Wall Street Zen Downgrades Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) to Sell

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note issued on Friday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Easterly Government Properties in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $32.50 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Easterly Government Properties from $27.50 to $22.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Compass Point reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $23.75 target price (down previously from $37.50) on shares of Easterly Government Properties in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $27.69.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Up 2.2%

NYSE DEA traded up $0.47 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $22.37. 536,344 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 506,428. Easterly Government Properties has a 1-year low of $19.33 and a 1-year high of $36.31. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $21.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $25.83. The company has a current ratio of 4.01, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07. The company has a market cap of $1.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 124.29 and a beta of 0.90.

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73. Easterly Government Properties had a return on equity of 1.34% and a net margin of 6.25%. The firm had revenue of $78.68 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $80.67 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.29 EPS. Easterly Government Properties's quarterly revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Easterly Government Properties will post 1.17 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the 1st quarter worth approximately $193,000. Foresight Group Ltd Liability Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Foresight Group Ltd Liability Partnership now owns 1,012,520 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $10,705,000 after purchasing an additional 8,900 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 87.6% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 111,019 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $1,177,000 after purchasing an additional 51,832 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 271.5% in 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 purchasing an additional 84,536 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 1.1% in 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 purchasing an additional 7,785 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.51% of the company's stock.

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.

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