ExodusPoint Capital Management LP Increases Stock Holdings in Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA)

ExodusPoint Capital Management LP raised its stake in shares of Easterly Government Properties, Inc. (NYSE:DEA) by 35.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 349,236 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock after acquiring an additional 91,811 shares during the period. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP’s holdings in Easterly Government Properties were worth $3,967,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of DEA. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in Easterly Government Properties by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 321,908 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $3,657,000 after purchasing an additional 1,071 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 48,000 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $545,000 after acquiring an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp increased its position in shares of Easterly Government Properties by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 21,435 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $243,000 after acquiring an additional 1,574 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its position in Easterly Government Properties by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 54,255 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock worth $616,000 after purchasing an additional 1,616 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its stake in Easterly Government Properties by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 48,846 shares of the real estate investment trust’s stock valued at $663,000 after purchasing an additional 1,637 shares during the period. 86.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Easterly Government Properties in a research report on Monday, March 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $13.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price 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. Finally, StockNews.com raised Easterly Government Properties from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th.

Easterly Government Properties Stock Performance

Shares of DEA stock opened at $10.08 on Monday. Easterly Government Properties, Inc. has a 12 month low of $9.90 and a 12 month high of $14.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 55.97 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. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $10.81 and its 200 day moving average is $11.91.

Easterly Government Properties (NYSE:DEA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.22. The firm 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.28 earnings per share. On average, sell-side 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 5th were given a dividend of $0.265 per share. This represents a $1.06 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.52%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 5th. Easterly Government Properties’s dividend payout ratio is presently 557.89%.

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.