UBS Group AG Cuts Stock Position in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. $DEA

Key Points

• UBS Group AG reduced its stake in Easterly Government Properties by 18.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 78,165 shares and ending with 348,831 shares valued at about $7.39 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious, with the consensus rating at “Reduce” and a target price of $23.49; several recent reports also lowered ratings or trimmed price targets.
• The REIT reported weak quarterly earnings, posting $0.10 EPS versus the $0.77 estimate, even as revenue rose 11.1% year over year; the stock was up 2.7% to $23.65 and carries a 7.6% dividend yield.

UBS Group AG lowered its position in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA - Free Report) by 18.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 348,831 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 78,165 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned approximately 0.76% of Easterly Government Properties worth $7,392,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Easterly Government Properties by 197.5% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 95,596 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,013,000 after buying an additional 63,463 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 1,759.2% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,000,176 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $10,602,000 after buying an additional 946,381 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in Easterly Government Properties by 12,846.9% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 10,487 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $111,000 after acquiring an additional 10,406 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in Easterly Government Properties by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 714,042 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $7,569,000 after acquiring an additional 7,785 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC lifted its position in Easterly Government Properties by 271.5% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 115,677 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,226,000 after acquiring an additional 84,536 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.51% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DEA has been the subject of a number of research reports. Truist Financial decreased their target price on Easterly Government Properties from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Easterly Government Properties from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Easterly Government Properties from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $23.49.

Easterly Government Properties Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of NYSE:DEA opened at $23.65 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 4.01, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Easterly Government Properties, Inc. has a 12-month low of $20.56 and a 12-month high of $24.94. The business has a 50 day moving average of $22.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $22.44. The company has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a PE ratio of 98.55 and a beta of 0.98.

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The real estate investment trust reported $0.10 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.77 by ($0.67). Easterly Government Properties had a net margin of 3.22% and a return on equity of 0.82%. The firm had revenue of $87.04 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $87.73 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.29 earnings per share. Easterly Government Properties's revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Easterly Government Properties has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.050-3.120 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Easterly Government Properties, Inc. will post 3.1 EPS for the current year.

Easterly Government Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 7th will be given a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 7th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.6%. Easterly Government Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 750.00%.

Easterly Government Properties Company Profile

Easterly Government Properties, Inc is a real estate investment trust that specializes in the acquisition, development and management of commercial properties leased to U.S. government agencies. Structured as a triple-net lease REIT, the company focuses on single-tenant assets with long-term, credit-backed leases that transfer most property-level responsibilities—including taxes, insurance and maintenance—to its government tenants.

The firm’s portfolio encompasses a variety of facility types, including office buildings, training centers, laboratories and mission-critical installations used by federal agencies.

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