Principal Financial Group Inc. Trims Stake in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA - Free Report) by 10.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 456,384 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 51,102 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.43% of Easterly Government Properties worth $6,198,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 9.8% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,144,075 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $14,152,000 after buying an additional 102,521 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 34.6% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 9,970 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $123,000 after buying an additional 2,563 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 35,912 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $444,000 after acquiring an additional 1,504 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in Easterly Government Properties by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 17,370 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $215,000 after acquiring an additional 1,237 shares during the period. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in Easterly Government Properties by 4.7% during the 2nd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 69,882 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $864,000 after acquiring an additional 3,161 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.51% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on DEA shares. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $15.00 to $12.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Easterly Government Properties from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Easterly Government Properties from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Easterly Government Properties

In other news, CEO Darrell W. Crate acquired 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $10.91 per share, with a total value of $109,100.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 171,479 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,870,835.89. The trade was a 6.19 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 8.10% of the company's stock.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Up 1.0 %

Easterly Government Properties stock traded up $0.11 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $11.47. The stock had a trading volume of 829,918 shares, compared to its average volume of 985,581. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $12.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $12.96. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.72 and a beta of 0.69. Easterly Government Properties, Inc. has a 12-month low of $10.76 and a 12-month high of $14.52. The company has a quick ratio of 4.01, a current 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 data on Tuesday, November 5th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.24). The firm had revenue of $74.78 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $74.98 million. Easterly Government Properties had a return on equity of 1.34% and a net margin of 6.25%. Easterly Government Properties's revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.29 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Easterly Government Properties, Inc. will post 1.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Easterly Government Properties Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were given a $0.265 dividend. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 9.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. Easterly Government Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 588.89%.

Easterly Government Properties 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.