with a high of $36.31 and a low of $19.33 over the past year.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, reflecting a payout ratio of 175.61% and an annual yield of 8.0% as of the upcoming payment date.

Natixis Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 22,308 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $236,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DEA. Arrow Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 14.2% in the first quarter. Arrow Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,548 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $144,000 after buying an additional 1,686 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 14.6% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 14,214 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $161,000 after acquiring an additional 1,806 shares during the period. Accel Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 20.0% during the first quarter. Accel Wealth Management now owns 12,000 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 2,501 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 22.0% in the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 14,601 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $166,000 after purchasing an additional 2,637 shares during the period. 86.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Down 1.0%

NYSE DEA traded down $0.23 during trading on Friday, hitting $21.95. The stock had a trading volume of 518,946 shares, compared to its average volume of 590,920. Easterly Government Properties, Inc. has a 12 month low of $19.33 and a 12 month high of $36.31. The company has a market capitalization of $995.43 million, a PE 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 company's 50-day moving average price is $22.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.65.

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

Easterly Government Properties Cuts Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on DEA. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $27.50 to $22.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 2nd. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Easterly Government Properties from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $25.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Easterly Government Properties from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, June 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Easterly Government Properties presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.