Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Sell”

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report issued on Thursday.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DEA remained flat at $13.42 during trading on Thursday. The stock had a trading volume of 576,102 shares, compared to its average volume of 884,886. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 4.31 and a current ratio of 3.57. Easterly Government Properties has a 1-year low of $10.27 and a 1-year high of $15.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 67.10 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $12.79 and a 200-day moving average price of $12.11.

Easterly Government Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.265 per share. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.90%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 1st. Easterly Government Properties’s payout ratio is currently 530.00%.

Institutional Trading of Easterly Government Properties

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,361,719 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $16,844,000 after purchasing an additional 9,738 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 18.4% in the 2nd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 51,625 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $639,000 after acquiring an additional 8,015 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Easterly Government Properties in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $252,000. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 31,873 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $394,000 after acquiring an additional 842 shares during the period. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System boosted its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 27,221 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $337,000 after acquiring an additional 859 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.