Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $6.20 Million Stock Holdings in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA)

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its holdings in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA - Free Report) by 10.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 456,384 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock after selling 51,102 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.44% of Easterly Government Properties worth $6,198,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 56.6% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,006 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,086 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 35.6% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 3,798 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 997 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI purchased a new stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties during the 2nd quarter worth $115,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 34.6% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Accel Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $124,000. 86.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Up 1.9 %

NYSE:DEA traded up $0.23 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $12.41. The stock had a trading volume of 380,260 shares, compared to its average volume of 918,652. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $13.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $13.00. Easterly Government Properties, Inc. has a 1-year low of $10.94 and a 1-year high of $14.52. The company has a market capitalization of $1.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 67.64 and a beta of 0.72. 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 (NYSE:DEA - Get Free Report) last released 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). Easterly Government Properties had a return on equity of 1.34% and a net margin of 6.25%. The firm had revenue of $74.78 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $74.98 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.29 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Easterly Government Properties, Inc. will post 1.15 EPS for the current year.

Easterly Government Properties Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.265 per share. This represents a $1.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Easterly Government Properties's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 588.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on DEA shares. StockNews.com raised shares of Easterly Government Properties from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Easterly Government Properties from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Easterly Government Properties from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $13.00 to $15.00 in a research note on Monday, October 14th.

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.