Jefferies Financial Group Initiates Coverage on Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA)

Investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report) in a report released on Monday, MarketBeat reports. The firm set a "buy" rating and a $13.00 price target on the real estate investment trust's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price target suggests a potential upside of 24.46% from the company's current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on DEA. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Easterly Government Properties from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an "underperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 6th.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of Easterly Government Properties stock traded down $0.15 during trading on Monday, reaching $10.45. 2,056,194 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,050,399. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.13 billion, a PE ratio of 58.03 and a beta of 0.73. Easterly Government Properties has a 1-year low of $10.18 and a 1-year high of $14.53. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $11.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $12.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 4.01 and a quick ratio of 4.01.

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Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report) last issued 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 analyst estimates of $79.49 million. Easterly Government Properties had a return on equity of 1.34% and a net margin of 6.25%. The firm's revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.28 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Easterly Government Properties will post 1.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Easterly Government Properties news, CEO Darrell W. Crate purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $10.91 per share, with a total value of $109,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 171,479 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,870,835.89. The trade was a 6.19 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 8.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Easterly Government Properties in the fourth quarter valued at about $121,000. Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Easterly Government Properties during the fourth quarter valued at $512,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 93.0% in the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 327,382 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $3,719,000 after purchasing an additional 157,765 shares during the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 60.0% during the 4th quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 48,149 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $537,000 after acquiring an additional 18,049 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PharVision Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the fourth quarter valued at $266,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.51% of the company's stock.

Easterly Government Properties Company Profile

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.