AlphaQuest LLC Sells 149,777 Shares of Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA)

AlphaQuest LLC decreased its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA) by 59.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 104,200 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after selling 149,777 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC owned about 0.10% of Easterly Government Properties worth $1,184,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DEA. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Easterly Government Properties by 478.8% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 672,306 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $9,130,000 after purchasing an additional 556,148 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC bought a new position in Easterly Government Properties during the third quarter valued at approximately $3,449,000. Barclays PLC lifted its position in Easterly Government Properties by 324.6% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 165,212 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $2,244,000 after purchasing an additional 126,306 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Easterly Government Properties by 4.3% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,932,660 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $26,246,000 after purchasing an additional 79,400 shares during the period. Finally, Versor Investments LP lifted its position in Easterly Government Properties by 165.3% during the third quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 124,546 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $1,691,000 after purchasing an additional 77,600 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.51% of the company’s stock.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of DEA stock opened at $11.15 on Monday. Easterly Government Properties, Inc. has a 12 month low of $10.45 and a 12 month high of $14.53. The stock has a market cap of $1.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.92 and a beta of 0.73. 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 50 day simple moving average of $11.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $12.32.

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $78.25 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $79.49 million. Easterly Government Properties had a net margin of 6.25% and a return on equity of 1.34%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.28 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Easterly Government Properties, Inc. will post 1.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Easterly Government Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be paid a $0.265 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.51%. Easterly Government Properties’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 557.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DEA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Easterly Government Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $15.00 to $12.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 6th.

Insider Transactions at Easterly Government Properties

In other news, CEO Darrell W. Crate acquired 10,000 shares of Easterly Government Properties stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $10.91 per share, with a total value of $109,100.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 171,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,870,835.89. This trade represents a 6.19 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 8.10% 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.