Strs Ohio Buys Shares of 18,200 Easterly Government Properties, Inc. $DEA

Key Points

• Strs Ohio has acquired 18,200 shares of Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE: DEA), valued at approximately $193,000, marking a significant institutional investment in the company.
• Several hedge funds have also increased their stakes in Easterly Government Properties, with a notable increase of 12,846.9% in holdings by NewEdge Advisors LLC during the first quarter.
• Despite a reported quarterly EPS of $0.74, which met analysts' expectations, the company's dividend payout ratio is exceptionally high at 439.02%, indicating potential financial strain.

Strs Ohio purchased a new position in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 18,200 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock, valued at approximately $193,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the first quarter valued at about $109,000. Kaizen Financial Strategies acquired a new stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties during the first quarter worth approximately $111,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 12,846.9% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 10,487 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $111,000 after buying an additional 10,406 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties during the first quarter worth approximately $120,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $121,000. 86.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on DEA. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Easterly Government Properties from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $25.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target 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, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Easterly Government Properties from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, June 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $27.15.

Easterly Government Properties Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DEA opened at $22.75 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $1.03 billion, a PE ratio of 55.49 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a current ratio of 3.75, a quick ratio of 3.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. Easterly Government Properties, Inc. has a 1-year low of $19.33 and a 1-year high of $36.31. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $22.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.72.

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74. Easterly Government Properties had a net margin of 5.54% and a return on equity of 1.26%. The company had revenue of $80.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $81.73 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.29 EPS. The company's quarterly 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. Research analysts predict that Easterly Government Properties, Inc. will post 1.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Easterly Government Properties Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 13th. Easterly Government Properties's dividend payout ratio is currently 439.02%.

About Easterly Government Properties

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.