Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) Hits New 1-Year Low - Should You Sell?

Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $10.07 and last traded at $10.07, with a volume of 11437 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.25.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on DEA shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Easterly Government Properties in a research note on Monday, March 17th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $13.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com raised Easterly Government Properties from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on 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.

Easterly Government Properties Price Performance

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $10.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $11.83. The company has a market capitalization of $1.02 billion, a PE ratio of 52.67 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 4.01, a quick ratio of 4.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07.

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

Easterly Government Properties Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a $0.265 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 11.18%. Easterly Government Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 557.89%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Easterly Government Properties

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in DEA. Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 814.7% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,110 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 2,770 shares during the period. Quarry LP lifted its stake in Easterly Government Properties by 604.0% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 5,878 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 5,043 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $70,000. Parvin Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Easterly Government Properties during the fourth quarter worth approximately $87,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the 4th quarter valued at $97,000. 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.