Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) Reaches New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Shares of Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $24.96 and last traded at $24.90, with a volume of 77280 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $24.90.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on DEA. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target 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. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Easterly Government Properties from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Easterly Government Properties from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Easterly Government Properties has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $23.49.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.59 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 103.73 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a current ratio of 4.01.

Easterly Government Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 7th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.2%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 7th. Easterly Government Properties’s dividend payout ratio is presently 750.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of DEA. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Easterly Government Properties by 215.6% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,130 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 772 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 318.2% in the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,334 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 1,015 shares during the period. Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new stake in Easterly Government Properties in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. US Bancorp DE raised its stake in Easterly Government Properties by 237.9% during the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 1,757 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 1,237 shares during the period. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in Easterly Government Properties in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.51% of the company’s stock.

About Easterly Government Properties

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.