Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA) Short Interest Up 9.4% in March

Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,490,000 shares, a growth of 9.4% from the March 15th total of 3,190,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 985,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.5 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Easterly Government Properties

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in Easterly Government Properties by 102.3% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,023 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,023 shares during the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 2,550.6% in the 4th quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 2,200 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 2,117 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Middle East FZE bought a new position in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 137.3% during the 1st quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,684 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 1,553 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.51% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com lowered Easterly Government Properties from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd.

Easterly Government Properties Price Performance

Shares of Easterly Government Properties stock traded down $0.09 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $11.28. 756,547 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 981,112. The firm has a market cap of $1.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 59.37 and a beta of 0.67. Easterly Government Properties has a 52 week low of $10.27 and a 52 week high of $15.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 4.65 and a quick ratio of 4.65. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $11.57 and a 200-day simple moving average of $11.96.

Easterly Government Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 6th were issued a $0.265 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.40%. Easterly Government Properties's dividend payout ratio is presently 557.92%.

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.