Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) Hits New 52-Week Low - Here's What Happened

Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $10.50 and last traded at $10.56, with a volume of 179237 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $10.63.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Easterly Government Properties from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Easterly Government Properties from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective 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.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Up 1.0 %

The stock has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a PE ratio of 59.97 and a beta of 0.70. The business has a fifty day moving average of $11.19 and a 200-day moving average of $12.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 4.01 and a quick ratio of 4.01.

Easterly Government Properties Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be given a dividend of $0.265 per share. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.82%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. Easterly Government Properties's payout ratio is 588.89%.

Insider Activity

In other Easterly Government Properties news, CEO Darrell W. Crate bought 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $10.91 per share, for a total transaction of $109,100.00. Following the acquisition, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 8.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Easterly Government Properties

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 11,159,553 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $126,773,000 after buying an additional 44,202 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,839,318 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $79,298,000 after acquiring an additional 66,663 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,572,549 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $29,230,000 after acquiring an additional 19,858 shares in the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 2,258,518 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $25,657,000 after acquiring an additional 97,286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Easterly Government Properties by 48.7% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,056,248 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $23,359,000 after purchasing an additional 673,270 shares in the last quarter. 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.